Photographic beauty awaits in the desert

The high desert of Chile's Atacama region offers something for everyone

You've been to the beach. You've been to the mountains. Looking for the next big thing - then haul your tired, bored bones to the desert. Too hot, too flat, too dull? Wrong desert, dude. We're talking about the Atacama Desert in Chile.

Pick the reason you want to get away...Is is for relaxation? Is it for adventure? Need to get a tan? Want to take pictures? Want to learn native cooking? How about a chance to practice that Spanish lesson you learned? 

The Atacama Desert has been around for eons, and can still be appreciated for its original, raw beauty. Thanks to a sensitive population and concerned developers, this natural jewel still shines with its enchanting landscapes and idyllic sunsets.

The little town of San Pedro de Attacama is at the epicenter of the Atacama fun, with dozens of businesses catering to the ever-increasing tourist trade. While many backpackers continue to arrive and find an ample supply of hostels here, the new flashpacker generation was looking for something a bit nicer. Luckily, now they'll find a choice of establishments that cater to the adventurer who also appeciates a comfy, king-size bed and a relaxing massage after their day of hiking volcanoes.

One such establishment, Tierra Atacama, offers great benefits not only to its guests but to the local community as well. With their operational philosophy, this is another example of "being good by doing good."

Tierra Atacama, just a five-minute bike ride outside the city center of San Pedro de Atacama, offers a luxury-level accommodation with fantastic views of the Licancabur volcano from all rooms . Self-described as an "adventure spa," this is truly a place where you can play hard and relax well. After a day of hiking, biking, horseback riding, or exploring, you'll appreciate the expert massages, swimming and soaking pools and meditation/yoga areas.

If adventure is why you came, the choices are as varied as the guests. Moon Valley with its naturally sculpted salt formations and Salar de Atacama (salt lake) with its three types of flamingos are the most often visited sites, easily reached from the hotel. If you are an early riser, don't miss the trip to El Tatio, home to active geysers.

Combining exercise with relaxation, try a bike ride to Cejar Lagoon where you can refresh and relax, floating all day in this salty watering hole. The buoyancy level of this turquoise lake is higher than that of the Dead Sea. If scampering up a mountain is more to your liking, how about trying to conquer Toco, the lowest mountain in the area at 18,480 feet. If that was easy, you're a candidate for Tierra Atacama's Mountain Week, with daily excursions to the best peaks in the area. Five days, four nights and all the mountains you can handle for USD 1,790 pp double occupancy.

What to expect at Tierra Atacama

Back at the hotel, rooms are laid out to maximize the views, yet provide privacy. Interiors are minimalist in design, and utilize local materials wherever available. The bathrooms offer both indoor and outdoor showers. If you haven't tried an outdoor shower under the desert sun, you haven't experienced water at Mother Nature's best.

Large windows facing the volcano allow you watch the sun slowly paint the hill with its light in the morning. In the evening, watch again as shades of pink and purple wrap the volcano as the sun slowly sets. With the incredibly clean air of the desert, your view is as clear as a high-def TV, which, by the way, you won't find in your room.

With the hotel's desire for congeniality among its guests, common-area living facilities are where you'll find the TV lounge, bar, restaurant, guest computer stations, game areas, & outdoor fire pits with inviting, soft cushions. The hotel's core just naturally draws its guests here to socialize.

Trying to decide on tomorrow's adventure? A floor-to-ceiling, hand-painted mural on the wall depicts the surrounding area with dozens of destinations worth exploring. Helpful guides can explain what to expect and the best way to get there. You'll find your fellow guests are always willing to share their recommendations as well.

Just steps away from the living area is the entrance to UmaSpa. A relaxing, deep-tissue massage, (the most requested service) is 60 minutes of bliss. Earthtone surroundings, soft music and aromatic scents greet you as you enter your private room and the skillful hands of your masseuse take it from there. For a uniquely local experience, request the Atacama Salt Scrub using local, natural salts with almond oil for silky smooth skin. Dozens of other treatments and rituals are available as well.

How it all started

When the hotel began planning its construction, the owners knew they wanted to honor the history of this site and wanted to make sure it would be a worthy addition to the community. While researching the area, they discovered that the existing adobe walls on the property were once a large corral for cattle being driven over the nearby Andes Mountains. They decided to preserve this bit of history and incorporated the walls into the entryway of the hotel.

Since the original use of the land had been agricultural, Tierra Atacama has replanted much of its property with vegetables, fruit and herbs which are all used by their restaurant in their daily menu planning. Through a co-operative arrangement with the local liceo (technical school), students working on an agricultural degree can help plan, cultivate and irrigate the crops. The students are then given a grant by the hotel to help finance their further studies.

