San Pedro de Atacama Desert Buggy Tour: A Detailed Review
If you’re headed to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, a desert buggy tour is just something you absolutely have to consider, that is, if you want something amazing. So, a desert buggy tour in San Pedro de Atacama is just one way to experience the extreme landscapes of the Atacama, reportedly one of the driest deserts on the planet, or so some say. What follows is just my attempt at giving you a run down of my time with one tour company in particular. But the experiences between them can be very similar. What to watch out for, and, in the end, maybe give you a recommendation or two as well.
Why Opt for a Buggy Tour in Atacama?
So, why would you consider jumping into a buggy in the first place? Well, you know, the Atacama isn’t your everyday scenery; instead, it is almost like another planet. It offers wide open spaces, weird rock formations, plus scenery that, honestly, just keeps changing every minute. A buggy is a pretty cool way to get around this vast desert. You aren’t stuck on a tour bus timetable. Instead, you have a shot at seeing it up close, feeling the dirt under your wheels, plus, too, a dash of that wind in your face sort of thrill. If you, just like your fellow travellers, get that need to explore combined with a slight need for speed, this is just your chance.
When compared to the more structured tours, taking a buggy gets you into spots buses simply cannot. So you get more freedom, which means more photo ops. So, as you might have already thought, that feeling of really controlling your travel experience is a plus, too. Plus, for somebody, just like you or I, looking for something a bit thrilling that is also wrapped in the beautiful hug of some crazy nature, a buggy tour ticks lots of boxes.
Choosing Your Tour Operator
Finding the correct tour operator can very easily have you doing a bit of research. So, you can check tour reviews, or simply ask around at hostels or hotels. You see, it’s likely someone who has stayed where you are has taken a buggy tour themselves and can help guide you a little. Just a heads up; there’s tons of operators, so you need to read some reviews to figure out which ones are known to be well-run plus care for keeping you safe. You might find, for instance, some give decent safety demos, offer better quality gear and basically look after their vehicles.
What I suggest, too, is to compare what a couple of different companies include in their packages. It looks to me that some could include lunch or drinks, yet some will probably charge extra. What really sold me on my tour was the guide. It looked to me that they knew their stuff about the desert, and they made sure everyone was safe and had fun, which just makes the whole day better. And, just in case you thought I forgot, double check if the operator has all the needed permissions plus insurance sorted, or so I have been advised.
What to Expect During Your Buggy Tour
So, if you plan on heading out, normally, you’ll start things off in San Pedro. A lot of companies will pick you up right from your lodging. So, you will go to their staging area, which is where you can grab your gear and get acquainted with your buggy. Expect a rundown, too, on how to drive the buggy, all those safety rules, plus exactly where you’ll be driving.
You should be driving in a convoy, the guide leading the way to see interesting parts of the desert, that might be dry riverbeds, stunning rock formations, and, also, too, those crazy-wide open plains. The tours tend to factor in time for you to take some photos at points with amazing scenery. A tour could last around four to six hours, yet that varies. Most are half day tours, but of course there are full day experiences to explore the hidden corners of this surreal destination.
Just prepare to get dusty, by the way. Also, the fun bits, like going fast over dunes and the sideways drifting, are great for some folks, you know. Still, I thought you might want to keep the driving controlled, if only to keep things safer.
Essential Gear and Preparation
When it comes to setting up, what you pack could very easily affect how much fun you actually have out there. Sunscreen is one thing, seeing as the desert sun just does not hold back. Bringing shades as well as some sort of hat are a great combo for sun defense.
Don some clothes that you do not mind getting real dirty, long sleeves and pants can, as a matter of fact, help a lot against sun and scratches. Strong footwear will give you a steadier grip as you’re walking on bumpy or loose terrains. Don’t even forget to bring a load of water, keeping hydrated really matters a whole lot out there. Bringing snacks could also save you, to prevent low energy levels in the middle of exploring.
Having a camera is just a must for those postcard-worthy vistas, too. Still, seal your gear within a bag that keeps dust away, if you can. Also, if you don’t drive all that much, don’t sweat it; what happens, basically, is the tour guides do, usually, tailor their schedule for all kinds of driving abilities. All in all, the better ready you are, the more pleasant the whole outing could be.
Safety Tips for a Smooth Ride
Buggying around the Atacama could definitely be super exciting. However, the deal is, it is paramount to stick to what makes it all safe, really. Always keep on your safety gear; that means your helmet as well as goggles, at minimum. So, listen very attentively during the briefings just prior to leaving and always do as your guide tells you. Never go speeding way beyond your skill. So, try staying inside what is just comfy for you.
