The Moon Valley or Valle de la Luna is located 15 km west of San Pedro de Atacama. Together with the nearby Valle de la Muerte it forms part of the mountain range Cordillera de la Sal.

The area is so barren and dry that no life can exists here.

The valley was formed some 20 million years ago when tectonic movements

pushed up and folded an old salt lake. Since then, volcanic eruptions and wind and weather have further modeled this surrealistic landscape.

Volcanic ashes, salt, clay, gypsum and borate make the Moon Valley a very colorful area with hills, caves, dry lakes and strangely formed structures like Las Tres Marias and the Amphitheater.

In the background hover the snow- covered mountains and volcanoes of the Andes range.

Particularly impressive (and very popular with tourists) is the sunset when all the colors seem to come to light just before the night sets in.

We did a guided tour of the Valle de la Luna in August 2011, with a fabulous sunset as topping on the cake.