Things to do & places to visit in Atacama Region, Chile

Atacama Region #15 destination in Chile 2023. The average rating score is 4.41 based on 3.359 traveler reviews, of 94 attractions. Timezone: America/Santiago, current date and time: Sunday, May 05, 2024, 2:40.

Top things to do (41)

Top places to visit (30 attractions) view more »

5.0 GeoTurismo Atacama (375 reviews)
- Incredible and highly recommended!!!
Cultural Tours • Night Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Archaeology Tours

Had the best time with Geo Turismo in Caldera! Did the tour to the Sand dunes and the „Ruta Geologica (incl. Playa La Virgen)“. It was perfectly organized and very informative (and a lot of fun!!). They also helped mw greatly with providing me with further contacts to coordinate my trip to the Cordillera. Thank you so much!! See more..
5.0 Desierto Florido (144 reviews)
- Incredibly beautiful and surprising.
Nature & Wildlife Areas • Deserts

We took the route from Copiapó on Ruta 5 North and South , to Caldera, Quebrada del León, Llanos del Challe, Totoral. Lots of extensive blooms. See more..
5.0 Laguna Verde (118 reviews)
- amazing laguna
Sunday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Bodies of Water

Beautiful place, amazing color of the laguna, hot springs. Keep in mind, it is a long drive from Copiapo (265 km), no gaz stations, no civilization, just desert See more..
5.0 Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces (79 reviews)
- Laguna Santa Rosa
National Parks

It's one of the most beautiful lagoons in the puna de atacama..from September on come the flamingos...it's a peacefull place to stay for one night at 3.700 meters high..you always have to have enough water ,food and warm close for the night..
Try to go on a tour like www.punadeatacama.com. See more..
5.0 Casa Tornini Museo - Centro Cultural (76 reviews)
- Wonderful local history
History Museums

Casa Tornini is one of the oldest houses of our town (1860), which keeps its original furniture and decoration. It is an historical museum and a cultural centre whose goal is to enhance and protect local patrimony through education, culture and tourism. We offer guided tours inside the museum and on field. See more..
5.0 Geo Adventures Tours (75 reviews)
- The best tour we had in Chile so far!!
Sunday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Cultural Tours • Sightseeing Tours • Hiking & Camping Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

They made us the best tour me and my friends had in Chile. We got to see a lot of different things, tried new Chilean food and our guide Roberto was amazing. He spoke such a good English and told us a lot of useful information about the area. We especially want to point out the great atmosphere of the tour since the guide shared our humor and we spend the whole day alone with him. The private tour made it much more personal and you got the feel the area in a real way. Thank you for everything, we will definitely recommend you you our own contacts and family:) See more..
5.0 Olivos Centenarios (49 reviews)
- Olive oil history at Huasco Valley
Factory Tours

Nice place to stop by. You can learn about the history of the olive oil and olive industry in Huasco Valley. If you book in advance, can have a tour with different tastings at the end. The owner tells you all the details about the history since Diego de Almagro arrived. See more..
5.0 Volcan Ojos del Salado (43 reviews)
- Astonish
Volcanos

The highest volcano on earth It's 250 kms. from copiapo. in this region there are more than 16 mountains over 6.000 meters high.near the famous green lagoon with hot springs. See more..
5.0 Geoturismo Lickanantay (27 reviews)
- Great tour, definitely recommend!
Sunday: Multi-day Tours • 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours • Taxis & Shuttles • Bike Tours • Food Tours • Wine Tours & Tastings • Horseback Riding Tours • Day Trips

We had a wonderful experience doing the visit of the national park Pan de Azúcar. Our guide was extremely nice and did a great job explaining all the background knowledge, so we definitely learned a lot of interesting things about flora, fauna and geology. He also took some amazing photos, that were sent to us the next day. Thank you Badith for a great time. See more..
5.0 Playa Las Piscinas (14 reviews)
- Beautiful beach
Beaches

Expectacular sight ,white sand and crystal water wiht turquise tones a wonderful place full of restaurants and bars. This is a place for perfect relaxation, the only thing is cold water. highly recommend. See more..
5.0 Cactus Explora (8 reviews)
- Tour of Pan de Azucar National Park
Historical & Heritage Tours • Taxis & Shuttles • Eco Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours • Day Trips

We got a tour from Hostel Cactus with Gean as our guide. He was very nice and knowledgeable about the area and bilingual which was a plus! The tour was so much fun. Pan de Azucar is a beautiful picturesque place. We hiked El Mirador to see some nice views of the ocean. We saw pelicans and sea lions. Definitely worth it. See more..
5.0 Payantume Extra Virgin Olive Oil (8 reviews)
- Aceite de Oliva Extra Virgen Premium
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM Spent < 1 hour Farms

Olive oil factory. Visit us and enjoy our products : olives oil and olives, you can discover why Olive oils from Huasco Valley are one of the Chile's best. See more..
5.0 Indian Valley Explorers (6 reviews)
- Nice and beautiful walk and conversation
Day Trips

I emphasize that Sthepanie is a very educated person, she knows a lot about the localities and their customs. She is very kind and willing, she is patient with the children. She is punctual and her rates are very affordable. You can contact her through her digital page or in Vallenar's square, at the Tourism stand, they will be able to give you their contact information. See more..
5.0 Estadio El Cobre (4 reviews)
- Imperdible
Arenas & Stadiums

Un muy lindo estadio, muy bien cuidado para la zona geográfica donde se encuentra y dentro del contexto de la ciudad en que está. See more..
4.5 Bahia Inglesa (550 reviews)
- A stunning little beach
Beaches

