San Pedro is a popular town to stop at, as you exit the salt flats into the Atacama desert, don’t let this just be a pitstop, stay and enjoy what San Pedro has to offer.
The Atacama desert is in fact the driest desert on earth, marking its historical significance and making for a truly unique landscape. There is an abundance of things to do, most people just pass through at the end of their journey across the Salt Flats but don’t miss out on exploring San Pedro, that's why it featured in our '5 places many miss in South America'.
Where to Stay
We stayed in a triple room at Hostal Puritama, ideal if you're on a budget, costing us under £15 per person. For a triple room it was spacious, as well as clean and just what we needed. It is situated at the end of the main stretch of San Pedros centre, ideal location for walking to places but just that bit quieter. The rooms are all situated off a courtyard area, with a rustic desert vibe.
Where to Eat
Unexpectedly, San Pedro was somewhere we found the best and freshest food in a while, and oddly enough also good cake. There was lots of cute cafes with açai bowls, salads, wraps, sandwiches, soups and pancakes, as well as some traditional cuisine. Our favourite was Barros Cafe, sit on the roof top terrace and watch the streets below, also worth checking out; Esterella Negra and Cafe Ckapin.
The Weather
It's a desert, so glorious sunshine can be expected, particularly as it's the driest desert on earth. In the summer temperatures hover around 30C, whilst in the winter temperatures hover around a pleasant 20C. However, at night it is common for temperatures to drop into the minus' in typical desert fashion, so if you're heading out star gazing wrap up warm! It's also worth noting, it can be a little windy, not ideal in the desert, so bring something to protect any camera equipment.
Our Top Recommendations
1) Sand-boarding
Price: £17
If you haven't before, go dune buggying and sandboarding, it is a must at some point during your journey in South America (Another opportunity to do this is during a stay in Huacachino desert oasis, Peru!) It's a unique bit of adrenaline and hilarious fun.
2) Valle de la Luna
Price: £15
Take a trip to Valle de la Luna, you’ll feel like you’ve landed on Mars, despite the fact it's supposedly meant to resemble the moon. Take a tour, and they'll take you to all the best spots, and tell you all about them and their formation. Stay for sunset and you’ll witness the snowy mountains in the distance light up with a vibrant red glow.
3) Explore the Town
The town itself is full of artists, sculptors, graphic designers and jewellery makers, making it the ideal place to pick up beautiful unique crafts and not just your standard market buys that you’ll find throughout a large majority of South America. We absolutely loved the vibe here!
4) Go stargazing
Price: £20
Our number one recommendation to top off your stay in San Pedro, an unmissable experience during the night. We drove out from San Pedro de Atacama into the Atacama desert to visit the SPACE Observatory, where we wrapped up in blankets as the temperature dropped. First off, we took a look at what we could see with the naked eye; constellations, planets, the brightest star and shooting stars. Then we moved over the telescopes which were 150 stronger than the human eye, to take a look up close.
After, we headed inside to have a chat with the Astronomer that owns the observatory, over hot chocolate to warm up. Having been blown away by the stars over the Salts Flats in Bolivia and witnessed the stars over the Namib desert, and over Jasper NP (other top places for stargazing), we can understand why the Atacama desert holds the top spot.
For us San Pedro was the most unexpected gem. Coming from a country situated in the northern hemisphere (UK), it was an amazing opportunity to view and also learn about constellations from the southern hemisphere, realising just how different the earths night sky truly can be depending on where you are in the world.
Other things to do
5) Mountain Biking
Price: £3+
Hire a bike or go on an excursion through the desert, anything from 1 to 8 hours. Take lots of water and sun cream, you'll need it.
6) Hot Springs
Price: £10
Yet more Hot Springs, if you're travelling through South America, you've know doubt visited a lot of these by now. We love them, but at £10 they were the most expensive, and so we decided to put our budget towards the other activities instead.
Socks and Sandals
Comments