"Valle de la Luna"

"Moon's valley ( Valle de la Luna) is a truly interesting place, the rocks form weird natural sculptures and there is nothing like horsebackriding under the moonlight in the Atacama desert, the stars look so close you can almost touch them ! The driest desert in the world, the Atacama, is located in the region known as "the North of Chile", and occupies an area equivalent in area to two thirds of Italy. It extends from the highlands of the Andean altiplano as far as the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Diverse, surprising, majestic and untouched, this is the place for those in search of natural wonders such as breathtaking salt flats, geysers, Andean volcanoes, vast expanses of land, and a spectacular range of birds and other wildlife. We will explore the lowland valleys and then drive to Putre and to San Pedro, situated in the altiplano, more than 10,000 feet above sea level. Our trip to the north of Chile will take us to the fringes of the driest desert in the world, the inhospitable Atacama, on the border with southern Peru. This unique area is home to such diverse species as flightless giant coots and the tiny Chilean hillstars. Our base locations will be Arica and Putre, Chile's northernmost cities. We will explore the Azapa valley and then drive to Putre, situated in the altiplano at more than 3,500m (10,500ft) above sea level. The altiplano grasslands support wild vicuna grazing in small herds, "