Machuca
4
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
927 reviews
Excellent
291
Very good
323
Average
264
Poor
36
Terrible
13
Sachin K
New York City, NY6,557 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Machuca is a small village with less than 50 inhabitants. Visited same on my way back from El Tatio Geyser field towards San Pedro De Atacama. This village is famous for selling barbecued lama meat and some delicious freshly made empanadas. Certainly a unique village and would very highly recommend visiting same to any traveler in the Atacama region.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FloTsu
London, UK16 contributions
Feb 2023
Do not go as individual visitor, do not go outside the church opening hours. You can't go up or close to the church outside, even if closed. The little settlement is guarded, and the guards will not let you close. What a shame, to be so petty to send away toursits that came all the way from San Pedro to see your church.
Written February 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jetzthesse
Frankfurt, Germany7 contributions
Nov 2022 • Friends
Apparently they don’t like individual tourists here.
We were only allowed to the central place until the restaurant and could not go to the little church. So we left and wanted to walk on a footpath along the river nearby, but there we were also chased away. Strange that they have a large sign to welcome tourists? Maybe that’s only for organised tour groups.
We were only allowed to the central place until the restaurant and could not go to the little church. So we left and wanted to walk on a footpath along the river nearby, but there we were also chased away. Strange that they have a large sign to welcome tourists? Maybe that’s only for organised tour groups.
Written November 2, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John I
Manchester, UK48 contributions
Feb 2024 • Couples
An interesting place, population 50. It was obviously a former mining town but that has all gone. For visitors it offers a toilet, a lady offering BBQ llama and a church that is well worth a visit. You can wander the streets, climb to the church and ponder a different way of life. I really enjoyed our short time there
Written March 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShariLukens
Victoria, Canada205 contributions
Dec 2022 • Friends
We stopped on our way back from visiting the geysers. What fun! The locals are very engaging and hospitable. They were BBQing llama kabobs which were delicious and had excellent empanadas. Try all of it. Sit and have a tea and chat with them. Worth the experience. Made our day.
Written December 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nas S
Long Beach, CA2,240 contributions
Jul 2019
On the way to the Geysers, you'll most likely stop by in this small town. It has a small church and they offer Illama meat.
Written August 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roj1281
Houston, TX524 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
Stopped at this town while on a tour through San Pedro. Probably to support the community, but that is ok with me. I thought it was a great stop. I tried the alpaca skewers and they were delicious. I also tried some tea (can't remember the name) that has healing properties. The cheese empanadas there were good too. Great stop.
Written July 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
emm
Vancouver, WA290 contributions
Jun 2019 • Family
We stopped on our way back and it was a ghost town. Couldn’t walk up to the church as it said “residents only” on the blocked path/road up. The only person we saw was when my son used the bathroom...a man came out from another area and wanted $.
Written June 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
djl485
Atlanta, GA165 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
We stopped in Machuca for 30 minutes on the way back from Tatio geysers. There were kabobs and empanadas for sale. There is also a small church in the town that was gated off but was pretty from the outside. Overall, it was a nice little stop at the end of the tour.
Written May 11, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Morsell
San Francisco, CA86 contributions
Nov 2019
We stopped in around 9am on our way back from El Tatio Geysers. Our toddler slept in the car, while we enjoyed grilled llama skewers and cheese empanadas. It was really quiet and mellow at that hour, but I could see they were getting ready for larger groups. When my toddler woke up, we hiked up to the little church above town. It was inexplicably closed, but we enjoyed the view and quiet.
Written December 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can I do the following in one day- fly in in Calama arrive @ 8 or 9 am and depart early evening back to Santiago?
1. atacama dessert
2. ancient village of tulor
3. ruins of pukara de quitar
Are there uber service in Calama/San Pedro de atacama?
Aireen
Written December 31, 2016
If you're in such a hurry, I would not attempt to do all you've outlined. As GillH007 noted, it's not realistic to do the desert in a day. Taking in the geysers, which you can drive to or possibly get a guide in taxi instead of doing a tour, is something that unfolds over time, from dawn to early light. There are magnificent changes in the light that occur, and different geysers and streams of water that come to life, that you need time there. But that means rising at a very early hour. And unless your idea of visiting a location is rushing from place to place, you will want to drink in all of the beauty and culture there is to see at the three locales you mentioned.
Also as GillH007 mentioned, you're in the high desert. It's incredibly dry; I drank a 2-liter bottle of water and was still needing more water. It's very easy to get dehydrated, which is dangerous. And the altitude can lead to sickness, especially if you rush from low to high, or vice versa.
In the morning, you'll feel like you're in the Northeast during winter. It can be below freezing when you set out in early morning. You'll need layers of clothing and to strip down to summer clothing by mid-afternoon. But regardless of the temperature, its very dry.
If renting a car, you'll want 4WD, since many of the roads have potholes and lead off-road to the destinations. But there aren't a lot of gas stations, so you need to be sure you watch your gas and don't end up stuck on empty.
I stayed 3 nights/4 days and could easily have stayed longer. There's great beauty and serenity in San Pedro de Atacama. Its whole vibe is to slow down and not rush. I wouldn't recommend a one-day trip.
Written December 31, 2016
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