A landscape from another world - white salt flats, bright pink flamingos and spewing geysers – awaits visitors to the region surrounding the northern town of San Pedro de Atacama.

Near the Chilean border with Peru and Bolivia, Iquique and the surrounding towns have a distinctly altiplano atmosphere of indigenous festivals and local foods that sets them apart.

The chilly month of May makes Chile's northern destinations sparkle, with plenty of warm days and clear skies to set the backdrop for a Chilean adventure.

For visitors seeking an off-the-beaten-track destination, small and scenic Ovalle flies under the radar as one of northern Chile's richest jumping-off points for archaeology aficionados, fresh produce fans and lovers of the natural world.

From May 9 to 13, the waves of Llacolén beach in Antofagasta will host 48 top body boarders in the 2012 world championship of bodyboarding.

The Río Loa pours its life-giving waters through the driest desert in the world, forming patches of green oases in the great Atacama Desert of northern Chile.

Rumors say the tracks ascend so steeply through the Andes that noses bled and soroche - altitude sickness - fell like a blanket on all the passengers of the train that once ran between Arica, Chile and La Paz, Bolivia.

The Dakar Rally has passed through Chile since 2009, but the coming race in 2013 promises to be a special one, incorporating longer Chilean stretches and finishing in Santiago.

Looking for a window into the history of the universe? The Atacama Desert in Northern Chile is one of the best spots on the planet to contemplate the night skies.

Eyeing the long stretch of highway between Santiago and San Pedro de Atacama? Consider the alternative: a few extra days of exploring the wonders and secrets of Chile's Atacama Desert.