Cycling to The Devil’s Throat in the Atacama Desert (2025)

Cycling to The Devil’s Throat in the Atacama desert was one of the best things I did during my stay in San Pedro de Atacama. Also known as Garganta del Diablo, this stunning bike ride takes you through otherworldly landscapes and narrow red rock canyons, and boasts spectacular views of the surrounding area.

Unless you plan to hire a car to explore the Atacama Desert, you’re mostly tied to joining day tours. While the day tours are great, this bike ride is the perfect way to escape the tourist traps and explore the area independently.

Garganta del Diablo is one of Atacama’s hidden gems, and I can’t recommend it enough. In this post, I’ve shared everything you need to know about cycling to The Devil’s Throat, or Garganta del Diablo, in the Atacama desert.

Overview of cycling to The Devil’s Throat

Cycling to Garganta del Diablo / The Devil’s Throat is an excellent option for those who want to explore the Atacama area independently or take a break from the organised day tours. In my opinion, it’s one of the absolute best things to do in San Pedro de Atacama and should be included on every itinerary.

It feels like such a hidden gem, and I have no idea why it doesn’t appear on every list of things to do in the area.

Garganta del Diablo is a few miles north of San Pedro de Atacama, close to Valle de la Muerte. Depending on where you start the bike ride and how much of the area you want to explore, the total distance is about 11 miles return (18km). The path is mostly flat, so it’s generally doable for most people.

To get to The Devil’s Throat, you’ll need to enter the Valle de Catarpe area, which costs 5,000 CLP (July 24). Once you’ve entered the park, the bike ride takes you along a rocky dirt path before turning off into the Devil’s Throat area. Here, you’ll cycle through narrow slot canyons and huge red rock formations. Before turning back, you can hike up to a beautoiful viewpoint. This takes around 20 minutes.

The bike ride is relatively easy and in total, takes about 4 hours including the return to San Pedro.

How to hire a bike in San Pedro de Atacama

You can hire bikes from shops all over San Pedro. If you walk down the main street, it won’t take you long to find somewhere. Most accommodations, including the hostels, also offer bike rentals. Some hotels even include free bike rentals.

The prices of hiring a bike seem to be fixed around the town, with no room for negotiation. For six hours, expect to pay around CLP 7,000 (USD 8). You can hire bikes for four hours at a slightly cheaper cost, but I wouldn’t recommend it for this route. It takes most people four hours to complete the track from the town centre, and you don’t want to be rushing back (especially in the heat).

Most bikes on offer are mountain bikes which come with a puncture kit, helmet and padlock. Make sure you have all of these before setting off.

There are also a few places in town where you can hire e-bikes, but these are more expensive.

Recap of the bike ride and hike

To get started, I suggest using Google Maps (or a regular map) to ensure you’re on the correct road out of the town. Luckily, once you’re on the right road, it’s just a straight pedal and you don’t need to worry about turning onto other roads.

Once you reach the San Pedro River, you have two options: stay on the right side or cross a bridge and cycle on the left side.

The only reason to cycle on the left side of the river is that it’s a little bit easier. The left side is well-gravelled, and it’s a relatively smooth cycle. The right-hand side has some big rocks and potholes, which can be slightly uncomfortable. Unless you’re totally against the bumpy cycle along a rocky path, I’d suggest sticking to the right-hand side to avoid worrying about where to turn off. The bridges aren’t the most obvious and are easy to miss.

After 30 minutes of cycling along a dirt road, you’ll reach the entrance to Valle de Catarpe, or the Catarpe Valley. This is where you pay the entrance fee of 5,000 CLP (July 2024). This can only be paid in cash.

The guide will explain the route (in Spanish), and it’s also your last chance to use the bathroom. From here, it’s about a 20-minute cycle to reach the turning point for The Devil’s Throat. The scenery is spectacular and it feels like you’re on another planet. I kept stopping to take photos – it truly is an incredible area.

Once you’ve turned off from the main road, the fun begins! The next 20 minutes involve cycling through narrow slots and weaving past the giant canyon walls and incredible rock formations. There are a couple of points where you will need to stop and lift your bike; it’s a little tricky if you’re alone, but it’s doable.

