What nobody tells you about the Atacama after dark

The driest desert on Earth has some of the clearest skies anywhere. It also gets very cold, very fast.

When the sun goes down over San Pedro, the temperature can fall twenty degrees in an hour.

That is the price of a sky so clear that the Milky Way casts a faint shadow. Bring layers, a hat and patience while your eyes adjust.

We book small stargazing sessions away from town, with an astronomer and hot chocolate, rather than the busy group tours.