Valle del Arcoíris, Río Grande, Atardecer en Cordillera de la Sal

3200 m.a.s.l.

Altitude

low

Difficulty

Age

We will visit two sites of cultural and geological importance. To the northwest of San Pedro de Atacama Yerbas Buenas is a sector of artistic manifestations that include petroglyphs, pictographs, dry engravings and paintings or pictoglyphs, being the main concentration of rock art on this entire side of the province. Then, the Rainbow Valley will be our geological laboratory where we can appreciate millions of years old rocks that reach the surface in strata of diverse colors. Finally, we will meet at sunset over the Cordillera de la Sal, where we can contemplate the capricious morphology of this range as well as the gorgeousness of the Andes in the distance.

DEPARTURE TIME	14:15 – 14:45	DEPARTURE LOCATION	Hotel
RETURN TIME	19:45-20:15

SEMI-PRIVATE SERVICE: High quality standard services with a maximum of 10 passengers per group, most of them from hotels that work with us. Our bilingual guides (spanish – english) assure a personalized service.

The days and hours of the excursions may vary depending on the season, climatic conditions and the groups that we form. The final itinerary will be confirmed upon arrival in San Pedro, but even during your stay it can vary depending on the mentioned conditions, we will be informing inmediatly about any change.

INCLUDED

Admission tickets	Bilingual Guide	Pick-up from your hotel
Water	Cocktail

Rainbow Valley

Valle del Arcoiris is located 65 km north of San Pedro de Atacama in an area where the Domeyko mountain range meets the Salt mountain range and the Andes mountain range. Located at 3,050 meters above sea level, the relief of the place has a wide variety of special folding processes, which, added to soft volcanic rocks, offers a “natural amphitheater” where we can observe rocks of different shapes and colors as a result of the different geological elements that compose them. With almost 100 million years of history, underground rock complexes that now exposed, allow us to travel to the times where these landscapes began their cycle. Strata of multiple colors, dry waterfalls and wide views are some of the attractions that this valley offers us, which we will walk through for approximately 30 minutes.

Yerbas Buenas petroglyphs

The Yerbas Buenas sector, with its rocks of petroglyphs and natural shelters, was a place of passage and temporary stay for the merchant caravans that came down from the Altiplano plateau crossing the Andes towards the oasis and other villages on the San Pedro River and the Loa river. The artistic manifestations include petroglyphs, pictographs, dry engravings and paintings or pictoglyphs, being the main concentration of rock art on this entire side of the province and around San Pedro de Atacama. The material for painting, in the case of those made in this way, was obtained with earthy pigments and animal oils or fats. There is no clarity about the meaning of the petroglyphs, however it is believed that many of their paintings and pictographs could have had a function of signaling routes or messages for other travelers who came to barter and exchange.

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Additional information

Duration	5 hours

English

14:15-14:45 Pickup from your hotel

Please be ready at the stated time. (Departure and return time depend of the time of the year and will be confirmed in the moment of the reservation. )

Yerbas Buenas

We will visit the Yerbas Buenas sector, of great historical relevance for its rock art, since it has one of the most important groups of petroglyphs in the region.

Rainbow Valley

A visit to the Dry Cascade is followed by a short hike of about 30 minutes through the valley.

Sunset at the Salt Mountain Range)

With a delicious wine and cheese snack we see the sunset in the Salt Mountain Range, enjoying an incomparable view over the San Pedro oasis, the Andes and the Domeyko Mountain Range.

19:45-20:15 Hotel

English

What to bring?

Comfortable clothing, walking shoes. Several layers.
Warm clothing for the coolest hour around sunset. Please be aware that there often is very strong wind around sunset.
Sunblock, hat, sunglasses, lip balm.

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English

$61.000.-

Price includes:
- Admission tickets
- Bilingual Guide spanish – english
- Pick up from your accommodation
- Water & snack
- Aperitif

The reservation must be confirmed at least 10 days in advance, paying the total value of the program.

SEMI-PRIVATE SERVICE: High quality standard services with a maximum of 10 passengers per group (except Astronomy Tour, max 13 passengers), most of them from hotels that work with us. Our bilingual guides (spanish – english) assure a personalized service.

The days and hours of the excursions may vary depending on the season and climatic conditions. The final itinerary will be confirmed upon arrival in San Pedro, but even during your stay it can vary depending on the mentioned conditions, we will be informing immediately about any changes.

Our semi private services are in base of 2 people, which means that when is only one person and there are no more reservations for the same excursion it will have to pay the minimum per two. If at the moment of the excursion more passenger book the same tour, we will make the devolution of the additional, less a percent (3,5%) of administratives cost

This excursion can be booked in Private Service

Reserve our tour here