Trekking through the Atacama desert is the closest that I will ever come to being on another world. The resemblance to satellite pictures of the the surface of Mars is not so far-fetched. In 2003, a team of scientists from NASA found ‘Mars-like soils’ in the Atacama. In other words, the samples they analysed produced very similar results to those of NASA’s Viking mission to Mars in the 1970s: no sign of life and virtually undetectable organic material. This strange result gave the researchers hope that life on Mars may be found one day.



The Atacama’s similarity to Mars is just one way of describing the extraordinarily unique character of this place. Consider briefly the following facts:

The Atacama, which was formed 15 and 20 million years ago, is the driest place on earth. Over a four-year period, the NASA scientists only recorded one rainfall which yielded a miserable one tenth of an inch of moisture. This makes it 50 times more arid than California’s Death Valley.

The Atacama has the highest volcano in the world: Ojos del Salado, which stands over 22,000 feet above sea level. It last erupted between a thousand and 1,600 years ago, according to the Smithsonian.

Due to its altitude and absence of cloud cover, the Atacama is (very appropriately given its resemblance to Mars), one of the best places in the world for observing the planets. Currently under construction is one of the largest astronomy undertakings  of recent times, the ALMA project, a series of giant antennas which will be “able to observe some of the first galaxies to form after the Big Bang, and catch planets in the act of forming around young stars” (BBC).

Such enthralling facts will fire the imagination of anyone who is lucky enough, as we were, to visit this unique place.

The place where the NASA team carried out its research is somewhere on the long road from Calama airport to the Oasis of San Pedro, which lies snugly in the middle of this vast desert.  It takes over an hour to get to the town of San Pedro itself. This is the time to get adjusted to the high altitude of around 8,000 feet above sea level. Some people, especially those with respiratory illnesses, find it very uncomfortable indeed. The Atacama is not a forgiving environment for the sick or weary.

Visible in the far distance, across this endlessly empty landscape, one can see the snow-capped volcanoes which have provided water for the sparse human civilisations that have existed here over thousands of years.

San Pedro is a dirt-poor former mining town which has been somewhat revived by the tourist boom of recent years; although one suspects the locals haven’t benefited as much as they might, or should, have done. On the edge of San Pedro is the Explora Hotel de Larache, from the group which operates upscale resorts in some of South America’s most remote locations.

Hotel de Larache

Explora en Atacama is an enormous ranch spread over 42 acres, including stables for about two dozen horses. Arriving late at the entrance to the huge central building, there is a warm and personal greeting from the hotel manager, setting the tone for all of the staff we encounter in our five days here.

Accommodation is provided in a dog-leg line of low, brick outhouses. Although the rooms are extreme comfortable, they are somewhat on the small side. But this is a minor complaint; the Explora en Atacama is not a destination where you want to spend too much time in the bedroom (below).

Also worth noting is the complex of four swimming pools, three of them ice cold - the perfect spot to cool off after a day sweltering in the desert sun.

Given the high altitude, the team at Explora like to start the Atacama experience slowly. We follow our guide’s advice and make our first outing to Valle de la Muerte, also known as Mars Valley, a stunning landscape in the middle of the Salt Mountain range, with gigantic sand dunes and snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.

Valle de la Muerte

We take a slow walk along the top of a high plane before reaching the top of a precipitous sand dune. Before going any further, we pause to gaze across to the massive Licanabur volcano.  Our guide tells us about the Inca ruins found on dozens of high mountain peaks like this, where the mummified remains of children have been discovered in the last 100 years. They were special children, hand-picked by high Inca officials from all over the Empire, and cared for with great devotion. They might have lived this way for years, before it was time to appease the Gods, perhaps on account of the death of a King, or failed harvest. One of these beautiful children would be led to the top of a mountain peak, given an alcoholic mixture designed to send them off to sleep, and left to die of hypothermia. Now some of their well-preserved remains can be seen in museums across the Andes.

Other guests

Back at the Hotel De Larache, it’s barbecue night, and we get chatting to a few of the guests. They are mainly upper income, retired Americans and Europeans, and wealthy Brazilians of all ages. I have to marvel at the resilience of the old-timers as they recount stories of trekking half way across the Atacama, with the midday desert sun beating down on them, and gasping for what little air exists at this altitude.

