Green Toad Bus Chile Bus Passes

 Valley of the Moon - San Pedro's Sunset Tour

The lack of plant and fauna existence as well as the absence of water, definitely makes the Valley of the Moon near San Pedro de Atacama just about the most inhospitable locations on earth. Despite this, venturing into the Valley for the afternoon offers you a great glimpse of a landscape you won't believe sprung from this world. You will witness peculiar lunar landform's worn away through years of untamed weather conditions, while on the skyline gloomy dunes and far-away volcanoes appear to border on the surreal. The luna-like and difficult geography even convinced NASA of the areas unearthly appearance, prompting a team to test a prototype for a Mars rover in the area.

For your benefit you will visit around sunset, when the valley cools down and a setting sun soaks the contours of the landscape with unbelievable purple, pink and gold tones. Valle de la Luna, the Spanish translation for the Valley of the Moon, is situated in the Atacama desert, eight miles west of San Pedro and taking your raincoat on this trip won't be necessary. The Valley of the Moon is situated in an area considered to be one of the driest places on the planet, with a few regions having been devoid of rain for centuries. 

The Valley of the Moon was proclaimed a Nature Refuge due to the pure beauty and extraordinary lunar landscape, from where the valley obviously extracted it's title. Additionally it is a section of the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos, a sizable nature park leading south-east from San Pedro which is made up of a variety of distinct landmarks including salt flats, volcanoes and lakes. The valley hosts many enormous sand dunes, rock formations, caves, dried up lakes, vibrant escarpments, and salty plains; which bring about this spooky moonscape appearance.

The formations resulted from centuries of wind erosion, and they change colour throughout the day while the sun moves across the sky. A sunset visit while perched atop an elevated sand dune will allow you to observe the entire valley sparkling in pinks and gold's. An afternoon in this unique destination is certain to become an unforgettable part of your time in Chile.

Your included afternoon activity will begin with your pick by your guide from your San Pedro hostel in the mid-afternoon. During the trip in the Valley of the Moon, you will also visit the Valley of Dinosaurs and the Death Valley, where you get a spectacular view of the amazing surroundings. You will also admire geological formations that are the result of successive foldings of the crust. Toward evening you will witness the appearance of a bold palette of gold's, pinks and reds which are conjured by the reflections of the setting sun these will shake your soul at their very beauty. Trip ends with a drop off at your hostel or, if you like, in the main square of San Pedro.

Begins around 3 pm
Ends around 7 pm

Includes:

Hostel Pick-up / Drop-off
English and Spanish speaking guide
Insurance
Entrance fee