Traveling in the North of Chile, from Arica to San Pedro De Atacama

To cover the northern part, one has to travel from San Pedro de Atacama to Arica.

San Pedro De Atacama is located in Northern Chile, towards the border of Peru and Bolivia. It is quite near to Salta and Jujuy in Argentina and can be travelled by bus. Over the centuries, San Pedro De Atacama has cemented its place as one of the most visited tourist destinations in Chile.

1. Geysers Del Tatio: This place is primarily famous for its natural geysers. You will not find the usual geysers that erupt into fountains. It is more like the steam geysers where you can walk into them and touch the warm water. Sans the touching part, the exhibition of raw natural artistry is enthralling enough to take your breath away.
2. Valle de Luna: Near San Pedro is the Jaw dropping beautiful place called Valle de Luna or Valley of the Moon. It is named so because the surface has a striking resemblance to the surface of the Moon. It is stark and serene just like the Tranquility point on the moon.

You can travel to the largest Salt Flat or Salar De Uyuni in Bolivia, from San Pedro, but that is optional if you want to avoid official border hazards. Once done in San Pedro, you can catch an overnight bus to travel to Arica, from the San Pedro bus stop. You can also hire a car, preferably a 4X4 jeep which is more suitable to the road condition. Once in Arica, you must visit the following places.

1. Lauca National Park: First in queue comes the Lauca National Park. It's a huge natural reserve in the Andean Range surrounding an area of 1379 Sq.Km in the Andean Plateau and Mountains. The mountains are mostly covered in volcanoes. It is neighbored by the Las Vicunas National Reserve in the south. Although a natural reserve, the main attractions to this place are the two volcanic lakes Chungara and Cotacotani. The park is located in the Central Andean dry Puna Eco-region. It is home to mammals like Vicunas, Llamas, Alpacas, Guanacos, Tarucas, Cougars and Vizcachas. Around 140 birds can be seen in and around the reserves and Las Vicunas is considered the largest bird sanctuary in Chile and one of the largest in the world.
2. Salar De Surire: It is a natural monument in the Andean Range of Chile, located to the south of Lauca National Park. It is formed on salt flats and has a number of salt lakes. However rough the geography sounds, the natural beauty all around can bring any man to his knees with overwhelming beauty. 

The northern part of Chile consists of the most graceful tourist places in Chile. Visit San Pedro de Atacama and Africa once and create a memory for a lifetime.