Upon arrival, adjust your eyes to the searing desert sun and expansive horizons in all directions. Embark on your first excursion, a moderate hike through the aptly named Valley of the Moon where the sand dunes have been carved by the wind into otherworldly patterns and dramatic cliff lines.

Take the morning to relax and acclimatize, and activate your senses after lunch with a dip in Laguna Cejar, a lake whose high levels of salt allow you to float effortlessly on its surface. Take in a truly spellbinding sunset while sipping a cocktail on the shores of the Tebinquinche salt flat.

Set out early this morning for the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile, to observe flocks of rosy flamingos in their natural habitat at the Chaxa Lagoon. On the way back, stop in the town of Toconao for a peek into Altiplanic village life and architecture.

Catch a glimpse of the pre-dawn stars as you set out to meet the sunrise at the Tatio Geysers, more than 14,000 feet above sea level. Watch the first rays of daylight pierce through the clouds of steam produced by the geysers boiling and erupting from below.