**Figure 1-2: Moon Valley**
**Figure 3: Cejar Lagoon**
**Figure 4: Astronomical Tour**
**Figure 5-6: Red Stones**
**Transport:**
Upon arrival at Calama airport, you’ll find a Transvip counter where you can arrange transportation to San Pedro de Atacama. A one-way trip costs 15,000 CLP, while a round trip is priced at 26,000 CLP. Alternatively, you can take a bus from the city center of Calama for just 5,000 CLP one way. For more details, including schedules and booking options, visit the kupos.cl website (Figure 9).
**Tours:**
San Pedro de Atacama is a hub for adventure, boasting over 50 travel agencies and 10 tour operators. The experiences offered are generally similar, with the most popular tours being Cejar Lagoon, the Astronomical Tour, Piedras Rojas (Red Stones, flamingos), Tatio Geysers, and Moon Valley.
Most agencies in town offer a comprehensive package for around 150,000 CLP, with the lowest price seen at 135,000 CLP (Figure 8). You can complete these tours in an intensive 3-day itinerary or spread them out over 4 days for a more relaxed experience.
I personally booked my tours with Acatama Rock and Tours (Figure 7), arranging everything in advance via WhatsApp. The owner was incredibly friendly and accommodating. I reserved the Cejar Lagoon, Moon Valley, and Red Stones tours for 125,000 CLP, which wasn’t the cheapest option, but the service was top-notch.
For the Cejar Lagoon, they allowed me to pay in advance to secure my spot (tickets can be hard to come by during peak season). The rest of the payment could be made in cash on-site without a deposit. They even provided bathrobes to protect against sunburn. On the day of our tour, we didn’t have enough people, so the owner drove us separately, turning it into a private and personalized experience.
**Tour Timings:**
– **Cejar Lagoon:** 3:00 PM – 6:30 PM
– **Moon Valley:** 3:00 PM – 8:30 PM
– **Red Stones:** 6:00 AM – 5:00 PM
– **Astronomical Tour:** 9:00 PM – 11:30 PM
– **Tatio Geysers:** 4:00 AM – 12:00 PM
