Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) Reviews (San Pedro de Atacama, Chile)

Mars Valley

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

May 2, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo Every self-respecting country has a Moon Valley. China has it in Guilin; Thailand has it in northern Isaan, not far from Lom Sak and Bolivia has it in La Paz, and Chile has its own version in the Southeastern corner of the Atacama Desert. None of ...Read more Every self-respecting country has a Moon Valley. China has it in Guilin; Thailand has it in northern Isaan, not far from Lom Sak and Bolivia has it in La Paz, and Chile has its own version in the Southeastern corner of the Atacama Desert. None of these is a valley brought from far above; all of them are geological formations of curious shapes. As such, maybe it should be better to call the Chilean version the Mars Valley, since the Atacama Desert is often addressed as a Mars-analogue terrain. Moreover, then it could be marketed as unique and not just one more Moon Valley.

Roughly fifteen kilometers west of the town, the area can be easily reached with public and private transport, through route CH23. If traveling independently, notice that the last ten kilometers are on a dirt road. Technically, the site is part of the Cordillera de Sal (Salt Range) and of the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos (Flamingos National Reserve) and forms part of the basin surrounding Sierra Orbate. Roughly at 2500 above the sea level, the valley is not high enough to cause the altitude photography problems I described recently, or in fact altitude acclimatization effects to the vast majority of people; yet, the sunlight is reflected from the salt and the lighter sands, making photography difficult. If having, bring filters.

A point to keep in mind is that after a while, these formations become repetitive; no matter how beautiful spending too much time in one a day turns out tiresome. Overheated earth colors, with nothing softer to break down the monotonic view. A good idea is booking a private tour at the town; planning the Moon Valley and the Laguna Miscanti (see that entry in this journal) for the same day makes sense and would properly balance the valley’s dryness.

The landscape of the valley is shaped by several types of sand and rock which has been eroded into highly irregular shapes. Knife-sharp ridges, rings of dry salt, and low mounds of irregular shapes and colors create a truly outwardly landscape. Somehow, you expect seeing a dry lake here, maybe due to the thin deposits of salt that cover almost everything; actually there is one: the Salar de Atacama is not far away. The whole area is void of vegetation and life forms; considering the average annual rainfall here is just 3mm that is understandable. A drop of sweat falling on the ground can alter the annual statistics. The activities available include biking, sandboarding and visiting the salt caves; the impressive volcano Licancabur frames everything into a Fuji-style postcard.

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From journal Driest Desert III

Valley of the Moon

by LenR

Townsville, Queensland, Australia

September 10, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo From La Paz’s southernmost suburbs, a road follows the course of the Rio Choqueyapu southeast towards Mallasa. Before long it enters a stretch of eerie, cactus-strewn badlands known as the Valle de la Luna.Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is located ...Read more From La Paz’s southernmost suburbs, a road follows the course of the Rio Choqueyapu southeast towards Mallasa. Before long it enters a stretch of eerie, cactus-strewn badlands known as the Valle de la Luna.

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is located about 10 kilometers from the city center. This eroded hillside maze of canyons and pinnacles is strikingly different to most of La Paz and a great place to visit. It is undoubtedly the most interesting trip close to La Paz city and need only take a couple of hours of your time. Don’t miss it.

The Valle de la Luna is not a valley, but a badlands of gullies, rock formations and weird shapes along the canyon of the Choqueyapu River. Scarred by deep canyons and strange formations of clay and rock carved by seasonal rains into pinnacles in part resembling church organ pipes, the valley is a popular excursion from the city. Naturally it has become a tourist attraction and now parts are fenced off and you pay an admission fee to enter. This, however, has the advantage that money is spent on tracks and signboards so you can move around easily without getting lost.

Once you enter there are two recommended circuits. The first only takes about 15 minutes and gives you an overview of the place. The longer one takes about 45 minutes and takes you past features such as the Silence Canyon, the Lady’s Hat, the Devil’s Viewpoint, Turtle Hill and the Window of the South. This shows you that there is considerable diversity within this area. A recent addition to the place is a modern sculpture by ceramic artist Mario Sarabia. There is a souvenir shop, a handicraft shop and cafe.

To get to the Valley of the Moon you can take any public bus from the El Prado with the signs Mallasilla or Mallasa on the placard in the front window. These include the big yellow micro bus number 11 and minibuses 273,231, 351 and 379. You can also call a taxi on 2745151. Certainly some of the features can be seen from the road but I recommend that you pay the admission price if you want to fully understand this quite fascinating area. There are some great photographic opportunities here.
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Chacaltaya Mountain and Moon Valley

by SeenThat

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

February 7, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo The Chacaltaya Mountain and the Moon Valley are both nearby downtown La Paz and are offered as a single combined day tour by all the travel agents in town. The visits’ order is set according on the season and weather. A combined tour costs around ...Read more

From journal La Paz: Illimani's Amphitheatre

Valle de la Luna

by racheldrum

Leuven, Belgium

September 23, 2005

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This tour leaves around 3 or 4pm and drives you out to the Valle, some of them via the Caldera de Sel, which is nice, but mainly for the same view as you get arriving in San Pedro. They drive you through the national park (they are bound to ask you ...Read more

From journal Five Weeks in Chile

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