A field guide to the Atacama
22°54′S 68°12′W
01 — The desert in four numbers
The driest place outside the poles, and one of the highest places people live
San Pedro de Atacama, the oasis town where the lodge stands
Licancabur, the perfect cone above town. Its crater holds a lake
The Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile
Clear nights a year, give or take. Why the observatories came
02 — Month by month
When to go, and what you get
January
26 / 6 °C
Lagoons, flamingos. Some afternoon storms up high
February
26 / 6 °C
The altiplano winter: keep a spare day
March
25 / 4 °C
Calm lakes return. Long golden evenings
April
23 / 1 °C
Clear and cool. Uyuni crossings begin
May
21 / −2 °C
Long nights begin. Superb stargazing
June
20 / −4 °C
The coldest dawns. Milky Way overhead
July
20 / −4 °C
Winter holidays; book early
August
22 / −2 °C
Windy days, very clear nights
September
23 / 0 °C
Spring. The best month for the summit
October
25 / 2 °C
The lakes at their calmest
November
26 / 4 °C
Warm days, long light, few visitors
December
27 / 5 °C
Hot afternoons, pools and lagoons
03 — Altitude
Three bands, three kinds of day
Most of the Atacama that visitors see sits in three bands. You sleep in the lowest, walk in the middle and visit the highest for a few hours at a time.
The altiplano
Lakes, geysers and summits. Visited by day, with oxygen in the vehicle. Around 60% of the oxygen per breath you get at sea level.
The canyons
Hot springs, villages and the road up. Walks feel harder; conversation doesn’t.
The oasis
San Pedro, the salar and the lodges. You sleep here. Most guests feel nothing after the first night.
04 — Field notes
Read before you pack
Health
6 min
Altitude, explained
What happens to your body above 2,500 metres, and why every journey sleeps low and climbs high.
Planning
5 min
When to go: the desert, month by month
Summer lagoons, winter stars and the two weeks in February when the altiplano gets rain.
Planning
4 min
What to pack for 35 degrees in a day
From −9 °C at the geysers to 26 °C floating in Laguna Cejar, often in the same day.
Stars
7 min
Reading the night sky from 2,400 metres
Why the world's largest telescopes are here, and what you will see with your own eyes on the first night.
Wildlife
4 min
The flamingos of the salar
Three species, one salt lake, and why they are pink.
Culture
6 min
The oasis villages
The Lickanantay have farmed the oases around the salar for thousands of years. A short guide to visiting well.
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