We went to Valle de la Luna by bike. We had them overnight so we could leave in the very cool of the morning at about 8am, knowing the Valle opened at 9am. It’s 16 km away from San Pedro, so we thought we would be there in good time. However, we didn’t know that the entrance to the valley is just outside town and most of the 16km are in fact AFTER the ticket office. So we had to wait for quite a long time at the entrance for it to open, and then we had to cycle in the rising heat to get to the beginning of the sights. So much for having the bikes overnight and leaving early!… The road was very quiet but in full sun, mainly gravelly, with some sections more sandy and uphill (nicely downhill all the way back, hooray!); we had to push our bikes up for some of it. This also meant that we were limited in how much of the valley we could see because it was getting very hot. By 11am, we wanted to be on your way out and cycling back to town before the worst of the heat and sun exposure.

In the valley you have one road in and out, and opportunities along the way to lock up your bike and to walk up to viewpoints. The first set of viewpoints involves a 50min walk (round-trip). We were on our own up there and really enjoyed it. Fabulous views of an incredible landscape (no straying off the path allowed, frustrating but makes for pristine sand dunes…). By the time we came back down, a big group was arriving. The rest of the Valle includes: another three viewpoints (1h30 walk round trip); a salt cave, where you can hear the salt crackle, apparently; and the Tres Marias which is an unusual rock formation.

You’re not allowed to eat inside the site (forget a picnic with a view!), but you can refill your water bottle at the ticket office and again, at the first set of viewpoints where there’s a little hut and some toilets. Note that, although the ticket office is very big, there is no food or drink for sale, except for bottled water and Monster drinks (!). They are tables in the shade though, so if you need a little pick-me-up before heading back into town, this is a good spot to eat whatever snack you’ve brought along. No need to buy tickets online; we bought ours directly there, and paid by card without any surcharge (10,800 cl pesos per person, about half price if you’re over 60).

The tours sold by agencies on Caracoles street all go in the afternoon. We’d understood that visit in the morning was only for private individuals. But in fact, we saw plenty of small tours, even in the morning; seemingly organised by upmarket hotels (worth bearing in my in your accommodation choice!)…