Hike & bike among astonishing landscapes surrounded by volcanoes and secret paths between valleys, salt flats & gorges.
You will learn more about the history of the Atacama Desert, culture, archaeology, native flora and fauna.
Atacama Bike Hike Tour Highlights
Before we kick off our bike and hike tour in the Atacama Desert, you should take a day or two to adjust to local time and recover from your travels, and allow for any flight or luggage delays. You should fly into Calama airport (CJC).
In Chile, domestic flights are operated by 3 local airline companies: Latam, Sky Airline and JetSmart.
Official Airport Transfer
The official shuttle company at Calama's Airport is called TransVip.
They are the only authorized shuttle company at the airport, and their staff wears a green and orange uniform.
By contract with the airport, they must have available transport based in the domestic flights arriving every day.
They have a counter at the airport, on the ground floor next to the car rental companies.
They offer regular shuttles to San Pedro de Atacama at $12.000 pesos (USD $17 per person), and they need a minimum of 4 people.
If they don't have the 4 minimum passengers, or if you want to have a private shuttle, with the same company you can do it at $75.000 (USD $100 per vehicle).
You don’t need reservations and you can pay in Credit Card or Cash. The ATM is on ground floor.
All their shuttle services will drop you off at the hotel or address you are staying in San Pedro de Atacama.
Driving time is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.
For the pre-night stay, we recommend staying at Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás in San Pedro de Atacama, which is well-located with lots of restaurants and other facilities just a short walk away.
Suggested Hotels
English-Spanish speaking (8:1 guest-to-guide ratio)
Modern Mercedes-Benz Sprinter with trailer & bicycle rack
At Noi Casa Atacama
At Noi Borde Loa Hotel
Cycling and hiking (6 bike rides and 4 hikes), local culture and hot springs
6 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 2 dinners. We also include the first glass of Chilean wine, beer or soft drink during our group dinners
+ 1 glass of Chilean wine, 1 beer or 1 soft drink during our group dinners
drinking water, local beer, isotonic drinks, trail-mix, fresh fruit and home-made energy bars
At hotels & restaurants
Medical and accident
Hard-tail mountain bike or gravel bike (+ helmet, pedals and water bottle)
Cycling jersey
To national parks, reserves, hot springs, and local attractions
Cable housing, tubes, tires and spokes
International & Domestic
Travel and Trip cancellation
Laundry and SPA
Derailleur, crankset, fork, etc
At the end of the trip, gratuity for the crew for a job well done is highly appreciated. We encourage you to use your discretion and tip according to the caliber of service you receive
On the first day of our bike and hike tour, our local team will meet you at La Casa de Don Tomas Hotel in San Pedro de Atacama at 9am. They will brief you on the adventure ahead and answer any questions you may have.
We will start building bikes and fitting rental bikes, ready for our first ride on the Atacama Desert!
Morning Ride. This morning, we will have a great introductory experience to the Likan Antay culture and its way of living. We will leave the hotel by bike and ride through different ayllus. The Ayllu is an ancient type of organization and land management, created by the Altiplano people who inhabited these desert sites.
We will pass by Solcor, Sequitor & Tulor. We'll make our first stop at the archeological site Tulor, one of the oldest sites in northern Chile. Then, we will meet Wildo and his family at the Coyo ayllu, and share with his family some daily activities and ancestral cosmovision.
We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Coyo tasting typical food prepared with local products.
Distance by Bike: 30 kilometers / 18.6 miles
Elevation: 2.400 meters above sea level / 7.875 feet
Intensity level: Low/Easy
Afternoon Hike. During the afternoon, we’ll head toward the Moon Valley, located in the Salt Mountain Range, which forms a natural barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Salt Flat. The hike starts at the Coyote Rock, an interesting geologic formation that goes deep into the mountain range.
We’ll hike for 2 hours by the Kari George, admiring beautiful views of the Atacama. The Moon is well-known due to its statuesque and rocky formations. Salt emerges to the surface, covering the surface with a dry, whitish layer that gives the place a lunar aspect.
Distance Hiking: 8 kilometers / 5 miles
Elevation: 2.400 meters above sea level / 7.875 feet
Intensity level: Low/Easy
Evening activity. At night we will enjoy an amazing astronomy outing. We'll spend two hours on a tour that includes an astronomy lecture in a specially equipped room, followed by a naked eye star-gazing and finally, a celestial bodies telescopic observation.
Meals: Lunch and evening cocktail
Accommodation: Atacama Loft
Morning Hike. After breakfast, departure from your hotel towards the North-East. The excursion starts out by ascending from the Guatín settlement surrounded by hundred-year-old cactus.
