|
 |
Awasi San Pedro de Atacama
Outings
|
|
ABOUT THE OUTINGS AT AWASI - in
their own words:
Awasi outings are private, i.e. each individual group of guests may
take thise which they find most attractive, using a private guide and at the pace that
suits them best.
For top comfort and security, we suggest that the first day our
guests not take outings to places at very high altitudes (i.e. Highland Lake).
The following are some of the outings we offer, which may be adapted
to suit each guest.
Toconao and Atacama Salt Lake (7.546 ft. altitude)
Departure: PM. Motorcar tour: 80 miles (round trip). Duration: Some 4
hours(depending on the group's pace and decisions).Auto excursion from Awasi to Toconao
Hamlet, 24 miles away from San Pedro, where we can visit the church and old belfry in the
town square, its craftstands, and Jere Creek, a canyon of intense vegetation and old
vegetable gardens in mid desert. Then we continue on to Chaxa Lake, a National Parkset in
the Atacama Dry Salt Lake, where we can see flamingoes and otherbirds, and wait for the
sunset.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Moon Valley (8.200 ft. altitude)
Departure: PM. Motorcar tour: 25 miles (round trip). Duration: Some 3.5 hours
(depending on the group's pace and decisions). Auto excursion from Awasi to Moon Valley Park,
15 minutes from the town. In this place of intense dryness, dunes and salt, the Salt Range
is the protagonist. You can walk around in some sectors and then enjoy the sunset.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Cejar Lake (7.546 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM, Van tour: 25 miles (round trip). Duration: Approximately 3.5
hours (depending on the group's pace and decisions). After leaving Awasi, the van takes a
dirt road that after some 35 minutes leads to a set of 3 ponds of extremely salty water
located on the northern zone of the Atacama Dry Salt Lake. As the place is completely
flat, you have privileged views of the Andean Range the Salt Range, as well as both
northward and southward. The place is protected and you can bathe in any of the water
holes.
Difficulty rating: Easy
High-plateau Dry Salt Lakes (13.780 ft. altitude)
Departure: 9:00 AM; Return: 17:30 PM approx. (depending on the group's pace and
decisions). Motorcar tour: 205 miles (round trip). After leaving Awasi on the road heading
south, we reach Socaire Hamlet (10.600 ft. altitude). Then we continue on the road to Sico
Pass until we reach Aguas Calientes ("Hot Waters") and Tuyajito, two dry salt
lakes where we can have lunch.
Difficulty rating: Easy, but you need prior altitude conditioning.
Tara (14.100 ft. altitude)
Departure: 9:00 AM; Return: 17:30 PM approx. (depending on the group's pace and
decisions). Motorcar tour: 125 miles (round trip). After leaving San Pedro, we take the
road up to Jama Pass (13.800 ft. altitude) crossing on the southern side of Licancabur
Volcano (19.409 ft. altitude) and Juriques Volcano (18.832 ft. altitude). Then we continue
eastward on the high plateau, passing valleys and ponds until we reach the rocky
formations at Monjes de la Pakana (15.091 ft. altitude). From this point on we follow a
trail to some huge rock cliffs that surround Tara Dry Salt Lake, where we can have lunch.
ifficulty rating: Easy, but you need prior altitude conditioning.
Miscanti Miñiques (13.780 ft. altitude)
Departure: 9:00 AM; Return: 17:30 PM approx. (depending on the group's pace and
decisions). Motorcar tour: 205 miles (round trip). After leaving Awasi on the road heading
south, we reach the Socaire hamlet (10.597 ft. altitude). Then we continue on the road to Sico
Pass until we take the detour to Miscanti and Miñique ponds, which are part of Los Flamencos
National Park (14.107 ft. altitude). At said place we can have lunch.
Difficulty rating: Easy, but you need prior altitude conditioning.
Tatio Puritama (13.779 ft. altitude)
Departure: 6:00 AM; Return: 12:00 PM. Motorcar tour: 125 miles (round
trip). After breakfast in Awasi, we head north, gradually increasing in altitude, crossing
the high plateau, ponds, and watching the native flora and wildlife. After a two-hour
drive we reach the Tatio geysers. Before returning to Awasi, we pass the Puritama hot
baths, where you can take a bath and enjoy an appetizer.
Difficulty rating: Easy, but you need prior altitude conditioning.
Puritama (11.154 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM. Motorcar tour: 37 miles (round trip). Duration: 3 hours (depending
on the group's pace and decisions). We head directly to the Puritama hot baths, where we
can take a bath and enjoy an appetizer before returning to Awasi for lunch.
Tatio-Caspana-Airport (14.107 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM. Motorcar tour: 125 miles. Duration: some 8 hours. After having
breakfast in Awasi we head north, gradually increasing in altitude, crossing the high
plateau, ponds, and watching the native flora and wildlife. After a two-hour drive we
reach the Tatio geysers. From there, we take another road that leads to the town of Caspana,
where we have lunch. Later on, we reach the town of Chiu-Chiu, from where we connect with
the airport.
Difficulty rating: Easy, but you need prior altitude conditioning.
Rio Grande (9.842 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Motorcar tour: 124 miles (round trip). Duration: 3.5 hours
(depending on the group's pace and decisions). From Awasi we take the paved highway to
Calama. At Km.75, we take a detour north and, shortly after, reach a sector with
petroglyphs, called Yerbas Buenas. Later on we visit the town of Santiago de Río Grande,
one of the most important agricultural zones of the Atacama people.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Kari Hike (8.530 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Motorcar tour: 15.5 miles (round trip). Foot hike: 3 miles
Duration: Some 2 hours on foot. After a 15 minute car ride from Awasi, we reach a vantage
point from which we can contemplate the geological majesty of the Salt Range. The hike
starts at this point and then continues along a narrow trail with a gully on one side.
