El Loa Province
The heart of the Atacama Desert highlands, with the Valley of the Moon, geysers and salt flats around San Pedro de Atacama.
El Loa Province lies in the Antofagasta Region of northern Chile, with Calama as its capital, and is named after the Loa River. Near Calama is the famous Chuquicamata open-pit copper mine; to the east, San Pedro de Atacama is the hub of desert travel, surrounded by the Valley of the Moon, the El Tatio geysers, the Atacama Salt Flat and high-altitude lagoons, and its clear night skies are ideal for stargazing. The climate is dry and the area can be visited year-round, though at high altitude temperatures vary greatly between morning and evening, and winter nights are bitterly cold. The gateway is Calama Airport, from which San Pedro is about an hour and a half by road.
Destinations
Itineraries
- Uyuni to Atacama via High-Altitude Lagoons – Cross the salt flats, Laguna Colorada, and Laguna Verde by off-road vehicle, and enter the Chilean desert via the Hito…
- Bolivia Classic Highlands Panorama – From La Paz to Isla del Sol, then via the White City and Silver City to Uyuni and the high-altitude lagoons
- Elqui Valley Stargazing & Atacama Desert Tour – Go stargazing and wine tasting in the Elqui Valley from La Serena, then fly north to explore salt flats, highland lagoo…
- Tupiza Canyons and Sur Lípez to Uyuni – Depart from the red canyons, take the southern route across the lagoons by off-road vehicle, and arrive at the salt fla…
- Grand Chile North-to-South Classic – From deserts and port cities to the Lake District and Torres del Paine, covering the highlights of Chile with three dom…