Plan Your Trip
Description: This 4-day/3-night itinerary is just an example of a tour that can be designed by any guest at Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa, after selecting from the many activities and excursions offered. A boutique hotel situated within a stone's throw of snow-capped volcanoes, shimmering salt pans and the Andes, The Tierra Atacama reflects the magical mood of the world's driest desert. The hotel takes good advantage of this location in northern Chile’s stunning Atacama Desert, between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, on the edge of the tiny oasis village of San Pedro de Atacama. What Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa can therefore provide is an “adventure spa” experience, as guests can actively and adventurously experience the outdoors, later returning to the hotel for pampering at the spa or relaxation on the lodge’s grounds. Such stays at Tierra Atacama includes access to myriad excursions in the area in groups of no more than eight guests, all led by expert guides. These outings range from driving tours to Altiplano lagoons, horseback riding, hiking through stunning scenery, visiting hot springs, mountain biking and exploring archaeological ruins.
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AM: Arriving at Chile’s Calama airport, a Tierra Atacama representative will meet you and drive you along the scenic 92km (57-mile) stretch of desert to your boutique hotel & spa. After checking in, you will have lunch at the hotel and have a chance to rest up.
PM: After lunch, we will travel east to the Licancabur Volcano, the guiding landmark of Atacama people. The drive will take us up to an altitude of 4,700 meters (15,419 feet), where you will find stunning, colorful surroundings dotted with birds, wetlands and salt flats. After the paved road ends, the towering rock formations of Monjes de la Pacana come into view. From there, we will head to Tara, an unexpected salt lake that is a photographer’s dream come true. In this area rife with captivating scenery and wildlife, we will have lunch and then return to the hotel.
AM: The Salt Mountain Range and the surreal landscape of the Valle de la Luna (“Moon Valley”) lie just northeast of San Pedro de Atacama, at an altitude of 2,500 meters/ 8,200 feet. Since most people visit this area in the afternoon, we set out in the morning, which will allow us to have the beauty and silence of the desert almost to ourselves. These strange and beautiful rock formations are the result of water and wind erosion combined with extreme desert temperatures. These will bring you into close contact with the Atacama Desert’s otherworldly dimension.
PM: This afternoon, you can experience a great way to acclimatize yourself to the 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) altitude of San Pedro de Atacama. We will depart from the hotel on bicycles, heading northeast by highway through the Salt Mountain Range, taking in an amazing view of the Andes volcanoes. We will remain at high-altitude and see the Death Valley rock formations from above, and then descend by old roads to the San Pedro oasis. As this excursion makes steep ascents and descents, it is a great route for mountain biking enthusiasts.
AM: At more than 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) above sea level, this morning we will drive out to the remote Aguas Calientes and Tuyajto lagoons and their awesome surroundings. All of this makes this excursion one of tranquility and peace amid the amazing colors and contrasts of the salt flats. We will also visit the area of Piedras Rojas (Red Rocks) with its inspiring geological formations. Weather permitting, we will lunch at Tuyajto and enjoy the colors of the high plains in their maximum expression.
PM: This afternoon’s excursion departs from the hotel by van, taking us along the old San Pedro-Calama road to a tunnel that provides spectacular views of the region´s volcanos. After enjoying a moment at 2,600 meters (8,530 feet) above sea level, we will descend to the main dunes of Valle de la Muerte (“Death Valley”), an enigmatic landscape that invites contemplation.
AM: Tierra Hotel & Spa provides a selection of rides available with Atacama horses, with Chilean (western) style saddles, hard hats and chaps supplied. The horses are mounted on the hotel grounds and a local guide leads the rides, which range from beginner-level to expert. Your ride will provide you a complete immersion in the desert and its mysteries, as you follow the tracks of an age-old civilization at ambling gaits that take you past lagoons, dunes, and canyons of the Andean foothills.
PM: Concluding this amazing Atacama experience, we will have a farewell lunch at the hotel before you pack up and are driven back to the Calama airport for your flight home or onward.
| Days | ||
| Oriente & Poniente | ||
| Single | Double | |
| 4 | US$ 2,750 PP | US$ 2,200 PP |
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