Oasis in the Salt

South from San Pedro, you'll see how life flourishes in the world's driest desert. This is a relaxing full-day starting later in the morning, calling at salt flats, a historical village, and a smallholding with a llama walk through the vines. You begin at the salt flats of Chaxa Lagoon on the edge of Salar de Atacama, where flamingos and other birds feed in shallow brine. In this extraordinary landscape, you hear about the balance between water, salt and wildlife that holds this ecosystem together. The road continues to Toconao, an oasis in the desert inhabited for millennia and built from volcanic liparite quarried in the surrounding ranges, its 18th-century bell tower a National Monument. After a traditional lunch at a restaurant, a guided walk takes in the streets, the orchards fed by the Jere ravine, and the Licanantay traditions. The day closes at a family smallholding, where you walk with llamas — and taste regional wines grown in one of the most extreme environments on earth.

This experience brings together three defining elements of the Atacama: its unique ecosystems, its living communities and its enduring cultural traditions. The through-line is cultivation — in a desert where there should be nothing, yet hidden aquifers sustain flamingos, wetlands, orchards, even vineyards. The wine here is grown by a Licanantay cooperative that brought small-scale viticulture back after generations, from vines worked under a sun and at an altitude that would kill most crops. You won't find it in shops, so reaching a grower's own smallholding, with hosts who know the family, is precious access. That's the difference Mirko and Nicolás bring — they weave in the salt flat, the village, the vines and the llama as one living story about the people whose hands shaped this land, who quarried volcanic stone into architecture suited to the extreme climate. This experience is about the people, their animals, their agriculture: the cornerstones of Andean life for centuries.

Mirko and Nicolás are friends, certified guides, and business partners operating tourism experiences in the Atacama Desert. A professional landscape and wildlife photographer, Mirko has devoted his career to capturing the raw beauty of the Atacama Desert and the rugged terrains of Patagonia. Nicolás is a cultural project administrator specializing in ecotourism. As a local, Indigenous guide, with extensive knowledge of the Atacama’s territory, culture, history, and natural heritage, his experiences focus on Indigenous peoples and the natural environment. Your experience may be hosted by Mirko, Nicolás, or one of two certified guides. If you have a greater interest in photography and wildlife, you may prefer to book Mirko. If you are interested in Indigenous culture, you may wish to book Nicolás. Please feel welcome to write to the Experience Makers via Fernwayer Chat before booking your experience.

Sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses, sunhat. Comfortable clothing and footwear — conditions vary from cold to hot across the day, the wind can be strong. A camera and binoculars are recommended. Please share any health conditions, recent surgeries, injuries, or mobility limitations with Mirko and Nicolás via Fernwayer Chat ahead of time, along with any food allergies or dietary restrictions, so lunch and the day's pace can be arranged around you.