Chile walking highlights part 3 - near San Pedro de Atacama

The main purpose of our stay at Coyo near San Pedro was the night sky, almost always clear here, and with no light pollution. Harry timed our visit for the new moon and at a time of year when the brightest part of the Milky Way was visible in the constellation of Sagittarius. The Milky Way, the constant presence of the Scorpion in all its glory  and the stars dripping to the horizon were the highlights for me, though Harry ,well wrapped against the cold, spent some hours outside with his binoculars. 


Walk 1 - an abortive attempt to walk the three miles or so to San Pedro.

Licancabur - the volcano we could see from our bedroom window.

On our second day in Coyo the blue sky clouded over - we thought it might make walking more pleasant . . .                  

but the wind rose, and sand was blowing everywhere . . .

so we gave it up as a bad job, and returned to base - only to discover that the volcano was completely invisible. A power cut added to the fun!

Walk 2 - El Valle de la Luna.

Part walk and part drive. 

The Valley of the Moon is a few kilometres west of San Pedro de Atacama. It is part of the Los flamencos National Reserve.  It has strangely shaped rock formations and dry salt lakes, along with impressive sand dunes.

The Tres Marias and the groups of tourists

Snap taken by a lad from Leeds!

At sunset the colours are vivid and changing - a sight which repays the effort of climbing the Big Dune 

Licancabur from a viewpoint along the valley.