What to do in Calama

San Francisco de Chiu Chiu, better known as Chiu Chiu, is a town located in the region of Antofagasta (Chile), 30 km east of the city of Calama.

It is located in an oasis that in pre-Hispanic times had a large concentration of Atacameño population and was part of the Inca Trail. It was conquered and evangelized by the Spaniards, who founded the present town near where the natives were and called it "Atacama La Chica".

Laguna Cejar is located inside Salar de Atacama, 20 kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama. It is recognized by the strong Calypso color of the water and it is surrounded by salts of diverse forms. Its saline waters allow the bodies to float and remain without sinking, because the load of salt is greater than the weight of the person.

The landscape is one of the most attractive in the atacama desert, where the blue of the sky, the white of the salt, the light blue of the water and the pink of the flamingos that arrive to feed themselves are mixed. The best thing is to always walk in shoes since the salts have sharp points that can cut the feet.

In the Salar de Atacama, 30 kilometers south of San Pedro de Atacama, we find this little fresh and deep water oasis.

Two lagoons in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by salt and some grasslands where foxes and flamingos use to hide. Of the two lagoons, only one is suitable for swimming. 

Discover the magic nuances of the desert by visiting the Toconao village, the great Atacama Salt Flat with its Chaxa Lagoon, the impressive mountain lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques in Los Flamencos Natural Reserve. 

Truly amazing in terms of size and structure, Chuquicamata is the largest copper mine in the world to which Chile owes its prosperous economy and the acknowledgement this natural metal has earned the country all round the globe. A 16-kilometer-long straight line that separates the mine from Calama.