Atacama Desert

The dramatic landscapes of the Atacama speak of an equally dramatic history. Back in geological time the whole area lay under an ancient ocean, something of a surprise for visitors arriving in the hub town of San Pedro de Atacama (San Pedro for short) which sits at 2400m, but a boon for the salt miners who turned this into a boom area in the 20th century.

Long before this, the area was home of the Atacameño people, who arrived here around 12,000 years ago and developed a sophisticated farming culture centred on the desert oases. San Pedro and nearby Calama are still Atacameño towns today. In the 15th century the region was the most distant outpost of the Inca empire in Peru, while a century later it was claimed by the Spanish conquistadors.

The Atacama only became Chilean in the late 1880s, when it was claimed from Peru and Bolivia in the War of the Pacific, and so it was Santiago that grew rich from the boom years of salt, nitrate and copper mining here. In the 21st century, San Pedro is now a key centre of north Chile's tourist renaissance.

The Atacama's salt mountains are one of its most distinctive natural features, and give rise to landscapes that feel like another planet altogether. By far the best places to experience them are Vallecito and Moon Valley, both close to San Pedro. Moon Valley attracts more visitors but feels a little over-managed at times, so we recommend heading to Vallecito – it's just as awe inspiring and a lot less crowded.

You won't be the only ones to wonder if alien life might be lurking here: NASA come here to test equipment for their Mars missions, while the Stars Wars team filmed parts of The Mandalorian series in the area (the fact that its star Pedro Pascal is from Chile is, we're sure, just a happy accident).

This region is a historic salt mining area and its detritus can still be found here: look out for the abandoned miners' bus artfully bleached and rusting near the abandoned mine on the way to Vallecito.

The pretty churches of San Pedro speak to the Atacama's Spanish history, but the region has actually been occupied by people for several thousand years. The petroglyphs found near the Rainbow Valley (Valle del Arcoiris) are witnesses to this enduring presence. The rocky outcrops here were home to the Lican Antai people, who used them as shelter more than 4000 years ago and left behind an astonishing collection of petroglyphs to mark their presence.

The oldest drawings are of guanaco, followed by cages to hold them. Later, human images appeared, followed by an intense and intriguing series of petroglyphs of guanaco interspersed with flamingos and even a pregnant fox.

The Rainbow Valley is so named for the astounding milieu of colours created by the collision of three separate mountain ranges, with sedimentary, volcanic and plutonic rocks mixed together in technicolour chaos. The mix of geological and human history on display here is simply astounding.

If you climb up from the endlessly flat desert plains surrounding San Pedro, the landscape suddenly changes to one of rocky gorges and canyons filled with streams and rivers flush with the snowmelt of the Andes, and dotted with the tallest and grandest cactus on the planet. It's perfect hiking country.

The Guatin Canyon hike offers one of the best introductions to Atacama hiking. Take a half day to navigate through this steep-sided gorge with some easy rock scrambling and jumping on stepping stones across the river. It's home to the Cardon Cactus, which grows just a few centimetres a year – the tallest are over 7m tall and several centuries old. The microclimate means that Guatin is also a great place for birdwatching.

The Atacama Desert has some of the highest, driest and clearest skies anywhere on the planet. More than two thirds of the world's most advanced observatories are based here, which means there's no better place to be for astrotourism.

An excursion to the one of the observatories on the outskirts of San Pedro reveal the true beauty of the night sky. Experienced guides give a tour of the solar system, the Milky Way, the constellations and the deep space nebulas, and teach you how to capture them on camera. Seeing the rings of Saturn and its moons with your own eyes for the first time is a truly exciting and humbling experience.

Even if you're only a casual stargazer, don't forget to look up at night wherever you are: you won't believe the celestial show happening above your head.

If looking at the stars in the Atacama is like staring into deep cosmic time, visiting El Tatio Geysers (Geiseres del Tatio) leaves you feeling like a witness to the birth of the planet itself. Over 70 geysers announce themselves with steamy explosions, while a hundred fumaroles (vents) let their volcanic gasses hiss out from deep below the earth. This impressive geological show is one of undoubted highlights of any Atacama visit.

It's a full day excursion to be well-prepared for. El Tatio is around 4300m above sea level so you'll need to acclimatise, plus the altitude means freezing temperatures so you'll want to wrap up warmly. Most visits arrive pre-dawn, when the contrast between the sub-zero air and the super-heated steams offers the most dramatic spectacle.

With a pre-dawn start, you'll also witness the altiplano scenery painted with deep reds, browns, yellows and greens as the sun rises – followed by a stop by the Vega del Tatio wetlands, where you take your breakfast in the company of flamingos and other waterbirds.

It may feel like a contradiction to come to the desert to see waterbirds, but the flamingos of Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos strut their stuff here in salty lagoons in a pink-feathered demonstration of the Atacama's incredible wild diversity.

There are two lagoons that can be visited in an easy half day trip from San Pedro: Laguna Cejar and Laguna Chaxa. At Cejar its possible to float Dead Sea-style in the ferociously saline waters. Chaxa is the place for the flamingos, where you can three different species: the Chilean, Andean and James' flamingos all sift the briny waters here for shrimps. Water bird such as plovers and avocets also make up this extraordinary saltwater ecosystem.

Trips here typically include a visit to Toconao, a small traditional town inhabited by the Atacameño people. It's a good place to stock on locally made woolly socks, hats and gloves for chilly high altitude adventures. Toconao is surprisingly green thanks to its river, which makes the contrast with its vast flat salt crust surroundings even more of a shocking contrast.