Awasi outings are private, i.e. each individual group of guests may take those 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 on their first day our guests not take outings to places at very high altitudes (i.e. Highland Lakes).

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 craft stands, 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 flamingos and other birds, 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.
 
Difficulty 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 the entire 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 grey, 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 archaeological 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 the entire 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 experience.
 
Back to itinerary