Chile Atacama Hotels and Accommodation
Introduction
Please remember, if you do not like, or do not want any of our partner hotels and you prefer one you have found yourself, please let ExperienceChile.Org know. We will endeavour to include your choice in the itinerary we create for you. Email Us Here: request@experiencechile.org
The Atacama Desert covers approximately one third of mainland Chile, occupying the area from the northern border with Peru down to just above La Serena in the south. This is a vertical distance of around 1,602km (1,000 miles). La Serena, by the way, is about 470km (292 miles) north of Santiago.
Within this vast space there are only a few population centres that are mainly on the coast (mainly Arica, Antofagasta, Iquique) with smaller villages “sprinkled” around the interior (principally Calama, San Pedro de Atacama, Copiapo, Vicuña, Pisco Elqui).
Atacama Visitor Destinations
For the visitor, the key touristic destinations within the Atacama are: Iquique on the northern coast; San Pedro de Atacama, in the interior close to Calama and also near the border with Bolivia; and further south is the fertile Elqui Valley with the town of Vicuña, and the village of Pisco Elqui.
Typically, a desert environment means dryness, not much vegetation and landscapes that are totally different to what most people are accustomed to.
In this section we aim to introduce you to our accommodation partners in Iquique, San Pedro de Atacama, Vicuña and Pisco Elqui.
Accommodation in Iquique
Considering that Iquique is a coastal city and not inland, the more modern buildings here are in the typical, traditional “modern building” style ie square buildings of varying numbers of floors built from cement, concreate and glass. The hotels are the same. There are many hotel options for the visitor, however, we present only those places that we have visited to date. Please Email Us Request@experiencechile.org
Accommodation San Pedro de Atacama
In reality, San Pedro de Atacama is the main draw for the north of Chile and the Atacama Desert in general. It is the northern equivalent of Torres del Paine in southern Patagonia, although a total polar opposite in terms of scenery, climate and weather.
Here, the buildings are either made from adobe or look they were made from adobe. Buildings have their exteriors coloured with earthen shades of the natural desert. Many places have outdoor lounge areas where sunken seats will be positioned around a fire pit. “Gardens” will be prominently spaces with earth or lose stone on the ground, desert shrubs, plants like cactus and maybe trees that do not require much water.
In addition, most hotels will have outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs and maybe outdoor massage tables, as well as the fashionable trend to have outdoor showers adjoining en-suite bathrooms. The higher-end lodges will usually have telescopes to enjoy star gazing at night. The Atacama is, after all, where most of the World’s key scientific observatories are located. This is due to the desert, and higher altitude, combining to offer a number of more clear (not cloudy) night skies than any other place on Earth, and a dry environment.
In our San Pedro de Atacama accommodation selection we will showcase our partner hotels.
However, as we keep saying, should you prefer a hotel that is not here, please just mention it during your request and here at ExperienceChile.Org we will include the hotel you want in your itinerary.
Accommodation Elqui Valley and Pisco Elqui
The Elqui valley is drivable from Santiago. It is a valley that runs east, towards the Andes, from the coastal city of La Serena, which is only 470km (292 miles) north of Santiago, therefore the drive time up the Ruta 5, Panamerica Highway is around 5hrs, plus a further hour to Vicuña. And, one can fly here too (to La Serena).
The stand-out feature of the Elqui Valley is that it is fertile. The lush-green vegetation sits in stark contrast to the barren, brown, red and orange mountain sides, thus offers a very pretty and pleasing vision to the eye.
In our Elqui Valley and Pisco Elqui accommodation selection we will showcase our partner hotels.
However, as we keep saying, should you prefer a hotel that is not here, please just mention it during your request and here at ExperienceChile.Org we will include the hotel you want in your itinerary.