Alyssa Arens

Alyssa Arens

Bike the Valle de la Luna in the Atacama Desert

02/28/18

Incredible views and a unique experience. It is certainly a difficult ride in the sand and desert heat, but it a great change of pace for the active adventurer. San Pedro is the pueblo nearby and has multiple bike rental shops that are very affordable. You can rent 1/2 ($6) or full day ($13... maybe even less, I can't remember exactly), and even rent sand boards to take to nearby Valle de la Muerte (about a half-hour ride from San Pedro. We rented bikes at about 9:30am, made it to Valle de la Muerte at 10am, sand boarded for about 2 hours (incredible experience... highly recommend!), biked back to San Pedro to rehydrate and eat lunch, and then headed out to Valle de la Luna by 2pm. This ride is a little longer and slightly uphill, but we got there around 4:30 to explore the caves and bike around before watching the sunset, which was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. Heading back to San Pedro after sunset is quite dark, but bike rental companies give you headlamps and safety vests, and the natural shining stars illuminate part of the way. We made it back to the bike rental at 9:30. A long day that's not for the faint of heart, but our most memorable experience in San Pedro. It's a beautiful area, but most places are accessible only by vehicle or paying for a tour, which are less active and much more expensive.

5.0