Body Care and Appropriate Clothing

Clothing: due to the marked thermal fluctuation, it is necessary to bring summer clothing to wear during the day (cotton sports shirts or T-Shirts, bathing suit, shorts and thin fabric pants), as well as winter clothing to wear at night and to visit the geysers of Tatio (polar, thick windbreaker pants, feather parka, and hat).
Shoes: bring boots and walking shoes. Sandals are not recommended due to the amount of dirt on the ground.
Basic carry-on elements: sunglasses, high-level sun protection lotion, hydrating body cream, hat, parka, flashlight, and binoculars.

Altitude and "Accute Mountain Sickness" (mal de puna"):

Considering that San Pedro de Atacama lies 2,500 meters above sea level, some people suffer from high altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness, "puna", with symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, nausea, and serum. For this illness it is advisable to drink coca tea and not exercise until the body has adapted. If you suffer from hypertension, you must not climb higher than 4,000 meters above sea level.
It is advisable to maintain your body hydrated due to the dryness in the air. The water in San Pedro is drinkable but it does contain a large amount of arsenic, which is why we recommend that you only drink bottled water that can be purchased in the local stores. When you go on a tour, be sure to take some bottled water with you.

Commerce

The schedule for mini-markets, local shopping centers, and local offices is from: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00p.m a 10:00 p.m. Restaurants and travel agencies have a schedule from: 8:00 am to 01:00 am.

Cash

It is recommendable to carry money in cash, especially Chilean pesos or national checks. There are no banks or ATM machines in San Pedro, and only a few stores accept credit cards or "redcompra". Every Thursday of the week, the Banco Estado comes to town with a mobile office, but the lines to get cash are enormous. There is an ATM machine in Calama and at the Calama airport.
Chilean Peso: There are coins of 1,5, 10, 50, 100, 500 pesos. There are bills of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 pesos. The peso-dollar ratio is 1 dollar is equal to approximately $580 pesos. (July 2005)

Tips

In cafes, restaurants and bars, you should leave a tip of 10% of the total value of your bill. Luggage carriers, tourist guides and servicemen also expect a tip.

Mobile Phones

The companies that offer coverage and have a signal in San Pedro de Atacama are ENTEL, Smartcom and Movistar. However, if you have a Bellsouth phone and it doesn't have a chip, you must change it before coming.

Body Care and Appropriate Clothing

Clothing: due to the marked thermal fluctuation, it is necessary to bring summer clothing to wear during the day (cotton sports shirts or T-Shirts, bathing suit, shorts and thin fabric pants), as well as winter clothing to wear at night and to visit the geysers of Tatio (polar, thick windbreaker pants, feather parka, and hat).
Shoes: bring boots and walking shoes. Sandals are not recommended due to the amount of dirt on the ground.
Basic carry-on elements: sunglasses, high-level sun protection lotion, hydrating body cream, hat, parka, flashlight, and binoculars.

Altitude and "Accute Mountain Sickness" (mal de puna"):

Considering that San Pedro de Atacama lies 2,500 meters above sea level, some people suffer from high altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness, "puna", with symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, nausea, and serum. For this illness it is advisable to drink coca tea and not exercise until the body has adapted. If you suffer from hypertension, you must not climb higher than 4,000 meters above sea level.
It is advisable to maintain your body hydrated due to the dryness in the air. The water in San Pedro is drinkable but it does contain a large amount of arsenic, which is why we recommend that you only drink bottled water that can be purchased in the local stores. When you go on a tour, be sure to take some bottled water with you.

Commerce

The schedule for mini-markets, local shopping centers, and local offices is from: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and from 5:00p.m a 10:00 p.m. Restaurants and travel agencies have a schedule from: 8:00 am to 01:00 am.

Cash

It is recommendable to carry money in cash, especially Chilean pesos or national checks. There are no banks or ATM machines in San Pedro, and only a few stores accept credit cards or "redcompra". Every Thursday of the week, the Banco Estado comes to town with a mobile office, but the lines to get cash are enormous. There is an ATM machine in Calama and at the Calama airport.
Chilean Peso: There are coins of 1,5, 10, 50, 100, 500 pesos. There are bills of 500, 1,000, 2,000, 5,000, 10,000 and 20,000 pesos. The peso-dollar ratio is 1 dollar is equal to approximately $580 pesos. (July 2005)

Tips

In cafes, restaurants and bars, you should leave a tip of 10% of the total value of your bill. Luggage carriers, tourist guides and servicemen also expect a tip.

Mobile Phones

The companies that offer coverage and have a signal in San Pedro de Atacama are ENTEL, Smartcom and Movistar. However, if you have a Bellsouth phone and it doesn't have a chip, you must change it before coming.