Atacama Desert Tourism Statistics

The Atacama Desert is one of northern Chile’s main tourism areas, with San Pedro de Atacama serving as the best-known base for salt flats, geysers, lagoons, desert landscapes, and stargazing. The most reliable recurring tourism indicator for the wider Atacama Desert region is accommodation demand in the Antofagasta Region, where San Pedro de Atacama and many of the best-known desert attractions are located.

Antofagasta Region recorded approximately 1.63 million overnight stays in tourist accommodation establishments in 2025, equal to about 4,456 overnight stays per day.

• The region recorded 1.63 million overnight stays across 2025.
• October 2025 was the strongest month, with 153,767 overnight stays.
• November 2025 followed closely with 151,771 overnight stays.

Note: Overnight stays count the number of nights guests spend in tourist accommodation establishments. One person staying three nights counts as three overnight stays.

In December 2025, Antofagasta Region tourist accommodation establishments reported a 50.1% room occupancy rate and an average daily room rate of CLP 91,084.

• Room occupancy reached 50.1%, up 4.13 percentage points from December 2024.
• Average Daily Rate (ADR) reached CLP 91,084, up 7.6% year over year.
• Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) reached CLP 45,599, up 17.3% year over year.

Argentina was the largest foreign source market for the Antofagasta Region in January 2025, accounting for 18,633 of the 35,081 foreign arrivals recorded that month.

• Foreign arrivals to Antofagasta Region reached 35,081 in January 2025.
• Argentina was the leading source market, with 18,633 foreign arrivals.
• Brazil followed with 4,437 foreign arrivals, ahead of Bolivia with 3,000.
• The six listed markets together accounted for about 85.5% of foreign arrivals to the region in January 2025.

Note: These figures refer to foreign arrivals to Antofagasta Region in January 2025. They are regional inbound arrivals, not attraction-level visitor counts for individual Atacama Desert sites.

The Atacama Desert is promoted for its dry desert landscapes, high-altitude scenery, salt flats, geysers, lagoons, ancestral cultures, and clear night skies.

• Chile Travel describes the Atacama Desert as northern Chile’s main attraction and the driest desert in the world.
• San Pedro de Atacama is a major base for salt flats, geysers, lagoons, and highland routes.
• The wider desert and altiplano area is known for rock formations, starry skies, turquoise lagoons, volcanoes, and Andean wildlife.

The Atacama Desert’s main visitor sites cluster around San Pedro de Atacama, including Valle de la Luna, the Altiplanic Lagoons, Tatio Geysers, Piedras Rojas, ALMA Observatory, and Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos.

• Valle de la Luna is promoted by Chile Travel as a key San Pedro de Atacama attraction with desert scenery that feels “in another world.”
• Chile Travel lists Tatio Geysers, ALMA Observatory, and Piedras Rojas as nearby attractions connected with the San Pedro de Atacama circuit.
• Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos is open Monday to Sunday, with opening at 9:00 AM, last entry at 5:30 PM, and closing at 6:00 PM.