Devil's Throat Bike Tour, San Pedro de Atacama
A guided 4-hour ride with Bike Tour Atacama, starting in the centre of San Pedro: across the Catarpe valley to the San Isidro chapel, then the descent through Garganta del Diablo, a narrow rock gorge. Bike and safety equipment included; maximum 12 riders.
The Devil's Throat bike tour carries the best numbers of any tour in this catalog: 5.0 from 105 Viator reviews, with 100% of reviewers recommending it and a Badge of Excellence on the listing. It is also the least packaged. You meet at a pharmacy on the corner of Caracoles and Toconao, collect a bike, ride out of town into the Catarpe valley past the San Isidro chapel, and descend through Garganta del Diablo — a gorge narrow enough in places that the walls close over the trail. The operator states the rhythm plainly: this tour can be quiet or it can be an adventure, and the pace is decided by the group. Among the Atacama adventure tours it is the one that asks the least of your lungs and the most of your legs, and it is one of 26 tours in our Atacama Desert tours catalog.
- 5.0 from 105 reviews — the highest-rated tour we list
- Catarpe valley, San Isidro chapel and the Garganta del Diablo gorge
- Self-paced: the operator lets the group set the rhythm
- Bike and safety equipment included
- Maximum 12 riders, starting from the centre of town
Devil's Throat Bike Tour: Quick Facts
Read from the tour's Viator listing on 6 August 2026. Fields the listing does not state are marked unconfirmed.
- Starting price
- $90 per person
- Duration
- 4 hours
- Departure
- Not confirmed — no fixed start time published
- Hotel pickup
- No pickup — meet at the Cruz Verde pharmacy, Caracoles and Toconao
- Meeting point
- Caracoles & Toconao, San Pedro de Atacama
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Group size
- Maximum 12 travelers
- Physical difficulty
- Moderate, and self-paced: the operator says the rhythm is decided by the group
- Entrance fees
- NOT included — the Catarpe Valley ticket is paid separately
- Food and drinks
- None — breakfast is not included
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time; If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Transport
- Bicycle and safety equipment provided
- Operator
- Bike Tour Atacama
- Booked through
- Viator
- Route
- Catarpe valley → San Isidro chapel → descent through Garganta del Diablo, returning to the start
- Start time
- Not confirmed — the listing publishes no fixed departure
- Wheelchair access
- Not wheelchair accessible; service animals allowed
- Health limits
- Not recommended with back, heart or respiratory problems, or when pregnant
- Recommended by
- 100% of travelers who reviewed it on Viator
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout. How we source these fields: editorial methodology.
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Why Choose This Bike Tour
The reviews are unusually specific, and they name the guides
A 5.0 average is easy to dismiss until you read what is behind it. Riders name Andrej and Juli repeatedly, and the praise is about handling a mixed-ability group rather than about the scenery: adjusting the route to the weakest rider, lending clothing to someone who turned up in jeans, taking photographs, keeping people from getting lost where rain channels look exactly like trails.
That last point is the argument against doing this ride alone. One reviewer says it directly — the terrain is stunning but it was often hard to tell an actual trail from a path cut by rainwater.
It is 4 hours at valley level, not an altitude day
The Catarpe valley sits just north of San Pedro, barely above the oasis. That makes this one of the few genuinely active things you can do here on your first or second day, while Cerro Toco at 5,604 m and Láscar at 5,592 m both want two nights of acclimatisation first.
The effort is real but it is leg effort, not altitude effort, and the operator adapts the route to who turns up.
Two things are not included
Breakfast is excluded — eat before you come. So is the Catarpe Valley entrance ticket, which you pay separately on the day; the listing does not state the amount, so carry Chilean pesos in cash.
There is also no hotel pickup on this one. You meet at the Cruz Verde pharmacy on the corner of Caracoles and Toconao and walk to the bike shop from there, and the tour ends back at the same point.
How the 4 Hours Break Down
The operator's own route description. The pace is deliberately flexible, so the timings below are indicative.
-
Meet
Cruz Verde pharmacy, Caracoles & Toconao
Meet in the centre of town, then walk to the rental shop to collect bikes and safety equipment.
-
Ride out
Into the desert and across the Catarpe valley
You leave the oasis almost immediately. The valley is dry riverbed and rock, with the Cordillera de la Sal on one side.
-
Stop
San Isidro chapel
A small adobe chapel in the valley, and the usual break point on the route.
-
Descent
Garganta del Diablo
The Devil's Throat — a narrow winding gorge with rock walls close on both sides, and the part of the ride everyone remembers.
-
Return
Back to the meeting point
The tour ends where it started, in the centre of San Pedro.
Who This Tour Suits
Good fit
Anyone who wants to be active rather than driven around, solo travellers, and mixed-ability groups — the guides are repeatedly praised for handling exactly that.
- You can ride a mountain bike, at any level of confidence
- You want something physical that does not involve altitude
- You would rather meet people than sit in a van
- You are staying in the centre of San Pedro — there is no pickup
Look elsewhere if
This is a real ride on loose desert ground, with no pickup and no food.
