Visiting Chile's Atacama Desert: The Driest Desert in the World

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Tamara and her husband recently took a couple’s trip to Chile and this week on the podcast she shares her impressions, experiences, and tips for Santiago and Atacama Desert. In a future episode, she will talk about her week in Chile’s Winelands.

Episode Highlights

Tamara flew Avianca Airlines on a flight deal from Boston to Bogota and Bogota to Santiago. Avianca Airlines business class is more like premium economy and not a very impressive business class but overall the flights went smoothly.
She really enjoyed her stay at the Hyatt Centric Las Condes. Las Condes is a nice area to stay in Santiago.
If you are visiting Santiago or Valparaiso, be on alert of pickpockets and petty crime and don’t wear jewelry and keep your phone secure.
Foodies would love the chef’s tasting dinner at Borago in Santiago.
To get to the Atacama Desert, you fly 1.5-2 hours to Calama and then it is a 1.5 hour drive to San Pedro de Atacama, which is the central hub for the region.
Tamara stayed at the Nayara Alto Atacama, which provides a transfer to and from the airport. They offer an all-inclusive rate that includes food, drink, and group excursions. Other options include the Explora and the Tierra and the Awasi offers private excursions.
She wouldn’t recommend self-driving because there is very little cell service and getting to some of the attractions includes driving on dirt roads.
The Atacama Desert is at a higher elevation so it is good to stay at least 3 nights so that you can do the higher elevation excursions later in your stay after you have time to acclimate.
Nayara Alto Atacama is part of Virtuoso and booking through Tamara you can get perks that include a $100 spa credit.
They did three excursions:
- Sunset excursion to the Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) with some short hikes and finishing with a sundowner
- Salt Flats and Flamingo Reserve – the salt flats are not the flat white salt that you see in Bolivia or Utah, the salt is mixed with minerals and the flats looks a lot like a white lava field
- Rainbow Valley – not as dramatic as Rainbow Mountain in Peru but a great landscape with layers of red, white, and green rock
- Star gazing – the Atacama Desert is well-known for its dark skies and star gazing
The food at the resort was fine but lunch was a three-course meal and if you want something more casual you can eat at the bar. The portions are small and there are only a few options per meal, but at least the menu changes every day.
Make sure you get the correct adapter for electrical outlets.
You need cash for small shops and some tips but you can mostly use a credit card or charge tips to your room
Make sure you wear sunscreen and a hat because there is a high UV index
Be sure to stay hydrated and bring lots of moisturizer and lip balm
Bring plenty of layers because the desert gets cold at night
Remember that it is in the Southern Hemisphere so the summer high season is December – March and winter is during our summer.
Bring shoes with good traction.