The hike begins climbing along a 250-meters (820-feet) slope towards the Puritama hot springs. Once we reach the hot springs, we will relax in mineral hot water and enjoy snacks.
Afternoon Hike. During the afternoon, we’ll head toward the Moon Valley, located in the Salt Mountain Range, which forms a natural barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Salt Flat. The hike starts at the Coyote rock, a strange rock formation and getting deep into the mountain range and it geologic forms.
We’ll hike 2 hours by the Kari George, admiring beautiful views of Atacama. The Moon is well-known due to it statuesque and rocky formations. Salt emerges to the surface, covering the surface with a dry, whitish layer that gives the place a lunar aspect.
We will travel south towards the Altiplanic Lagoons, gaining altitude to enter the puna highlands and surprise ourselves with its particular vegetation: wildlife, lagoons and salt flats. It is where, without any doubt, the Miscanti Lagoon stands out: the largest in the entire Antofagasta region.
Later, we visit the town of Socaire, where the indigenous community still preserves part of the traditional Atacameñan way of life. In this small town, we will pay Ada and her family a visit. The women of the family still keep alive the tradition of weaving, carrying out the complete process, from the spinning of wool to the production of the most traditional items in the area such as clothing and others.
We will enjoy lunch at the Guest House of the Indigenous Community of Socaire. After lunch, we will go to the town of Talabre, in the middle of the prepuna. There, accompanied by a local guide from the Talabre indigenous community, we will walk through Kezala, one of the gorges, that connects the high Andes Mountains with the Salar de Atacama basin. That treasure’s an invaluable archaeological heritage in rock art.
Later, we can enjoy a tasting of Lican Antai products before driving back to our hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
Back at our home base, we will have a nice yoga session with a professional yoga teacher.
Today, we will drive towards Machuca village where we will enjoy the wetlands and also be able to appreciate different bird species. We will have time for a rest and get prepared to start hiking.
We will hike along a creek towards Río Grande, a very charming and authentic village. During this exploration, we will observe native fauna and typical Andean farming terraces. The path is an old caravan trail and goes alongside the river. We will pass by Peñaliri, an abandoned village and continue hiking until we reach Rio Grande. A local family will be expecting us with a traditional lunch.
Finally, we’ll head back to the village. We’ll enjoy a sunset cocktail and eat dinner together at the lodge.
Morning excursion. This morning, after breakfast, we will enjoy a pleasant bike ride leaving from San Pedro in the direction of the salt flat. We will cross the ayllus of Solor and Cucuter, and enter the desert until we reach the famous Cejar Lagoon.
There, we can enjoy a pleasant swim floating in the saline waters. We will continue by vehicle towards the Tebenquiche lagoon (optional: you can continue by bike), where we will enjoy the beautiful landscapes accompanied with a snack in a pleasant state of relaxation.
Afternoon excursion. After lunch, we’ll head towards the Salt Mountain Range where the Mars Valley is located. This mountain range forms a natural barrier between the Pacific Ocean and the Atacama Salt Flat. Upon ascending a small dune, we will hike north along one of the cornices bordering the Mars Valley.
The stunning panoramic views allows us to appreciate how erosion has created the Salt Mountain Range, revealing the geological processes that shaped it. The most fun part of the excursion is a steep but enjoyable descent down a dune, from where we cross the valley on our way back to the van. Dinner is on your own, ask our guides for good dining recommendations.
With the sunrise, we’ll head towards one of the entrances to the Andean highlands. We will contemplate important ecosystems of extraordinarily rich biodiversity like the bogs of Machuca and Putana; to finally reach the world famous Tatio Geysers.
From there, we will start a walk through the geothermal field, and then continue along the banks of the Río Blanco through the trails formed by the vicuñas pass, until we reach the magnificent white Geyser.
Finally, we will hike back to the van. We will enjoy a picnic lunch at the geothermal field where you will be able to appreciate great views and bath in the thermal pools.
Return to San Pedro de Atacama where you can rest and relax before a special activity at night.
Night excursion. The night in the Atacama Desert, its starry sky and the presence of ancient fire, give life to a unique and unrepeatable experience where the knowledge of the Andean cosmovision of the skies meets the scientific understanding of the stars.
We will combine traditional scientific astronomy with the ancient Andean vision of the first astronomers of the place, long before the first telescope. As a complement, we will also have the possibility to observe the stars through a modern telescope.
Accompanied by our guide, we will walk through the streets of San Pedro to learn a little more about its history and formation, but also to finish familiarizing ourselves with some of the challenges that characterize and influence social organization, politics and life in this place.
We will finish this tour enjoying a delicious appetizer in the village, followed by a tasty lunch in a famous restaurant.
Afterwards, we will get prepared to drive to the airport of Calama (CJC).
End of our services.