- You want to be collected from your hotel — the Moon Valley e-bike tour includes pickup
- You want electric assistance on the climbs — this is a normal mountain bike
- You have back problems, or are pregnant — the operator advises against it
- You want the classic sights: Valle de la Luna or El Tatio first
Who Runs and Sells This Tour
- Operated by
- Bike Tour Atacama
- Booking handled by
- Viator
- Payment taken by
- Viator
- Cancellation terms set by
- The operator, through Viator
Bike Tour Atacama is a small specialist operator running bike tours out of central San Pedro — the same guides appear across its reviews over more than a year, which is a fair sign of a stable, owner-run outfit rather than a reseller. We have not ridden with them or verified any registration beyond what the listing publishes.
We do not sell this tour, take payment for it, or set its terms. We list it, check its published details, and link to the platform that handles the booking. If you book through that link we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Traveler Rating and Our Editorial View
Traveler rating
5.0/5
from 105 Viator reviews · checked 2026-08-06
5.0 from 105 Viator reviews, 100% recommending it, with a Badge of Excellence on the listing. The reviews are consistent over more than a year and name the same two guides, which is worth more than the average alone.
- Value for money8/10$90 for four guided hours with the bike and gear, though the Catarpe ticket is extra.
- Itinerary quality9/10A real route with a real destination, not a loop between photo stops.
- Operator transparency6/10Exclusions are declared, but no start time and no Catarpe ticket price are published.
- Cancellation flexibility9/10Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
- Group size8/10Maximum 12, and reviews describe genuinely adapted pacing.
- Traveler feedback10/10105 reviews at 5.0 with no dissent — the strongest record in this catalog.
- Altitude accessibility9/10Valley level; doable on your first days in San Pedro.
What to Bring
Not jeans
One reviewer turned up in jeans and had to borrow shorts from the guide. Learn from that.
- Cycling or athletic shorts and a breathable top
- Closed shoes with grip
- SPF 50+, UV sunglasses and something under the helmet
- At least 1.5 litres of water — nothing is included
- Chilean pesos in cash for the Catarpe Valley ticket
- Breakfast beforehand; it is not included
Similar Adventure Tours
The other active days from San Pedro, from valley level to 5,604 m.
Guided Desert Buggy Tour
Drive your own off-road buggy through dunes and canyons of the Cordillera de la Sal with a guide leading the convoy.
- Category
- Adventure Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- On Safari Atacama
- Booked via
- GetYourGuide
“Exciting, informative and entertaining. We learnt a lot as well as having fun.” — Justin
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by GetYourGuide. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Moon Valley E-Bike Tour
32 km of desert single-track through the Salt Mountain Range on a 350W e-bike — terrain minibus tours never reach.
- Category
- Adventure Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- On Safari Atacama
- Booked via
- GetYourGuide
“Juan was amazing - he told me all about the history of the area, the feology, and we saw some incredible views & took some great pics.” — Claudia
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by GetYourGuide. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Cerro Toco Summit Hike
A guided high-altitude ascent to the 5,604 m summit of Cerro Toco — Everest Base Camp height with a fraction of the effort.
- Category
- Adventure Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Quima Expediciones
- Booked via
- GetYourGuide
“A great experience! Jorge explained everything the evening before and kept our spirits up the whole climb. Reaching the summit is a huge moment.” — Julien
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by GetYourGuide. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Questions About the Devil's Throat Bike Tour
What is the Garganta del Diablo?
A narrow gorge in the Catarpe valley just north of San Pedro de Atacama — Devil's Throat in English — where the rock walls close in tight on both sides of the trail. It is the highlight of the route and the reason the tour is named after it.
Do I need to be fit?
You need to be able to ride a mountain bike; beyond that the operator adapts. Reviews repeatedly describe groups of mixed ability where the guide adjusted the route so everyone kept up. It is four hours of riding on sand and gravel, so it is real exercise, but it is not a race and the pace is set by the group.
Is there hotel pickup?
No. You meet at the Cruz Verde pharmacy on the corner of Caracoles and Toconao in the centre of San Pedro, walk to the bike shop from there, and the tour ends back at the same point. If you need pickup, the Moon Valley e-bike tour includes it.
How much is the Catarpe Valley ticket?
The listing excludes it but does not publish the amount, so we mark it unconfirmed rather than guess. Carry Chilean pesos in cash and ask the guide at the start.
Can I do this on my first day in San Pedro?
Yes — this is one of the few active tours here that stays at valley level, so altitude is not the limiting factor it is on the volcano climbs. Drink plenty of water anyway; San Pedro is still at 2,400 m and the air is extremely dry.
What Travelers Say
Great experience! Andrej was our guide and he was very knowledgeable and knew a lot of facts. Our group had mixed abilities in riding with a mountain bike but Andrej was brilliant at making sure everyone got the best experience. Was a great way to meet others and the ride in the evening allowed for some great sights and cool rides through some archways. Would highly recommend!
Incredible mountain biking experience! Juli was a fantastic guide. The location we explored was stunning, but I worry I might have gotten lost if I had ventured out on my own, as it was occasionally difficult to distinguish between actual trails and paths created by rainwater.
Highlight of my trip! Juli is such a fantastic person beyond being your guide of the day! I arrived in jeans (bad idea) and Juli was kind enough to lend me a pair of her shorts! 4 hours flew by with great conversation, landscapes and a lot of info about the history and flora and fauna of Atacama desert.
Reviews published on Viator, read on 6 August 2026. We do not collect or moderate them.
Page last reviewed 2026-08-06. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on 2026-08-06. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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