Licancabur is the mountain that defines San Pedro de Atacama's horizon. Its clean volcanic cone rises on the Chile-Bolivia border, visible from town, from the salt flats, and from many of the high-desert roads that make this region feel so stark and immense.
Climbing it is a serious altitude outing, usually handled with guides and acclimatisation, but you do not need to summit for Licancabur to matter. It is a landmark, a compass point, and one of the images that stays with most travellers after they leave San Pedro.