Just down the road from Caldera is this gorgeous beach with its white sands and turquoise waters. This is the South Pacific so the water is COLD. Too cold for us to dip in in early April but several brave souls did! Amongst the sand are black rocks that give the bay character but rock shoes are by no means necessary. It gets a bit windy but never too cold to lie and sunbathe in the strong light. Parking is free along the esplanade and there are several restaurants. There is a boardwalk from the road into the beach and is suitable for wheelchair users as well. The beach was clean when we visited. No litter anywhere. But there are several stray dogs, though not vicious but rather friendly and playful (if a bit mangy). This is a great place to spend a day and one of the most beautiful beaches in Chile. Definitely recommended. See more..
4.5 Pan de Azucar National Park (195 reviews)
- Pan de Azucar with Geoturismo
Spent 2-3 hours National Parks

Pan de Azucar is definitely one of the highlights of Chile and Atacama desert - especially if you love stunning desert landscapes, cacti, beautiful beaches and are interested in geology/geography. Unfortunately it is really difficult to get there, as Chanaral, the town that is closest to the park, and its infrastructure was hit hard by a thunderstorm, which caused a major landslide, in 2015. Pan de Azucar was affected as well - some roads are still blocked because of the landslides and hiking trails were destroyed and are still being repaired. However, we found an agency - Geoturismo in Bahia Inglesa - who took us there. Our guide, Rodrigo, was fabulous - very flexible to all your demands and needs, open-minded and extremely competent, especially if you are interested in stone formations and the geological history of the national park. At the end of the day we were sad we hadn't booked a three-day-trip to see more of the park. See more..
4.5 Caleta Chanaral de Aceituno (51 reviews)
- The place to see whales in Chile (from oct- march)
Boat Tours • Eco Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

See more..
4.5 Costanera de Huasco (41 reviews)
- Hermosa y apacible vista a la bahía
Piers & Boardwalks

Recorrer muelle de Huasco hasta El Faro, es una caminata agradable. Se puede ver pescadores, escuela de Kayak y feria artesanal frente a playa chica. Ahi se puede comer para llevar, al paso o disfrutar una pizza en Chango Jam See more..
4.5 Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe (40 reviews)
- Cool place on the ocean
Spent < 1 hour National Parks

Went because of the rains. Flowers in the desert were in bloom. Hard to get to without a car. Bus runs only a few days a week. See more..
4.5 Medanoso (23 reviews)
- Pic Nic at the Medanosos feet through Hotel Wara
Points of Interest & Landmarks

Hotel Wara offers excursion to Medanoso in 4x4 trucks. All ending the day with a great picnic viewing the valley surrounding Medanoso. Magical place See more..
4.5 Bahia Cisne (21 reviews)
- A cozy bay with special charm.
Beaches

It is a secluded place where one can camp out or spend a couple of hours. There is not much to do, but the scenery is beautiful and if you did not know the water temperature, you might as well believe that you are in a tropical paradise. See more..
4.5 Parque Paleontologico De Caldera (18 reviews)
- Must visit
Natural History Museums

Just 6 km outside Bahia Inglesa. A nice and easy walk for 40 minutes. Many good spots to see the old crocodile and other species of 70 millions years ago. Take your suncream and head with you. We were lucky with a local guide who informed us a lot. Very nice for kids. Free entree See more..
4.5 Iglesia San Francisco (14 reviews)
- Recomendable
Churches & Cathedrals

Es una de las iglesias mas llamativas de copiapo, ubicada en la alameda donde encuentras mas lugares para entretencion. See more..
4.5 Parque Alliyay (12 reviews)
- Excelente opcion para relajarse
Water Parks

Lugar muy atractivo y bien ubicado, excelente infraestructura y buen diseño de sectores para picnic y piscinas. See more..
4.5 ExploraSub (8 reviews)
- Fantastic
Sunday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Scuba & Snorkelling

What an fantastic Experience, never tried diving before and this was just the best place to go for it. Fantastic people and place See more..
4.5 Turismo Sustentable (8 reviews)
- Experiencia genial!
Boat Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours

Me encanto vivir la experiencia de avistamiento de ballenas tan cerca desde un bote, además de disfrutar de la fauna y el entorno bellísimo, en un recorrido que dura aproximadamente 2 horas y cuesta $10.000 está pequeño lugar tiene todos los servicios que buscar para tener unos días de total relajo en un ambiente natural. See more..
4.5 Parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (5 reviews)
- Beautiful old church
Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks • Churches & Cathedrals

Went to Mass here. It is one block from Hotle Antay Casino. The architecture of this Sancturary to the Virgen de la Candelaria is wonderful. See more..
4.0 Playa la virgen (481 reviews)
- Cute, cold beach
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM Beaches

A bit over an hour from Bahía Inglesa. On your way back you can take a desert sand track exploring Pacific coastline and inland landscapes. Make sure you have enough gas. There are cabins at this beach, but this being a desert, it is a bit desolate to spend a lot of time there. See more..
4.0 Orbicular Granite Nature Sanctuary (97 reviews)
- Orbicular Granite
Spent < 1 hour Points of Interest & Landmarks • Geologic Formations

This geological rarity, the only one in South America, was declared a Nature Sanctuary in 1981, and is located 11 km from Caldera, north of the Playa de Rodillo. It comprises tens of square meters. Here you can see formations of orbicular granite with circular incrustations. The formations are made up of minerals such as hornblende, orthoclase, biotite and quartz, amongst others. It is a crystal See more..
4.0 Museo Regional de Atacama (82 reviews)
- Very Interesting
Speciality Museums

Here you can find pieces of the rich history of the North of the Country. There's a room dedicated to nature, other to the War of the Pacific, another for the mining and in the central area, a space dedicated to the rescue of the 33 miners of San Jose, including the actual capsule "Fenix II" that went down to get all of them. See more..