I flew to Santiago, Chile at the beginning of a long-term stint in South America. My goal was to explore Argentina, with a bit of Chile as is common for many travelers. Tickets to Argentina were super expensive, and so I flew to Chile for a few hundred dollars less. I also have friends that live in Santiago, and I got to visit them for a few days which was a win all around.


Instead of heading to Argentina after my time in Santiago, I decided to head north in Chile to Atacama Desert. It’s a pretty remote area, and I figured that I might as well knock it out and then head to Argentina. It was an incredible decision!


Atacama Desert is in northern Chile, close to the border with Bolivia and Peru. In fact, many backpackers pass through Atacama if they are traveling south towards Argentina. That said, Atacama is not budget friendly! Many of the excursions need to be done with a tour guide and they are pretty expensive. On the other hand, they are really once-in-a-lifetime-experience so really worth every dollar.


Note that restaurants and cafes are pricy. I always joke that my most expensive coffee was in Tel Aviv (when it was the #1 most expensive city in the world) and my second-to-most-expensive coffee was in Atacama. You might opt to buy your own food and cook in your lodging. Even so, groceries are also pretty expensive there.


While the general desert area is expansive, most people stay in San Pedro de Atacama which is the tourist hub of Atacama Desert. The only locals you are likely to meet are the ones that work there! The town was built to accommodate tourists and you will see that it is highly touristy. 

How to Get There


There are several ways to get to Atacama which will largly depend on where your curent location is, and availability.


  • Bus from your previous destination: There are several bus routes that pass through the area. If they don’t go directly to San Pedro de Atacama, then they go to a nearby town, and you can then take another bus.
  • Car: I wouldn't recommend this since it will be a long drive. Atacama is pretty remote to other locations you might be coming from. Some people opt to rent a car during their time in the Chilean Desert. From what I read and experienced, this is only worth it if you plan to carry out excursions on your own (more on this below). If you have a free day to explore on your own, I would suggest renting a car for a single day so that you can wander around and explore at will.
  • Flight: This is a great option if you are already in Chile, or somewhere that has direct flights to Atacama. I flew from Santiago with LATAM Airline. Including checked luggage, my flight was about $40. The closest airport is in Calama. From there, I took a shuttle to San Pedro de Atacama (it was about $16/one-way) which dropped my off at my hostel.

PRO TIP: I bought a round-trip shuttle ticket thinking I would fly out of Calama to my next destination. I ended up taking a bus to Argentina…leaving me with a return shuttle trip that I paid for and didn’t need. Unless you are certain that you are flying back, I would recommend only booking a one-way ticket. Its not worth the $2 savings…

Lodging


Accommodations in San Pedro de Atacama run the gamut of high-end boutique hotels, and low-end hostels. There are options to fit various budgets. For reference, you can expect to pay $10+ for a shared dorm.

Kosher Food


There isn’t Kosher food readily available in Atacama. You can bring food with you from Santiago. There are a few small grocery shops with some Kosher items. There is a fruit/vegetable store and a larger grocery store (both on the main street). In the supermarket, I was able to find frozen salmon and a variety of other Kosher food items.


Access the Kosher Chile food list here: https://www.chilekosher.cl/

Digital Nomad Work Life


As a digital nomad, I always scope out the Wi-Fi scene before heading somewhere new. When I planned my trip to Atacama Desert, I had some serious doubts about internet connectivity—everything I read warned me that it might be spotty at best.


Therefore, my initial plan was to fly out on Sunday, take Monday off to explore, and test the Wi-Fi situation. If the connection held up, I'd stick around longer. Turns out, the internet was a solid 200 Mbps! Because I was meeting up with friends and spending a couple of days with them, I crammed in excursions for our time together, and then went heads down with work the rest of the week. It was the ultimate “Work Hard, Play Hard” vibe.


Since I didn’t have a bunch of meetings, I worked from my hostel and had no issues. Hotels or Airbnbs should be totally fine here, too.


And if you need it, there should be coworking spots around—Google is your friend. 😊

The Ultimate 3 Day Desert Itinerary


Alrighty, now we jump into the core of it! Since Atacama can be expensive, you might want to condense your sight-seeing into just a few days. Below is a suggested itinerary. Otherwise, you choose spread it out more leisurely. As a digital nomad, my preference would have been to spread out the excursions. However, as I mentioned above, I was touring with some friends so we covered it all in a few days. Also, while San Pedro de Atacama is a charming town and I absolutely loved wandering around, there isn’t so much to do there. It’s really all about the activities.


DAY 1:

  • Morning arrival in San Pedro
  • Settle into lodging
  • Lunch
  • Book excursions (I booked with Jota Travel & Adventure)
  • Afternoon Excursion: to salt water?*
  • Dinner
  • Night Excursion: Nighttime stargazing

DAY 2:

  • Morning Excursion: Geyser
  • Lunch
  • Nap/Explore town
  • Afternoon Excursion: Moon Valley
  • Dinner
  • ·Catch up on sleep!

Day 3:

  • Full Day Excursion: Chaxa, Lagunas and Piedras Rojas
  • Dinner
  • Enjoy your evening!


Other ideas:

You can speak with any tour operator about other activities that they can suggest. I have highlighted some of the "must-do" experiences. I had a a lovely time exploring town, wandering into shops and visiting the markets.


If you have a car, you can drive around and find places to explore, hike and bike. You can pull over at any scenic location and explore on foot. Even from town, you can directly head out to the mountains and hike around.


You can rent bikes for about $10/day. I biked to Devil's Throat and explored there. Many people recommend biking to Moon Valley and exploring on your own. However, I heard conflicting opinions on this and opted to join a tour group with my friends.


Things to note:

If you are exploring on your own, some sites only allow you to visit independently during specific hours. They want you to use the local operators. Be sure to check entrance hours and options.


Some of the tours include breakfast and/or lunch which are not Kosher. I suggest you bring along your own food. If you do eat their food, they don’t serve them at a consistent time. You might be picked up at 6am and then served breakfast at 11am. So, always bring along some snacks.


*I skipped this excursion because it was less of an interest to me and I was already spending so much money in just a few days. I took the time to get situated and explore town.