I have had the privilege to visit the Atacama twice in the past 10 years. The first time I didn't know what to expect, and I was surprised by the clarity of the colors and the brilliance of the hues of the browns and blues.
I had a young, tall, good-looking guide who was out to impress me with how much we could accomplish in a day, how fast we could climb the sand dune, how deep into the still untracked desert we could go. Road or no road, we crisscrossed the desert from one site to the next and finally to San Pedro de Atacama. It was small, sleepy, dusty, with the Father Le Paige Museum and Spanish Colonial Church with cactus wood ceiling the highlights.
I remember the sand penetrating through two plastic bags that had been put around my suitcase into my suitcase, and how it wove a hairnet better than any commercial spray can hope to imitate.
Then the best hotel in town had a room barely big enough for two people to be in it at once, with cold water bathrooms. There were only a few visitors in the dining room and even fewer exploring the Father Le Paige museum or the small town.
It was still very remote, not well known, off most tour itineraries and even less visited.
Today the Atacama is earning its way into more visitor's travels, led by the promotional efforts of Hotel Explora en Atacama, young sister to the well known and popular Explora in Patagonia's Paine Towers National Park.
Today the town has blossomed. Boutique style-shops line the plaza. Well swept cozy restaurants tucked into small courtyards emit enticing aromas and post creative menus. There is a hum to the daily activities, even if at a lazy pace. Today, there are the facilities to make it enjoyable as well as comfortable, and visits to areas of importance have been refined and expanded, ever broadening the appeal to a larger audience.
If you like the untrampled, have an eye that sees art in nature and enjoy the different, the Atacama will fulfill and fuel.
PROPERTIES SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA
Explora en Atacama
Terrantai
Awasi
PROGRAMS INCLUDING THE ATACAMA