Hot Springs ahead

My admiration becomes very real as we find ourselves doing exactly that the next morning: marching across the rocky Guatin canyon (above) on our way to the Puritama Hot Springs. Even though we start early, the heat is soon intense as we navigate this demanding terrain. It takes two hours to get to Puritama, with regular water breaks along the way. The joy of swimming in these small natural springs, gently cooled by the waters of the Urifica River, makes it all worthwhile.

Valley of the Moon

I could have stayed at the hot springs all day, but we head back to the hotel for lunch after an hour or so. There we have an excellent lunch on the terrace before a long and well-deserved afternoon nap. But our exertions for the day have not ended. At six o’ clock, we are on our way again for a (relatively) gentle stroll across Moon Valley. This lunar-like environment has some remarkable features, such as the dried-out rivers where large deposits of salt cover the red sand basins with a silver blanket (above).

The Geysers of El Tatio

The next morning we are faced with an uncomfortably early start: up and out by 5.30 am. We are joining a small party heading for the wondrous Geysers of El Tatio. The dawn journey is needed because it takes two hours to get to El Tatio, and the geysers are most active when the sun first hits them. It’s surprising how cold it is in San Pedro before the sun rises. We are wrapped up in baggy woolens as we clamber into the jeep. Our guide is a sparky young Columbian girl called Annie, whose enthusiastic chatter warms the cold desert dawn. Less fortunately, the management must have thought it was a good idea to group guests by nationality. We are together with two mean-minded, middle-aged suburban English couples who feel the need to complain at every small inconvenience. This is the Atacama desert, I mutter to myself, not Acacia Avenue, Aldershot.

Doing our best to ignore these fools, we hang on until seven o’clock when we finally arrive at El Tatio. This is one of the largest and most unique fields in the world, with 80 active geysers, extending over three square kilometres. The water gushes out at around 85 degrees ℃, so it’s not an good idea to get too close. Annie recounts the story of one unfortunate European who lost his balance while trying to take a close-up picture, and perished in the scalding water. The only concern of our terrible British tourists is that Annie hasn’t brought any milk for the tea!

On the way back from El Tatio, we stop for another hour in the Puritama Hot Springs before heading back for lunch and an afternoon in by the hotel pool. The evening journey is so special. We join about a dozen young Brazilians for a trip to the stunning Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos.

Flamencos

An hour later, surrounded by volcanic mountains, we are standing on the edge of the Laguna Chaxa watching a group of pelicans picking their way across the lake, looking for the tiny shrimps which allow them to survive in this wilderness. All around us are the bone-dry salt flats, the Salar de Atacama, covering 3000 square km. Sunset is the best time to be there (below).

Back at the hotel, after a final dinner we go upstairs to the observation deck, where you can get the clearest possible view of the constellations. Now we can see why this is the best place on earth for those giant telescopes we saw on the road from Calama. For the best part of an hour, we sit gazing up at the Southern Milky Way, and wonder what kind of stories the ancient peoples of the Atacama told about it.

The verdict

The Atacama is one of the most unusual and truly breath-taking places in the world. And Explora is the perfect place to, well, explore it! I have only described a handful of the adventures which visitors can take part in. There is the horse riding, which must be a fantastic experience for skilled riders. I felt robbed by my own inertia and indolence that I did not, at the very least, learn how to trot before coming here. The truly adventurous and physically fit can also try their hand at high mountain climbing. It takes seven or eight hours to get to the top of Volcan Licancabur, and another three of four hours of very difficult maneuvers to get back down again. The Explora hotel is excellent; my only niggles would be that the rooms are on the small side, and the dining is utilitarian. The staff are all extremely engaging and well trained, a great credit to the Explora company. The only major downside for me was the heat. Even though great precautions were taken during every excursion, I burned like paper in that blazing heat. I hope to return to Atacama one day at the cooler end of the season, fully equipped with my basic certificate in horseback riding.

We flew from Santiago to Calama on Lan Chile and stayed at the Hotel de Larache for five days and four nights.

Our ratings for Explora en Atacama

1-5 stars

Accomodation
****

Service
*****                                                                 

Dining
***

Location
*****

Location