Oasis Town of San Pedro de Atacama

As famous as Patagonia may be, it was the majestic beauty of the Atacama Desert that drew me to Chile. Although Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia may be the most famous site in this corner of South America, San Pedro de Atacama is the epicenter of the tourism trade and a getaway to the Atacama region. It is one of the most sparsely populated areas in the world, so San Pedro seems like the only place with tourism infrastructure. After much debate, we spent four nights here, giving us enough time to explore the area at a leisurely pace. I wasn't sure what to expect, honestly. Would this be a hidden rural gem or another tourist trap?

We were definitely not in Santiago anymore.

Given the geographic size of Chile, the overwhelming majority arrived by flight to Calama Airport. Calam is the country’s mining capital and home to the world’s largest copper mine. But despite its importance, the city has a breadth of landmarks and tourist attractions. The guided tour at Chuquicamata Mine was the only recommended stop in town for some time. However, the tour was abruptly suspended indefinitely a few months ago. I spent considerable effort researching, and the only landmarks I could find were a modest cathedral and a Christ of the Desert statue at the edge of the town. As we saw the statue from afar, we knew it was not worth our time and effort. Regrettably, we chose to skip Calama on this visit.

San Pedro de Atacama is roughly an hour away from Calama. The highway connecting the two cities was well-maintained and a breeze to travel on. The first half of the journey was somewhat monotonous. Except for wind turbines and occasional roadside shrines, the barren landscape was remarkable. It was not until the last fifteen minutes that we understood why this area attracts so many visitors. The conical volcanos on the horizon and the lunar landscape outside the town were otherworldly. As we descended into the valley, the greenery of San Pedro emerged as a literal oasis in the driest part of the world.

Behind the rustic appearance of San Pedro are many charming cafe and bars.

At first glance, San Pedro de Atacama looks like a dusty frontier town with unpaved roads and cramped sidewalks. The mud adobe architecture reminded me of the numerous desert towns we visited in Morocco. We arrived at the town center in the middle of the day, and because of the blazing sun, San Pedro appeared almost deserted. The silence and melancholic atmosphere was a little unnerving at first. A collection of whitewashed buildings encloses the immaculate central plaza. For us, the tranquility of this place is a much-needed escape from the hustle and bustle of Santiago.

With a population of 2,599, San Pedro may not be a big city, but it is undoubtedly the region's metropolis. The areas around San Pedro were first settled 11,000 years ago. Thanks to Rio Vilama, this green oasis town became a center of agriculture. As arid as the region is, surprisingly, quite a few large trees are dotted around the city. Despite its rustic appearance, San Pedro has many inviting eateries, bars, and shopping boutiques. These may not be the trendiest spots in Chile, but they offer a welcomed respite from the unrelenting sun. Typical of desert climates, visitors are advised to stay in the shade at midday.

The colonial church of San Pedro de Atacama.

Without a doubt, the most enticing landmark is the city’s impressive colonial church. Constructed in the 17th century, the adobe church is in the classical Andean style and is the largest church in the Atacama region. I was captivated by its architectural simplicity. After severe structural damage from an earthquake, the church was fully restored in 2009 and still looks impeccable in 2024. The church's exterior is free of ornamentation. It boasts a spacious nave with beautiful exposed beamed ceilings tied together with llama leather. The modest altarpiece at the end is visually animated and striking.

Honestly, you might be a little disappointed with San Pedro if you are an aggressive sightseer like me. Other than the church, there were hardly any other worthwhile landmarks in town. The only worthwhile site within walking distance is the Meteorite Museum, a diminutive museum housed inside a couple of makeshift geodesic domes. Since the museum was closed during our visit, I could not tell if it would be worth your time and money. Similarly, a different regional museum, Museo R. P. Gustavo Le Paige, was also closed. These closures surprised me as we were there during the peak of Chile’s tourist season.

Despite San Pedro’s popularity and importance in Chile’s tourism trade, international hotel chains have not set up their shops here. From my understanding, the only transnational operator here is Explora, which operates luxurious lodgings in extraordinary locations in South America. There may be no shortage of high-end accommodation, but there are relatively few quality mid-range hotels. Like any other desert destination, finding quality accommodation is essential as it is the much-needed refuge from the extreme climatic conditions. After much research, we ended up at the 4-star NOI Casa Atacama. It cost a whopping $400 a night because it was the Christmas/New Year period. Excluding all-insulsive resorts, this was among the priciest hotels we ever stayed at.