Stay away from any booze and drugs before going on a tour. It just means your awareness plus reaction times would, most likely, suffer a great deal. Try keeping some space between buggies and, what’s more, no crazy unexpected maneuvering. If, in the middle of the ride, you are feeling tired or are sensing something going wrong with the buggy, make sure to flag the tour guide down.
Bring a tiny toolkit and first-aid kit with essentials in case there’s a breakdown or a small injury during the buggy adventure. So, make sure someone in your group has got, at minimum, some knowledge of fixes for minor mechanical issues, too. What you ought to do is ensure, as well, to stay away from clearly marked risky grounds, and let the guides do the decisions concerning how secure some route or location may or may not be. Showing that you’re responsible plus conscious of the situations just ensures the tour becomes something fun and without worries for all involved.
Maximizing Your Atacama Experience
While driving through the desert with the buggy might be the key item for your visit to the Atacama, don’t just miss those extra treats that can truly pump up your experience. Find some quiet spots while you are roaming around for which you can fully enjoy the incredible scenery. See what sort of animal and plant life you encounter, and think about the unique means through which life is kept going within such conditions. What seems special about some tour is when your tour guides can share interesting stories or a tidbit of information on history plus geological data about it. Listen and ask. Really hear things properly.
Another thing to make your vacation more enjoyable could involve you getting to know people who come from a variety of cultural backgrounds either from tours, or at the hostels as well as within villages around it. Show actual regard regarding where everyone came from and respect those cultural norms that you observe along your way. Also, watch out for the sunset out in some open spaces inside of that desert – that is pure magic, after those exhilarating drives are through, also. By simply slowing down and then savoring these finer moments you’re building unforgettable memories from off of some Atacama travels.
The Impact of Tourism on the Atacama
Tourism does give the Atacama some boost. So, what’s just important to know now is ways that this could go well alongside keeping that special environment pristine. In a natural setting this pristine, things we do might very well have lasting results, potentially positive or sometimes damaging. Support people and businesses really devoted to ecological tourism. Just these businesses often focus on making an absolute minimum impact to surrounding environments and, too, give funds back into saving what wildlife is around, like vicuñas as well as flamingoes within reserve spots all about.
Make it a habit of respecting the basic ideas surrounding “leave absolutely zero trace”. Bring whatever you may have taken into some desert back along to somewhere for responsible garbage disposal. Steer clear from disrupting any sort wildlife situation, too – that covers definitely no disturbance and definitely never feeding what animals one encounters. Keep even those established ways untouched, avoid getting on every single corner. Also, get knowledgeable in reference to concerns over resources regarding liquid assets plus vitality, along with that and use these thriftily no matter in hotels when cleaning up, out there with some buggy also even during any routine lifestyle changes. Through being careful we can assist ensure these beautiful scenery lives across time so everyone around is prepared to adore it later!
Is a Desert Buggy Tour Right for You?
So, going by buggy across that Atacama will probably become a highlight for your travels there. The ideal travelers here would be folks hoping for adventure mixed in alongside views so remarkable you can’t begin telling anyone adequately! In order that we actually get an experience as nice as feasible, it is better if you’re in fairly decent figure and love going places where it will not be uncommon which one needs handle the outdoor climate conditions really. Assuming the whole idea regarding moving freely alongside paths to other tourist sites catches the interest on something then, by way absolutely. Also there really should get this desire inside on you for something distinct where there really are a blend regarding heart racing actions as one blends the magic by scenery and historical past close from one single place here so therefore just in reality does things like what make us what were inside is amazing as something special or in many approaches. Though in regards with whoever has got difficulties on what will be done concerning mobile devices like that alongside ones probably more content for calmer options may still visit it will merely would call being able accommodate which that will entail just so one enjoys the thing better at least as one makes a conclusion. At last keep clear eyes for just such opportunities for which actually come so after a real nice getaway as well!
So, taking a look, here is basically the run-down:
- Unmatched Experience: See scenery unlike you have ever seen; those memories tend to stick around for a bit.
- Choose Carefully: Getting just the right tour operator can change the entire landscape of enjoyment.
- Safety Gear? You Bet: Goggles plus helmets must be worn at pretty much all moments; be careful when heading on a curve!
- Respect that Desert: Care around some desert goes just such length in terms safeguarding exactly just where all could travel along that and with this.
- Be Set with Stuff!: Slap on sunscreen – just no negotiation concerning this one!!!
And with a few steps done already or perhaps still a little of these to make the choice for driving one dune buggy across any Atacama now should definitely is a bit just simpler after just making so very good along what would become some memory indeed!