San Pedro de Atacama is an oasis lost in the middle of one of the most arid deserts in the world, to the north of Chile, and is the setting off point for the most magnificent excursions to lost valleys and geyser and salt fields

San Pedro de Atacama is one of the rare inhabited spots in the Atacama Desert, a region to the north of Chile where it almost never rains and where temperatures sometimes reach 45°C. San Pedro de Atacama, with its 2 500 inhabitants, is perched on a plateau at the foot of the Licancabur (5 916 m) and Sairecabur (5 971 m) volcanoes, in superb un-spoilt surroundings and was founded more than 10 000 years ago. Once you’ve covered all the stalls in this tourist village, you can discover the ancient archaeological sites of Pukura (fortress ruins) and Tulor (a village over 3 000 years old). There are other memorable excursions. Local tourist guides will take tourists by four-wheel-drive to Moon Valley, a desert site where the landscape resembles a moonscape Another totally arid site, the Valley of Death, an eerily magical collection of mountains and sand. The Salar de Atacama is also highly renowned. This is an immense salt flat extending for more than 8 000 km² under a blinding light. Next to it, there is the opportunity to see large numbers of flamingos at the natural reserve of Chaxas lagoon. And the 80 geysers at El Tatio provide the astonishing spectacle of hot water spurting up from the arid depths. For the more adventurously minded, there are excursions into the mountains, to Miscanti lagoon at an altitude of over 4 100 m and to Licancabur volcano. The astronomical Observatory of Llano de Chajnantor, located at 5 100 m in this desert where no cloud ever obscures the view, provides the opportunity to observe the sky under ideal conditions.