What to Pack for the Atacama Desert

A note on where this page came from. There is no keyword cluster for packing in the Atacama — we looked at 1,348 search terms, and every query containing “clothes” or “clothing” turns out to be about the discarded-textile mountains near Alto Hospicio, 700 km north of here, which is an environmental story rather than a place you visit.

But “How to dress for Atacama Desert?” is a live question in Google’s own People Also Ask, and the temperature data this site holds makes it the most useful practical page we can write. So it exists on the evidence of the search results rather than of the volume column.

The one number that matters

About 20 °C between the afternoon high and the night-time low, in every single month of the year.

Month	High	Low	Swing
January	28.0 °C	8.8 °C	19.2
April	25.0 °C	5.1 °C	19.9
July	19.3 °C	−0.8 °C	20.1
October	25.7 °C	4.4 °C	21.3

There is no season in which you can pack for one temperature. A summer trip needs warm clothes and a winter trip needs sun protection, and both need both on the same day.

And then there is El Tatio

Operators state −10 to −5 °C at the geysers, in every season. San Pedro that same afternoon will be in the twenties.

That is a thirty-degree range inside a single day, and it is the reason the geyser operators tell you to wear a t-shirt underneath your warm layers: you will be shedding them from about nine in the morning.

What that means in the bag

Layers, not garments. A base layer, a fleece or mid-layer, and a windproof outer. You will use all three before breakfast at El Tatio and none of them by lunch.

A proper hat and gloves if you are doing the geysers or the altiplanic lagoons, whatever month it is. They pack small and there is nothing to borrow at 4,320 m in the dark.

A warm layer for the stargazing tour. Two hours standing still outdoors after dark. Blankets are provided; they are not enough on a winter night.

The sun

At 2,407 m, and up to 4,320 m on the tours, there is substantially less atmosphere between you and the sun than you are used to, and no cloud and no shade for most of the day.

High-factor sunscreen, a brimmed hat rather than a cap, sunglasses that actually block UV, and lip balm. Sunburn here happens at temperatures that do not feel hot, which is how most people get caught.

The dryness

Humidity runs between 13 and 38 per cent, with August through October at 13 and 14. You lose water simply by breathing, and you will not feel thirsty in proportion to it.

Carry more water than you think — a litre for a half-day tour, two for a full one. Moisturiser and lip balm are not vanity here. Nosebleeds are common in the first days and are not a sign of anything wrong.

For the salt lagoons

A swimsuit you can put on under your clothes, a towel, and a change of clothing. Sunscreen must go on at least an hour before you get in, not at the water’s edge, because it contaminates the brine.

The showers afterwards are about thirty seconds with no soap — that is water scarcity, not fussiness — so accept that you will drive back with salt on you.

Footwear

Closed shoes with a grip. The ground is broken salt crust, loose gravel and sand. Sandals are fine in town and wrong everywhere else. For sandboarding, something you are happy to fill with sand permanently.

What you can buy in town

Caracoles, San Pedro’s main street, sells sunscreen, hats, alpaca jumpers and water at tourist prices. You will not be stranded if you forget something.

What you cannot reliably get is cash: the ATMs run out, especially in January and February, and every entrance fee outside the town is Chilean pesos in cash. Draw what you need for the week in Calama or on your first morning.

Then check the weather for your month and book the days.