atacama desert study visit 2023

A learning experience for life.

Welcome to the driest desert in the world.

Located in Northern Chile, the Atacama Desert is an unique ecosystem. With an average of 0.04 inches of rainfall per year, it is considered the driest place in the world.

Despite the harsh environment, human settlements in the Atacama can be traced back to over 6,000 years ago, and evidence of human activity goes back to more than 10,000 years ago. Called the Atacameños, or the Licanantay, the descendants of these early settlers can still be found in the region of Antofagasta, particularly near Calama and San Pedro de Atacama, and form one of the nine recognized indigenous peoples of Chile.

Communities grew around small oasis where there was water to sustain life. Today, some traditional agriculture techniques are still used to cultivate food and farm animals.

The study trip will focus on some of the main features of the region: its people and culture, its adaptation to the desert, and economic and scientific activities carried out in the area, such as the mining industry and astronomy.

Through talks with Chilean professors at Universidad Catolica del Norte and site visits, you will explore some of the social determinants of health associated with life in a desertic environment.

let’s have a quick look…

Here’s what you will be doing during the visit:

SANTIAGO

Students will be picked up at the airport and transported to a hostel in the city.

During the day they will attend a short welcoming briefing and then visit some of Santiago’s landmarks.

ANTOFAGASTA / UNIVERSIDAD CATOLICA DEL NORTE

The group will travel to the city of Antofagasta (810mi North of Santiago) to visit Universidad Católica del Norte (UCN).

UCN is a known regional university with campi in the cities of Coquimbo and Antofagasta.

The Antofagasta campus strongly focuses on Natural Sciences (Geology, Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics) and Engineering Environment, Mining).

At UCN, students will attend lectures by local academics and meet some UCN students.

The economic prosperity associated with large copper mining exploits in the region has attracted thousands of immigrants from other Latin American countries. We will visit some migrant settlements and talk to NGOs to learn about the challenges people living in these areas face.

Also, students will visit social organizations that work with alternative lifestyles and at-risk populations, advocating for universal access to health services, including primary health care, HIV and sexual and reproductive health services, and assisting them in cases of violence.

SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

San Pedro will be the base for the site visits. From here, students will visit local indigenous communities, national parks, astronomy observatories, etc.

You will learn how traditional communities settled around natural water sources and developed sustainable agriculture. A way of life that is threatened by today’s climate issues.

Human presence dates back to 500 BC. And the relationship with the astronomy of these early communities is depicted through petroglyphs. Today, cutting-edge astronomy discoveries have been made in the international observatories built at high altitude here. Coping with health issues provoked by continuos exposure to altitude is a main concern for people working here.