Cordillera de la Sal & Valley of the Moon

Only a few kilometres from San Pedro de Atacama, the Cordillera de la Sal, which borders the Salar de Atacam, offers an extraordinary landscape. There, a few million years ago, the movement of tectonic plates lifted the bottom of a dry lake and brought out a salt mountain range, the Cordillera de la Sal. The wind and the desert sun then undertook the sculpting of strange shapes, rich in coloured minerals, which sparkle at dawn and dusk.

The Valley of the Moon contains the most incredible shapes, contributing to it being awarded its status as a natural sanctuary. It is aptly named, being shaped like an amphitheatre surrounded by dunes that can be climbed. From the top of the crest of the largest grey sand dune, Duna Mayor, one can admire the “lunar” landscape and the mountain range. The naturally sculpted rocks evoke in turns fossilized prehistoric creatures, crocodile tails, or, much milder, sculptures of women, such as Las Tres Marias.