explora Atacama
The architecture and interior design are understated, a sort of rustic modern look, the buildings clinging low to the surface of the earth, gathered around stone patios and outdoor pools. The plan is open, aligned along two intersecting corridors where you can’t help but encounter fellow travelers. Sunlight, twice as clear and bright at this elevation, seems to blast through the walls and ceilings. There is a refreshing absence of black lacquer or white futuristic furniture, as well as a merciful avoidance of Incan kitsch. The feeling is rather like an opulent hostel, or a particularly Spartan luxury resort, or even a comfortable, well-designed scientific outpost.
But the attraction is the landscape, and the hotel’s guides are here to get you out of your room (don’t worry, there’s nothing on television, nor for that matter any televisions) and into the desert. The faint of heart may lounge about the grounds, enjoying what one could mistake for a view of the surface of Mars, while the more adventuresome might hike across vast salt flats, ride horses over rolling dunes, or even climb to the rim of an ancient volcano. The El Tatio geyser fields, nearly fourteen thousand feet in elevation, resemble nothing so much as the smoking pits of hell itself — one could be forgiven for indulging in some kind of post-apocalyptic survival fantasy.
There’s no need, however dire the surroundings, to engage in cannibalism. Of course there’s a dining room, and the food is, as you by now expect, quite good, in an understated and hearty sort of way. And the hotel bar is, as always, the center of the nightlife, or the early evening life anyway, where exhausted hikers exchange war stories. But the nightlife can’t compete with the day’s activities; it’s merely punctuation, to end the day. No one lounges in the Explora’s bar to be seen, to be fabulous — one is likely much too tired and short of breath to be glamorous.
It is difficult to imagine a place more remote from the modern world than the deserts of northern Chile. Short of enlisting for an Antarctic expedition, or a manned lunar landing, this is as far as it’s possible to get from the typical city hotel experience. The Hotel Explora en Atacama is complete and utter escape; casual adventurers, please consider Palm Springs.
How to get there: Explora Atacama is located a one-hour minibus transfer from Calama El Loa airport (CJC), which is in turn a two-hour flight from Santiago (SCL).
Please note: There is a three-night minimum stay requirement at Explora Atacama.
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Rooms & Rates
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Amenities & Services
- Free wi-fi
- Free parking
- Off street parking
- Bar
- Room service
- Restaurant
- Outdoor swimming pool
- Spa treatments (on request)
- Sauna
- Jacuzzi
- 100% non-smoking hotel
- 24 hour front desk
- Adjoining rooms
- Garden
- Luggage storage
- No pets allowed
- Business center
- Bikes available
- Shopping area nearby
- Parking
- Swimming pool
- Hot spring bath
Need to Know
- WiFi is available in public areas and is free of charge.
- Free private parking is possible on site (reservation is needed).
- Pets are not allowed.
- Children of any age are allowed.
- You haven't added any cots.
- You haven't added any extra beds.
Credit cards accepted