On paper, NOI Casa Atacama may look like a luxurious property, but the reality was very different. It had a lot of urgent deferred maintenance, which was difficult to overlook. San Pedro’s geographic isolation seemed like the go-to excuse for the subpar standard of accommodations. I found that this laissez-faire approach toward hospitality permeates much of the town. While plenty of trendy eateries and shops are around town, most are rough around the edges despite the high price point. There are some noticeable exceptions, of course. One example would be Restaurante Ephedra, a relatively new player to Atacama’s gastronomic scene.

Sublime view of Licancabur from Restaurante Ephedra.

This small fine dining restaurant is located several minutes south of San Pedro. During our four-day visit, we met several travelers who gave glowing reviews of Restaurante Ephedra. Although Brian and I are generally adverse to fine dining, the place piqued my interest because of its remoteness. We were immediately impressed from the moment of arrival. For a fine dining establishment, the dining room was rather bare-bones. However, the service and attention to detail were as good as any restaurants we tried in New York City. As expected, all the ingredients were hyder-local and focused on telling the story of Atacama’s indigenous people. We were super impressed that the chef/owner behind the operation is Sergio Armella, a baby-faced chef who only started cooking less than five years ago when he dropped out of law school in Santiago. His professional courage to open a fine dining restaurant there is inspiring.

There are plenty of tourist business all around San Pedro.

What surprised us initially was how few foreigners opted to travel around Atacama independently. It did not take us long to realize the reason why. Many of the region’s most famous attractions require advanced reservations through the myriad of archaic reservation platforms. Without much prior research, I was amazed by how disjointed and complicated the reservation systems were. It was almost as if they were actively discouraging independent travel. I can’t help thinking that perhaps the local tour operators actively lobby for this byzantine approach toward tourism, much like it was done in Egypt.

Strolling down San Pedro’s main drag, visitors could find shop after shop of tour companies offering similar day excursions to places like El Taitio, Laguna Cejar, or Bolivia’s Uyuni Salt Flat. Upon inquiry, many operators provide deep discounts for bundling four or five individual tours. The going rate seemed to be $150 per person for four tours. That is quite a good deal, considering the cost of living in Chile. Since we had already rented a 4WD rental car to get to Calama, we decided to forgo the convenience of organized tours. On the other hand, we very much appreciated the freedom the rental car afforded us. I was also happy to avoid additional tipping.

San Pedro may not have many notable landmarks, but it is a perfect place for people watching. In the late afternoon, the city came alive as visitors flooded the main street upon returning from their day’s outing. The crowd kicked up a cloud of sand on the town’s dirt roads. It seemed like everyone was trying their best to stay in the shade. Our five-day stay in Atacama may be the first time I wished for an overcast sky while on vacation. I was thankful that San Pedro’s high altitude kept the temperature in check at the very least. A glass of pisco sour by the hotel pool is just what we needed.

The later afternoon crowd along Caracoles.

San Pedro is surprisingly tranquil if you venture off Caracoles.

Browsing through all the tour shops, it was clear one of the most popular activities in San Pedro is stargazing. The Atacama desert has been a magnet for professional and amateur astronomers thanks to its relatively high altitude and extremely low humidity. The area has some of the world’s most state-of-the-art observatories, many set up by foreign governments and universities. Local entrepreneurs did not take long to figure out they could capitalize on the crystal clear sky above them for tourism. Since “astro-tourism” does not interfere with the day excursions. It made a great addition to the tourist itinerary.

Because we visited during the busiest few days of the year, many astronomical tours were booked a week in advance. I managed to score a spot with Llama Stargazing. At nine o'clock, the tour operator picked us up in a white minivan at the hotel. It was a fifteen-minute drive to the remote location with dozens of chairs and a few sets of small telescopes. The “tour” was run by a young astronomer from Italy who was undoubtedly passionate about astronomy. It was only a few days after the summer solstice, so we had a clear view of three solar planets: Venus, Mars, and Saturn. Sadly, the famous Southern Cross was below the horizon here at this time of the year. We would have to try luck in Patagonia later on this trip.

In all honesty, this was not the best stargazing experience we had. Compared to the night sky of the Sahara or Maunakeao in Hawaii, the night sky here is plagued by San Pedro’s light pollution. Perhaps more importantly, the quality of the telescope was subpar. They are not advanced enough to make out the planets and stars. We could barely make out the rings of Saturn. I could tell the guide was a little embarrassed by the equipment the company gave him. I wished the tour would focus on traditional ethnoastronomy. With a “surcharge” for the Christmas/New York period, the tour cost us $50 a person. Considering the activity and the equipment quality, it was dramatically overpriced.

▲

Oasis Town of San Pedro de Atacama

The Ephemeral Landscape of El Tatio

Chile Through The Lense Of Old Santiago