Want to visit the Atacama Desert as part of your adventure holiday to Chile but unsure what activities to include and how best to fit them into your time? Our Chile expert Sinead has been making her way around this amazing country on her most recent fam trip; testing out the best and most unique day trips, hikes, thrill seeking activities and how also to enjoy some peace and downtime in luxurious style. The Atacama Desert is the best place to visit in Chile for the sheer variety of activities, there really is something for everyone; all abilities and preferences. For the super fit who love a challenge, to those who want the serenity of stargazing, to those who simply want to enjoy sipping some Chilean wine overlooking piercing blue lakes…The Atacama Desert really does have it all and will turn your Chile holiday into the trip of a lifetime.
The best things to do in The Atacama Desert
Sinead enjoying one of the cycling routes in the Atacama
1. Get on your bike
The terrain of the Atacama lends itself beautifully to cycling, with so many routes on offer. If you’ve done a little bit of cycling before and are keen to get peddling, there are some beautiful and easy going day trips with your private guide to enjoy the scenery and the wind in your sails. For guests who prefer a bit more of a challenge, you can take whole day trips leaving from San Pedro over rougher ground reaching higher points. If you simply wanted a casual cycle before dinner for an hour as the sun sets; its all possible. Get that helmet on and get going!
The Atacama offers some of the best places on earth for star-gazing
2. All about the sky
Star gazing holidays and Luna eclipse tourism is on the up. With the recent eclipse in the US comes a renewed interest in seeing the Big Skies and venturing to those rare places on earth with minimal light pollution. The Atacama Desert was named ‘Stargazing capital of the World’ and has some some of the world’s most important observatories. Near zero light pollution, the flat landscape and its global position give scientists and astronomers amazing views of outer space and make this is really important area for our knowledge of stars. The observatories themselves are closed to tourists, but you can still enjoy the truly amazing experience of stargazing in the Atacama with our specialist guides who know where to take you. The stunning 5* Explora Atacama Hotel has its own private observatory housing advanced telescopes. On a clear night you could be lucky enough to enjoy star gazing in complete privacy in the state of the art on -site dome. If budgets allow and you are a star gazing fan…this is the hotel to upgrade to.
The Atacama skies don’t just deliver at night…sunsets here are the stuff of Instagram dreams, and maximizing the golden hour with sun downer drinks and nibbles has become a Chilean specialty. After a long day hiking, cycling or driving to sights, we can arrange a private tour where your guide goes ahead and sets up a picnic spot to remember. Enjoy the peace, no one around you, a cold wine refreshing beer and snacks and just take it all in before darkness arrives. A very special experience.
Hiking through red rocks in The Atacama
3. Hiking
The Atacama Desert is widely thought of as the driest place on earth, escaping rainfall for hundreds of years. The conditions mean there are many routes available for hikes; both quick strolls out with your guide to a view points and more challenging treks for those with a good level of fitness. Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) offers the widest variety of hikes; both gentle strolls and build- up- a- sweat trekking. Don’t forget to factor in possible altitude sickness on your Chile holiday. Whilst San Pedro lies at a typically unproblematic 2,407 meters, many of the excursions and activities such as hiking will reach much higher. Your expert guide will factor this is when planning out your days here, giving you time to acclimatize and take it slowly if you are affected. If you fancy a full- day five hour hike to Patos you will be rewarded with history, culture, a delicious lunch and sheer solitude and peace on this amazing hike. If a half day adventure in the Atacama sounds more your thing, there are a range of wonderful hikes available. Journey into Canyons with views of the Salt Range. Navigate narrow trails hemmed by ravines and steep red rocks. Descend past dunes, caverns, caves and deep gorges, explore dried out river beds peppered with cacti, bubbling rock formations and waterfalls. On some hikes you can pick up a 4X4 jeep half way to cover more distance and finish with some incredible scenery on foot. Do it differently: The Explora Hotel offers a 5* luxury hike experience, ending with exclusive dip into the hot springs at Puritama following a hike through the Nature Reserve and through a deep gorge. A deluxe and truly memorable private experience; sipping a cold beer whilst resting floating tired limbs in hot spring water. For hardcore trekkers and climbers, the Ojos del Salado will already be on your radar. Not for the faint hearted, the volcano sits at 6,893m above sea level and is the highest active volcano in the world. This serious trek takes 7-15 days so is well suited for a slow travel Chile holiday, or a South America sabbatical holiday, but will require a high level of fitness and expert guides on hand.
4. Geysers el Tatio
The remarkable Geysers el Tatio sit 14,000 feet above sea level and are one of the main draws to the Atacama desert. We suggest a very early start to factor in the drive and to capture being here at sunrise, where the colours textures and smells of the volcanoes and bubbling geysers will be at their most spectacular and vivid. The early morning sky breaking in colour is spectacular and the experience of being here at sunrise is often called seeing ‘natures fireworks’. Wrap up warm as the early start can be chilly, and if you have enough time on your trip to The Atacama we suggest visiting both the North and South geyser fields to maximize your experience.
Bright red rocks and lunar landscapes of the Atacama Desert
5. Horse riding
Again there is something for everyone who wants to enjoy horse riding in one of the most spectacular places on earth; for all abilities and preferences. If you’ve never been on a horse before there are expert beginner guides who can take you out on a highly trained and reliable horse for a short hack around nearby loops. If you’d prefer to feel the wind in your hair you can join a small group (or we can arrange this privately) and get away from the walking trails to explore the vivid landscape on horseback. Or enjoy a longer full day ride out towards the Beter ayllu to the south of the oasis, onwards to the Puribeter reserve, stopping for a delicious lunch before heading to Solor Ayllu and back for the evening. We carefully choose our partners in the Atacama so you can fully trust the expert and experienced riders and know that the horses are treated impeccably. The standards here are high; you will not regret including horse riding into your Atacama stay.
Summary
As Sinead has discovered on her recent Chile trip, there is so much to do in The Atacama Desert. You could easily fill two weeks here alone and not repeat the same activity once. We always encourage where possible, longer slower and more in depth trips to South America, to fully get under the skin of a country and immerse yourself. The benefits of slow travel are endless. However as is often the case, if you have less time but want to make sure you tick off the very best of The Atacama, these are our top suggestions. Sinead and Sam can talk you through the length of time you have, the best hotels to stay in for your budget and preferences, and run through your ‘wish list’ and put together a fully bespoke holiday of a lifetime to Chile. Get in touch today to talk through your adventure holiday to Chile.
