Rainbow Valley

Valle del Arcoíris

A colorful canyon about 70 kilometers north of San Pedro, where mountains containing different minerals show layered bands of red, green, white, and purple, and very few people visit.

Valle del Arcoíris (Rainbow Valley) lies about 70 kilometers north of San Pedro, around the Río Grande valley, at an elevation of about 3,000 to 3,500 meters. The mountains are made of sedimentary rock rich in iron, copper, sulfur, gypsum, and salt. After being folded and overturned by the earth’s crust, the rock is exposed at the surface. In the sunlight it shows interlaced bands of brick red, orange-yellow, copper green, gray-white, and purple-brown, and the canyon also holds white salt rock and gypsum crystals, like a natural painter’s palette. A visit usually involves walking 1 to 2 hours along the valley floor dirt road and a short trail. Along the way you can see cacti and seasonal streams. Trips are often combined with the Yerbas Buenas petroglyph site, where hundreds of images of llamas, flamingos, foxes, and humans, dating back about 3,000 years, are carved into the rock. They are evidence of the desert caravan culture of ancient Atacama. Some tours also pass through the small village of Río Grande. Most people take a half-day tour, leaving in the morning or afternoon and lasting 5 to 6 hours. The entry fee is collected by the local community. Driving yourself requires a high-clearance vehicle, as some sections are gravel roads. The road may be closed in summer, January and February, after rain. The coordinates given are for the Rainbow Valley viewpoint.

Rainbow Valley

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Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby