Atacama Region: High Mountains, Desert and Pacific

The Atacama Region offers travel experiences across high mountains, desert and the Pacific coast. At Nevado de Tres Cruces National Park, two named sectors provide orientation; at Pan de Azúcar National Park, the Atacama Desert meets the Pacific. When planning your trip, first consider whether you want to focus on national parks, high-mountain landscapes, distinctive nature or activities by the sea.

High Mountains and National Parks

Nevado de Tres Cruces National Park is divided into two sectors: Santa Rosa in the north and Negro Francisco in the south. The park has trails, shelters and viewpoints. If you want to discover the region’s highlands, you can use this park structure as a guide and include its various visitor sites in your plans.

The Ruta de los Seismiles also reveals the scale of the high mountains: fifteen peaks over 6,000 metres high form the route. The focus is therefore not only on individual high points, but on an entire succession of high peaks as part of this regional landscape.

Desert Flora and Distinctive Nature

Llanos de Challe National Park is home to more than 220 plant species, including 14 species endemic to the Atacama Region. The park also protects one of the largest guanaco populations within Chile’s protected wilderness areas. Plant diversity and guanaco conservation give the park two distinct areas of focus: regional flora and the preservation of wildlife.

The Desierto Florido also occurs in Llanos de Challe National Park. It appears only in rainy years with unusually high winter rainfall and suitable humidity and temperature conditions. Its appearance therefore depends on specific weather and environmental conditions and should not be treated as a reliably schedulable experience.

Parque Paleontológico Los Dedos offers another perspective on nature and discovery. It preserves remains of marine fauna that became extinct millions of years ago—a different view of the region from the present-day plant and animal life in its national parks.

Desert, Coast and Activities on the Pacific

Pan de Azúcar National Park is an oasis covering more than 40,000 hectares, where the Atacama Desert meets the Pacific Ocean. More than twenty endemic cactus species are found in the park. Its trails offer hikes with viewpoints overlooking the sea, and kayaking is possible around Isla Pan de Azúcar. The protected area thus combines hikes with sea views and an activity on the water.

Bahía Inglesa offers a different focus: its beaches have white sand and turquoise water. La Piscina has gentle surf and pleasant temperatures that allow for safe swimming. The water sports available there include kitesurfing, windsurfing, kayaking and diving. When choosing what to do, you can therefore choose between trails with sea views, water sports and a stay at the beach.

Getting There and Trip Planning

For Bahía Inglesa, the nearest airport is Aeropuerto Desierto de Atacama de Copiapó (CPO), with direct flights from Santiago. You can cover the final six kilometres from Caldera to Bahía Inglesa by taxi or colectivo. Parque Paleontológico Los Dedos is eight kilometres south of Bahía Inglesa on Ruta 5 and can be reached by private vehicle or local transport from the resort town.

To reach Salar de Maricunga, the route from Copiapó follows Ruta 31-CH and covers about 160 kilometres. The high-mountain drive is challenging: a 4×4 vehicle and experience driving at high altitude are required; a specialised tour is recommended. Take these requirements into account when planning this excursion.

Therefore, choose the starting point for your search according to the experiences that matter most for your stay, and check the relevant travel requirements.

Discover more destinations: Copiapó Province, Huasco Province, Chañaral, Los Lagos Region, Tarapacá Region, Maule Region, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Region, Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region

For the overview of destinations: Chile.