San Pedro de Atacama Valley of the Moon Sunset Tour

San Pedro de Atacama and the road to the valley

San Pedro de Atacama is a small oasis town of adobe streets at about 2,400 metres on the edge of the Atacama salt flat, surrounded by volcanoes and the driest desert on earth. The Valley of the Moon lies only about 13 kilometres west of town inside the Los Flamencos National Reserve, so the Valley of the Moon tour from San Pedro de Atacama is the shortest and easiest excursion in the area, and an ideal first afternoon after arrival.

Our vehicle picks you up at your hotel reception if it lies within the town pickup area, or you meet us at the meeting point in the centre at 15:00; the guide confirms the details by message the day before. The drive to the valley takes about 20 minutes along the road that climbs onto the Cordillera de la Sal, with the cone of the Licancabur volcano behind you and the first salt-white ridges ahead.

The Valley of the Moon and the Cordillera de la Sal

The Valle de la Luna is a basin inside the Cordillera de la Sal, a low range of folded sediments, clay, gypsum and salt pushed up between the Atacama salt flat and the Domeyko mountains. Rain is so rare here that the rock is sculpted almost entirely by wind, and the salt that crystallises on every surface gives the ridges a white crust that glitters in the afternoon light. The result looks like the surface of the moon, which gave the valley its name and made it a natural sanctuary.

From the first viewpoints you see the whole basin: the Great Dune, a huge slope of fine sand rising from the valley floor; the crests of the Amphitheatre, a curved wall of fluted rock; and the salt-crusted hills stretching toward the Andes. The guide explains the geology and the ancient salt mines whose ruins remain in the valley. Walks here are short and mostly flat, with the longest about 30 to 45 minutes.

Salt caves and canyons

One of the most memorable stops is a walk through the salt caves, narrow passages carved by water and wind into the gypsum and salt of the range. The ceilings and walls are coated in crystals, and in places the passage is low enough that you crouch and squeeze between the rock; a torch or phone light helps, and the guide leads the way. In the stillness of the afternoon you can sometimes hear the salt crackle as the rock cools and expands.

From the caves the trail opens into canyons between crests of folded rock, with layers of clay and salt tilted almost vertical by the forces that lifted the range. This is the part of the Valley of the Moon that photographs best in close-up, with textures and colours changing every few metres. Sturdy shoes, sunglasses and a hat are useful, as the ground is sharp with salt crystals and the sun is strong until the last hour.

The Three Marys

The Three Marys, Las Tres Marías, are the valley's most famous landmark: three slender pillars of eroded salt, clay and gravel standing together on the valley floor, shaped by the wind over about a million years into figures that early visitors likened to three praying women. They are fragile, and a fence now keeps visitors at a short distance, but the viewpoint gives the classic photograph with the salt flats and the volcanoes behind them.

Nearby lie the ruins of old salt-mining camps where workers once hacked blocks of rock salt by hand, and the guide points out the stone shelters and the tracks they used. This stop is brief, about 15 to 20 minutes, and comes toward the end of the circuit as the light lowers and the valley begins to change colour, which is the signal to head to the final viewpoint for sunset.

Sunset viewpoint over the Atacama Desert

The tour ends at a viewpoint on the rim of the Cordillera de la Sal looking out over the Valley of the Moon, the Atacama salt flat and the line of volcanoes on the Bolivian border. As the sun drops toward the western hills, the valley fills with shadow while the peaks of Licancabur and its neighbours flush pink, then deep red, then violet, a sequence that lasts about half an hour and is the reason the best time to visit the Valley of the Moon is late afternoon.

Our guide chooses the viewpoint according to the season and the crowds, and allows time to settle and photograph the full change of light. The temperature drops fast once the sun has gone, so a jacket is essential even after a hot afternoon. The vehicle then returns to the meeting point in the centre of San Pedro de Atacama, arriving about 4.5 hours after the start, in time for dinner in town.