|
By Josh Roberts, SmarterTravel.com
Here in the driest desert on earth, in a rocky valley
populated by withered pillars of salt and stone and an enormous sand
dune that doubles as a pedestrian highway, I find myself scrambling,
hands and feet, up a jagged outcropping ... and waiting for the sun to
set on the "Valley of the Moon."
This is Chile's Valle de la Luna, the legendary
moon valley, crowned on all sides by volcanic peaks that cascade as far
as the eye can see. It's these peaks that grab my attention now. One by
one they're painted in the pinks and reds of the setting sun, and the
valley becomes a kaleidoscope of new shapes and colors. If this quiet
lunar landscape seemed eerie before dusk, it's downright alien now.
A dozen or so fellow onlookers buzz to life once the
evening shadows take root. Soon it will be dark, and we still have to
navigate the windswept crest of the sand dune back to our cars and,
eventually, to the tiny desert oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama—my
home base for this trip to northern Chile.
Valle de la Luna is about nine miles west of
San Pedro, a tiny town that boasts a surprisingly developed tourism
infrastructure given its remote location. Travelers on a tight budget
can seek out one of the many local tour operators who lead trips to Valle
de la Luna for about $7 a person.
The moon valley is just one of many unforgettable places
transformed by the cycles of the sun here in northern Chile, though.
Another is El Tatio geysers, a vast geothermal field of
volcanic origin that consists of about 80 gurgling blowholes, each
producing thick, steamy plumes that can climb as high as 33 feet...
Read the complete article at:
|
Photo Gallery: Valle de la Luna, Chile
|
