Long before any tourist, this territory was already inhabited.
The Archaeological Tour: Tulor Village + Quitor Fortress invites you to understand Atacama beyond what you see — accessing its origins, its ways of life, and the traces left by those who lived in this desert long before us.
We leave San Pedro de Atacama heading south, where the desert holds one of the oldest settlements in the region.
Built around 3,000 years ago, Tulor Village is one of the earliest records of human settlement in Atacama.
Formed by interconnected circular structures made of mud, the village reveals a surprisingly complex social organization for its time.
Families lived in community, developing agriculture, animal domestication, and a deep relationship with the surrounding environment in an extremely challenging setting.
What remains today are traces — but with the right guidance, the place takes shape.
The village was discovered by Father Gustavo Le Paige, a central figure in Atacama archaeology and responsible for uncovering much of the region’s pre-Columbian history.
The archaeological museum of San Pedro de Atacama bears his name — a direct reflection of the importance of his work.
Your guide explains how people lived, how the settlement functioned, and how the advancing desert gradually buried parts of the village, preserving it in the process.
Tulor does not impress through visual grandeur.
It impresses through meaning.
We then continue north, approaching the Salt Mountain Range.
In contrast to Tulor, the Quitor Fortress reveals another dimension of life in Atacama: defense.
Built in the 12th century, this ancient stronghold was strategically positioned on a hillside, overlooking the valley — allowing control of routes and anticipation of movement.
From the top, the view opens toward the Catarpe Valley, a key strategic point within Andean routes and integrated into circulation networks during the Inca period.
Its stone structures, still visible today, reflect an organized system of protection used by Atacameño communities during times of conflict.
This was also the site of confrontations during the Spanish arrival, making it a place of historical resistance.
The walk to the viewpoint is short, yet meaningful.
More than the view, it is the understanding of the territory that expands.
Throughout the experience, the tour is conducted with respect, context, and historical depth, connecting past and present without simplification or romanticization.
This is not about visiting ruins —
but about understanding what existed here before everything we see today.
This experience exists to remind something essential:
Atacama does not begin with the desert — it begins with people.
TOUR PRICE per person: 55,000 CHILEAN PESOS (CLP)
Minimum number of people: 4
TIME: 8 AM to 1 PM
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 2,500 meters
TICKET PRICE per person: 12,000 Chilean pesos
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Transportation, English speaking guide, and breakfast
RECOMMENDED FOR: any day of your itinerary
