Valle de la Luna, El Tatio, Atacama Desert. Things to do, costs, the best time to visit and nearby day trips, with approximate prices and open data sources.
Valle de la Luna is located 13 kilometres west of San Pedro de Atacama, in the north of Chile in the Cordillera de la Sal, in the Atacama Desert. It has various stone and sand formations which have been carved by wind and water.
Wikipedia ↗
El Tatio is a geothermal field with many geysers located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,320 metres above mean sea level. It is the third-largest geyser field in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.
Wikipedia ↗
The Atacama Desert is a desert plateau on the Pacific coast of South America, stretching along a 1,600-kilometre-long strip of land in northern Chile, west of the Andes. It covers an area of 105,000 km2, rising to 128,000 km2…
Wikipedia ↗
Laguna Miscanti is a brackish lake in the Altiplano of the Antofagasta Region in Norte Grande, Chile. It has an area of about 13 square kilometres and the shape of an arrowhead.
Wikipedia ↗
Pukará de Quitor is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in northern Chile. This stone fortress is located 3 km northwest of the town of San Pedro de Atacama, overlooking the valley of the river San Pedro.
Wikipedia ↗Approximate prices per person, in euros. We estimate them from World Bank price levels and our own research; use them for planning and always double-check before booking.
| Hostel bed | €29 |
|---|---|
| Private room, shared bathroom | €46 |
| Private room with bathroom | €61 |
| Standard hotel | €96 |
| Budget | Standard | |
|---|---|---|
| Food | €19 | €37 |
| Local transport | €5 | €8 |
| If you cook yourself | €10 | |
| Total per day | €85 | €141 |
| Main sights (estimate) | €18 |
|---|---|
| Optional tours and excursions (estimate) | €34 |
💶 3 days in San Pedro de Atacama: ≈ €307 on a budget or ≈ €475 at a standard level, entrance fees included and flights excluded. Work out your whole trip →
🚇 Public transport and walking. Estimate based on the country's price level (World Bank).
The most pleasant months are all year round. Monthly averages 2016–2025 (Open-Meteo, ERA5 reanalysis).
On a budget, about €85 per person per day (private room with bathroom, food and local transport); at a standard level, about €141. For 3 days, including the main entrance fees, budget ≈ €307 to €475, not counting flights.
Based on average weather over the last 10 years, the most pleasant months are all year round.
We recommend 3 days to see the essentials without rushing.
The must-sees: Valle de la Luna; El Tatio; Atacama Desert; Laguna Miscanti; Pukará de Quitor.
Compare on Booking, Hostelworld or Airbnb: look for well-connected neighbourhoods outside the centre. A private room with bathroom costs around €61 per night and a hostel bed €29.
Tell us how you like to travel and MiTour builds the route, the budget and an animated map with San Pedro de Atacama locked in as a must-visit stop.
🚀 Plan my tourPhotos: Wikimedia Commons (each photo with its licence and author on Commons). Place descriptions: Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA. Prices are approximate; we are not a travel agency.
