A Valle de la Luna tour, timed for sunset.

This Valle de la Luna tour is a guided outing of 4.5 hours that starts and finishes in San Pedro de Atacama, with collection in town and a guide speaking Spanish or English. The van usually departs sometime in the 3:30 to 4:10 PM slot, with the exact time confirmed beforehand, and the sunset decides the exact end, which may run a few minutes over.

In the Valley of the Moon you see the Tres Marias and a viewpoint reached on foot beside your guide; then come drinks at a separate stop the itinerary simply calls secret, and the Mirador de Kari, known too as Piedra del Coyote, for the last light. The walking totals a hike of about 40 minutes, enough to feel the desert under your boots.

Seats start from $60, and you can hold a seat now without paying until later. The valley ticket is a separate purchase: the listing asks every guest to buy it online before the day of the tour. Put that ticket on your list the moment you choose a date, and the afternoon itself needs no more planning from you.

The valley welcomes visitors all year, but the comfort and the light shift with the months. For Chile Travel, the months from April to June are the pick of the year in San Pedro, when daytime highs sit from 20°C to 26°C and the nights drop to about 5°C. Autumn light is also softer, which flatters the clay and salt in photographs.

From December to March the altiplanic winter sets in, bringing humid air, storms in the high country and at times closed roads to the attractions. CONAF adds that the valley trails shut on occasion, for sandstorms in the cold months or rain in the warm ones. Neither should stop you; both are good reasons to keep a spare afternoon.

The gate keeps seasonal hours too: in the cooler months the barrier opens at 8:00 and takes no new arrivals after 16:00, while in the warm months it runs from 9:00 to 17:00, according to CONAF. In the busy summer months Chile Travel advises booking ahead, and a booking you can cancel without charge makes that an easy step.

Chile Travel describes the hour this tour is built around: the last rays of sun wash the mountains in violet, red and gold. On this tour the final 40 minutes belong to the Mirador de Kari, which gives you time to frame the shot, take it and then simply watch.

Drones are banned inside the park, so every picture is taken from the ground. At the Ckari viewpoint rangers set the capacity for each group and allow a stay of up to 60 minutes, according to Chile Travel. On the eastern skyline, the cone of Licancabur is visible from anywhere in town and makes a natural focal point once the sun has dropped.

A few habits help. Photograph the long shadows in the ridges before the sun touches the horizon, when the texture is strongest. Turn around after sunset, when the volcanoes glow pink behind you. Tuck your phone inside your jacket between shots, as batteries fade quickly once the desert air turns cold.