Just How Unique Are the Atacama Salt Flats

The El Tatio Geysers are located 14,173 feet above sea level, so be sure to set your alarm to catch them. Leave early in the morning because that's when the white steam columns are at their strongest. Take note of any local animals that may be out foraging for food while you're there.

Attempting to identify each individual flamingo, the most distinctive bird of the Atacama Salt Flats, is a delightful part of any trip to this location. Along with the Chilean and James flamingos, you can spot the Andean flamingo, which is one of the world's rarest birds.

Puna Plovers, little birds that inhabit saline marshes, Andean gulls, which frequent rivers and lakes both fresh and salt, and swallows, a bird species characterized by long, pointed wings, are among the other wildlife species you may encounter.

Subterranean beneath that salt is a huge salt lake, the biggest deposit in all of Chile. South of there is where you'll find one of the world's biggest lithium reserves, which has helped the area immensely.

According to NASA, the driest spot on Earth is in the Atacama Desert, where annual rainfall is as low as 1-3 mm.

Given the extreme nature of the terrain, which includes sandy deserts, rugged peaks, and active volcanoes, it's not surprising. Cacti and hardy grasses are the only plants that can withstand the daytime highs of 71 degrees and the nighttime lows of 28 degrees.

The main street, Caracoles, is home to travel agencies on nearly every block in San Pedro de Atacama, making it an ideal starting point for exploring the surrounding area. You should compare prices and services to determine which is best for you, as many of them provide comparable tours.

To get a glimpse of them, schedule an afternoon excursion to the Valle de la Luna, Valle de la Muerte, and Tres Marías, where you will witness the striking rock formations. Similar to the Martian rovers studied by NASA and the European Space Agency, you will feel as if you have been transported to another planet.

At night, the southern sky's stars and planets are exceptionally visible due to the absence of light pollution and the pure, clear air. Gather your telescopes and gaze at the Milky Way, Saturn's rings, Jupiter's nebula, or visit Cerro Paranal, home to the Very Large Telescope, which consists of four mirror telescopes.

At night, the southern sky's stars and planets are exceptionally visible due to the absence of light pollution and the pure, clear air. Gather your telescopes and gaze at the Milky Way, Saturn's rings, Jupiter's nebula, or visit Cerro Paranal, home to the Very Large Telescope, which consists of four mirror telescopes.

Space, which lends out visual and photographic telescopes to amateurs and offers specialized excursions most nights, or Astronomy Adventures, which departs every Saturday, are two options for those who would rather stare at the stars with knowledgeable guides.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara's encounter with two tortured Communists in the Atacama Desert, which occurred during his soul-seeking trek of more than 5,000 kilometers, had the deepest impression on him and his companion Alberto Granado.

Desierto florito, the local name for a spring flower bloom, is an unusual occurrence that happens only once every five to seven years in the Atacama Desert. One of the best happened in October 2015: following the March rains, miles of mallow fields sprang up, and a plethora of insects, reptiles, and birds made their home there.

Among the most remarkable are lion's claws, suspiros, and añañucas, which may be observed on routes such as Juan Soldado, Quebrada Honda, or in the village of Carrizal Bajo.

Sodium nitrate (also known as "white gold") extraction towns sprung up around the start of the century, drawing laborers from Asia, Europe, and South America. By 1960, the nitrate villages had collapsed and been abandoned after two German scientists figured out how to produce white gold on an industrial scale. The eerie ruins are now on display as a World Heritage Site, thanks to UNESCO.

White gold was so precious that Chile went to war in 1879 to protect the provinces that contained it. During the four-year conflict of the Pacific, sometimes known as the "saltpeter war," Chile, Peru, and Bolivia fought each other. At the conclusion of the war, Chile had acquired a large amount of land, annexing the provinces of Tarapacá in Peru and Litoral in Bolivia.

For Bolivians, the loss of their litoral—their coastline—became synonymous with the country's economic woes. In March 1978, diplomatic ties with Chile were finally cut after they had deteriorated. The presidents of Bolivia have been competing for control over the country's coastline in recent years.

"Quantum of Solace" (2008) depicted Bond's furious attitude, set in the Antofagasta region of the Atacama Desert. In the thrilling climactic battle scene, he infiltrates the Hotel Perla de las Dunas, where evildoers are hatching plots. The location was the Cerra Paranal, which is home to the ESO Very Large Telescope.

Some of these films include "Nostalgia for the Light," a documentary by the acclaimed Patricio Guzmán, "The Motorcycle Diaries," an action-adventure film starring Gael García Bernal, and "Spy Kids." It has also been the site of numerous documentaries about South America and westerns.

Filming for the documentary "The 33," which chronicles the world-renowned mining tragedy in Chile in 2010, took place here. It was fitting: the San Jose mine in Atacama collapsed, trapping 33 miners 2,300 feet below ground.

You might be surprised to learn that the mummies buried by the Chinchorro are thousands of years older than those in Egypt. One of them can be traced back to 5,000 B.C., as reported by the Archaeological Institute of America. The dryness of the desert kept them safe.