San Pedro de Atacama · Sports & events

The steep dunes just outside town are the standard afternoon activity, run by agencies who supply the board, the wax and the transfer. There is no lift, so every run is paid for with a walk back up and two hours is usually plenty.

The usual first high summit out of San Pedro: short and non-technical from a high trailhead, and used mostly to find out how you handle altitude before anything harder. Agencies run it as a half-day, and it still deserves acclimatisation days first.

The most-climbed big cone from San Pedro and an active volcano, so ascents follow the alert level and can be closed at short notice. A long day from a very early start, worth attempting only after several days at altitude.

A 250 km, six-stage, self-supported ultramarathon run over seven days across salt flats, dunes and slot canyons, finishing in San Pedro's main square. The 2027 edition runs 4–10 April, with competitors arriving in town on 2 April.

San Pedro has no professional side of any kind. Cobreloa in Calama, 100 km away at the Estadio Zorros del Desierto, is the closest and plays in the second-tier Liga de Ascenso; the nearest top-flight club is Cobresal, further south at El Salvador.