 

Working hand-in-hand with nature

Tierra Atacama describes their typical guests as "curious, adventurous travelers" with a respect for this highly unique and fragile environment. As such, the hotel set high goals for sustainability and their guests respond with even more ideas. Since every activity outside the hotel required taking water bottles along, the hotel realized they could reduce the waste of plastic water bottles, and now issues each guest with a handsome, reusable, refillable aluminum water bottle. Future plans will see the water bottles placed in each room replaced with a glass carafe which can be refilled daily.

Hiring locally is another of Tierra Atacama's strong suits. Providing employment to a great number of locals obviously helps the local economy, but the people from the area also help the hotel achieve it's green goals, realizing that everyone gains when people respect and love the environment.

No one drives that home more obviously than the guides who take guests out on the various field trips. Take Gustavo, who leads the horse rides to Devil's Canyon, or Pamela, who points out the wonders of Moon Valley, or Christofle, who can tell you all about the salt flats and the national flamingo reserve...everyone of them is unabashedly proud of their land and its uniqueness. You won't go on one of their trips and leave unimpressed. Their enthusiasm for this land, its history and its heritage is contagious. You'll be sorry you didn't plan to stay longer.

For more information, check out the Tierra Atacama website.

The Atacama desert attracts thousands to Chile

Unless you've been to the Atacama desert, you'll find that it redefines your understanding of the word "desert."

Air so fresh, you smell nothing at all. Skies so clear, you'll never count all the stars. Rain is almost never in the forecast. Some areas here haven't had rain in over 400 years, and average rainfall in the general area is 0.04 inches per year. This is the Atacama desert.

Don't let the word "desert" fool you though. This is not your typical inhospitable desert - quite the contrary. This desert maintains temperatures generally in the 70's and 80's. During the Chilean summer of January through March, it will rarely even get into 90's. In the evenings, a jacket will be welcome, as temperatures drop as much as 30 or 40 degrees.

With the Andes Mountains on the east and the Chilean Coast Range on the west, this otherwise arid area has been compared to the landscape of Mars, so much so that Hollywood and NASA have been here many times. Rocks, hills, dunes and granular salt flats all add to the visual feast.

Elevation is something to consider. While Death Valley in the U.S. is actually partly below sea-level, the Atacama is considerably higher then Denver, starting about 7,000 ft., with much of the area rising to 9,000 ft. This can require a few days to acclimate yourself before you'll want to attempt any really strenuous activities.

The desert has been waiting for you

It's been waiting quite a while as a matter-of-fact. The church in San Pedro de Atacama has been here since 1577. The geoglyphs (geometric rock formations) have been here since 900 B.C. and the petroglyphs (art carved in rock) have been here even longer. With no rain, everything is perfectly preserved.

So what can you do in the desert?

• Hiking Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and the Valley of Death opens the eyes to so many unique terrestrial formations, from stone, to sand to salt, in shapes that defy the imagination. Make sure you have your camera at sunset for lucsious light plays off the colored hills.
• Salar de Atacama (the salt flats) has the most unusual, thick textured granular covering of salt and lithium that only a photograph could describe.
• Los Flamencos National Reserve offers incredible views of three species of flamingos, and beautiful sunsets over the lake.
• Lagunas Cejar (Cejar Lagoon) is a lake with such a high concentration of salt, that it allows you to float like in the Dead Sea.
• Volcanoes sound interesting? There are over 150 active volcanoes in Chile and some can be approached easily from the Atacama region.
• Want high adventure? Hike to the Tatio geysers for early morning eruptions of steam, high into the air.
• Bike through the local towns like San Pedro de Atacama or Toconao or out in the wilderness of desert.
• Sore from all that activity? Relax in the hot springs of Termas de Puritama or be rejuvinated at a local hotel spa like Uma Spa (Tierra Atacama) or Puri Spa (Alto Atacama.) 
• Need a traveling companion?  How about taking a llama for a walk through the desert? They make great traveling companions and they do well on a leash.

• Just the thought of activity making you hungry? Try a gastronomic tour of the local area given by the locals and learn native food preparation or take part in a local barbeque.
• Done for the day? Don't go to bed early, the night skies are something to behold. The giant ALMA telescope project won't open until 2014, but every night you can see more stars here with the naked eye than most anywhere else on earth.

For more information about the Atacama desert, check-out the following:

http://turismochile.travel
http://tierraatacama.com
http://altoatacama.com