After descending a small dune, there is an open field before the beginning of Kari Canyon,
an old dry river bed with small rock falls and some grottoes and caverns. This outing has
different points of entry and of departure.
Difficulty rating: Intermediate
Guatin Hike (10.170 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM / Return: AM or PM. Motorcar tour: 37 miles (round trip).
Foot hike: 2.8 miles. Duration, approximately 2.5 hours on foot. After we leave Awasi, we
take the road heading north of San Pedro until we reach a valley called Guatín. We start
the hike alongside the Vilama river following the inside of a creek. In several places we
must jump the river and go down some rocky zones. After a 2-hour walk, we reach a shepherd
ranch in disuse, and then the place where the car is waiting for us.
Difficulty rating: Intermediate-Difficult
Barrancas Hike (8.860 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM / Return: AM or PM. Motorcar ride: 16 miles (round trip).
Foot hike: 3.25 miles. Duration, approximately 1.5 hours on foot. Excursion to the Salt Range
cornices and gullies, from which you can see all of the San Pedro valley, and enjoy
panoramic views of the Domeyko and the Andes ranges.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Vilama Hike (8.202 ft altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Motorcar ride: 14 miles (round trip). Hike on foot: 3.7
miles. Duration, approximately 2 hours on foot.After 20 minutes out of Awasi on the van,
we reach the small Vilama valley on the Salt Range, where we start our hike on a trail
that has a certain upward gradient until we reach a flat zone. Here, there is an old
shepherd ranch with petroglyphs around it. We hike on this dry plain until we get to a way
down that ends in Quebrada del Diablo (Devil's Creek), which meanders down to the fertile
Catarpe valley.
Difficulty rating: Intermediate
Matancilla (9.842 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Motorcar ride: 112 miles (round trip). Duration:
approximately 8 hours. On the way to the town of Río Grande, but before getting there, we
take a road to Matancilla Hamlet, a zone of valleys enclosed by gray, green, red and
orange-colored hills. Crossing through these valleys by car or on foot, we can see a
landscape that is completely different from that near San Pedro. Lunch included.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Atacama History (8.005 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. (depending on the group's pace and decisions). Motorcar
tour: 16 miles (round trip). Duration: 2.5 hours.Cultural-type outing. Departure from
Awasi to Quitor Pukara, an Atacama fortress or fortified town dating back to 1.000 A.D.
approximately. Then, our van continues on to Tulor Village, one of the first and most
important Atacama emplacements that dates back to 800 B.C.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Walk around Town (8.005 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM, (depending on the group's pace and decisions). Walk: 1,2
miles. Duration: 2 hours. Cultural-type excursion from Awasi to the old town: a guided
tour of Father LePaige's Museum, the town square, the Major Church, the house of Pedro de
Valdivia, the craft market, and the main street.
Difficulty rating: Easy
The Llama Caravan (7.870 ft. altitude)
Departure: PM. Motorcar trip: 12.5 miles (round trip). On foot: 4.3 miles.
Duration: 4 hours. We reach the Coyo Ayllu by car. Here lives the Vega family, who will
show us their vegetable gardens and animal stalls. Then, with a local guide and a llama
caravan, we head to the Tulor archeological site, and end with a view of the Atacama dry
salt lake.
Difficulty rating: Easy
The Ayllus on bike (8.005 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. (depending on the group's pace and decisions). Tour: 5 miles
(depending on what the group decides). Duration: some 1.5 hours.A tour of some or several
of the following San Pedro ayllus - agricultural family farming communities: Solor,
Solcor, Sequitor, Larache, Quitor and Catarpe.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Death Valley on bike (8.202 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Tour: 11.2 miles. Duration: 2.5 hours approximately. We
leave Awasi on bike and head to the road to Calama. We pedal up to the entrance to Death
Valley on the Salt Range, which we enter until the road again starts to climb. At this
point, we continue on foot for several minutes, carrying our bikes over very sandy
terrain. After reaching the highest point in the valley, where we can enjoy impressive
views, there is a strong descent until we connect again with the paved road for our return
to Awasi.
Difficulty rating: Intermediate
Piedra de la Coca on bike (8.530 ft. altitude)
Departure: AM or PM. Tour 28 miles. Duration: Some 4 hours. We start at Awasi on
bike and head north until we reach an old cattle driving road that climbs steeply up to a
tunnel. Passing the tunnel, we descend down to Patience Plain, a flat zone that connects
with the paved road and then with Moon Valley. Crossing the park we arrive again at San
Pedro.
Difficulty rating: Difficult
Ayllu cavalcade (7.546 ft. altitude)
Departure AM or PM (depending on the group's pace and decisions). Tour: 6.2 miles.
Duration: some 2 hours. A quiet cavalcade at a walking pace, entering some of the ayllu
near Awasi on the outskirts of town and crossing narrow alleys with houses typical of the
zone. Or else, we can go a bit further and tour other more distant ayllu such as Solor, to
the south.
Difficulty rating: Easy
Las Barrancas cavalcade (8.858 ft. altitude)
Departure AM or PM (depending on the group's pace and decisions). Tour: 12.4
miles. Duration: some 4 hours going slow. From Awasi we take the vehicle dirt road to
Quitor Pukara. Crossing San Pedro river several times we continue on to Catarpe Ayllu
where we can ride at a canter or at a gallop. In this sector we take an old road that
climbs up the Salt Range until we arrive at an old tunnel. Shortly after, we reach the
highest part of the Salt Range and continue at a trot or galloping over the cornices or
gullies, with panoramic views of all the San Pedro valley. The way back starts with a
descent down big dunes until we connect with Death Valley, which we then leave to get back
to town at an easy pace.
Difficulty rating: Intermediate-difficult. You need horse control and riding