Atacama desert

Chile

With an extremely unusual ecosystem, this is one of Chile's top attractions, offering a plethora of excursions from the sedate to the most active, and excellent tourist infrastructure.

In addition to the unique lunar landscapes, the region’s Atacameño culture and history is fascinating, and the desert has spouting geysers, bubbling thermal springs, dazzling salt flats, and awe-inspiring dune valleys to visit.

The compact oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama provides true respite from the desert in the form of excellent hotels and a buzzing restaurant, café and bar scene.

Nearby, the Valley of the Moon with its tiny but beautiful salt ponds and the backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes is a popular destination for sundowners, as the vast sweeping sand dunes glow with the sunset. South of San Pedro, the Los Flamencos Natural Reserve with its attractive highland lagoons Miscanti and Miniques is home to flocks of flamingoes and rare birds in their breeding grounds.

Testimonials

Lisa Johnson falls for the magic of Chile’s desertscapes and wineries from the comfort of two exquisite hotels.

It’s 6.45am, 4,200 metres up in the Andean highlands, and I’m numb with cold despite being swathed in a llama-wool blanket. Daybreak, however, is the best time to visit the El Tatio geyser field – the columns of steam die down as the sun goes up. ‘It’s minus eight degrees,’ says my guide, Sergio, as I gaze longingly at the boiling, bubbling water. I feel like Frodo in The Lord of the Rings.

You don’t go to Chile for its cities. You go for the primeval landscapes: the peaks and...

Lisa Johnson

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