Once you see the El Mirador sign, it’s time to start hiking. There’s nowhere official to leave your bike, but I just left it leaning against a rock and had no problems. The hike to the top of the viewpoint takes about 20 minutes. It’s steep and slippery with loose rocks, but it’s worth doing. The views from the top are breathtaking.

After a 20-minute climb to the top, I sat and had a snack while admiring the views. It’s one of my favourite hikes I’ve ever done (if you can call it a hike). The landscape is unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed and there are wonderful views of the Licancabur volcano.

After returning to your bike, there are two options: return to San Pedro or continue to Capilla San Isidro (the Chapel of San Isidro), a small chapel in the desert. Visiting the chapel adds another hour to the bike ride. As it was already quite late in the day and I was tired, I skipped visiting the chapel and returned to the hostel.

Overall, the bike ride and hike took me 3 1/2 hours, including a 30-minute break for lunch (and lots of photo stops).

What to pack

I would recommend taking a few essential items with you on your bike ride to the Devil’s Throat. These include:

• Water. Once you leave San Pedro de Atacama, there is nowhere to buy more water. The bike ride and hike can take between 3 and 5 hours, so ensure you carry plenty of water. I got through 1 litre, and it wasn’t even too hot on the day I went.

• Snacks. Cycling requires a lot of energy so I recommend taking a snack or lunch with you. Once you reach Garganta del Diablo, there are a few places to stop and have a break.

• Sun protection. An obvious one for visiting the Atacama desert, but make sure you have sun protection, including sun cream, sunglasses and a sun hat. The cycling route is in the middle of the desert and is very exposed at times, with little respite from the sun.

• Layers. If you’re visiting in the winter, it’s a sensible idea to carry an extra layer or two in case it gets cold. There was no wind on the day I visited, but I can imagine it gets a little chilly at the viewpoint when it’s windy.

• Cash. You need to pay a fee to enter the park. As of July 2024, this is 5,000 CLP and can only be paid in cash.

How easy is cycling to ‘Garganta del Diablo’?

I’m not the biggest fan of cycling and tend to struggle on most bike rides. However, I found this bike ride relatively easy. It’s long enough to feel like a workout but not so long that it’s exhausting.

The bike ride to Garganta del Diablo itself is overall very flat. It can be bumpy, making it a little uncomfortable, but it’s manageable. I saw several young children cycling along the path as well. For those worried about the distance, it’s possible to hire e-bikes in San Pedro de Atacama to make the bike ride a little easier (although this will cost more money).

One of the challenges of cycling to the Devil’s Throat in Atacama is the heat and the sun. It’s no secret that the Atacama Desert is hot with powerful sun. I visited the Atacama Desert during the winter, and even though the days weren’t too hot, the sun was still powerful. I’m not sure I would have managed the bike ride in the scorching summer heat.

If you plan to visit the area in the summer, try to start the bike ride as early in the day as possible to avoid the worst of the sun. Early morning is the best time.

The hike at Garganta del Diablo is very steep and a little bit slippery. The high altitude doesn’t make it any easier, but it’s really worth doing if you can. Even if you don’t think you can do the whole hike, I’d recommend hiking up about 10 minutes to the first viewpoint.

Overall, the Devil’s Throat bike ride is doable for anyone in relatively good shape. It’s a great way to explore the San Pedro area without joining a tour.

Summary: is visiting The Devil’s Throat worth it?

Yes, yes and yes again, cycling to The Devil’s Throat is worth it. It ended up being one of my favourite things I did in the Atacama Desert.

Not only does the activity allow independence and freedom to go at your own pace (unlike most of the tours on offer), but the scenery during the bike ride and hike is breathtaking.

I don’t enjoy comparing natural wonders, but I was slightly underwhelmed by Valle de La Luna (Valley of the Moon). It’s hyped up as one of the best things to do in the Atacama Desert, but the scenery at Garganta del Diablo is something else. With its giant red rock formations, unique slot canyons and spectacular views of the surrounding area, including the Licancabur volcano, The Devil’s Throat boasts some of the most beautiful and unique scenery.

If you want to experience the true beauty of the Atacama desert, I can’t recommend visiting Garganta del Diablo enough.

👉 Check out my detailed guide on what to do in the Atacama Desert