Driest Place on Earth

Chile is one of the most interesting and deliciously diverse countries I’ve had the pleasure of exploring but not without challenges. It’s a long narrow country stretching along South America’s western edge with more than 3,700 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline. The capital, Santiago, lies in a valley surrounded by the Andes and Chilean Coast Range mountains. To the north is Atacama, the driest place on Earth, and to the south, Patagonia, known for all things outdoors like glaciers, waterfalls, forests, mountains and national parks. It’s a land filled with natural wildlife and splendor, tantalizing wine, gorgeously starry skies, pisco sours and folklore galore.

San Pedro de Atacama is a Chilean town and commune in El Loa Province in the Antofagasta Region. The area experiences chilly nighttime temperatures and dry arid days and is located east of Antofagasta and 60 miles southeast of Calama and the Chuquicamata copper mine. The Licancabur Volcano also towers over the region which, over centuries was formed around an oasis in the Puna de Atacama, a high arid plateau. The Atacameños were its first inhabitants, developing crafts like basket weaving and ceramic pottery. And because of the town’s average altitude of 8,000 feet above sea level, a brief period of acclimatization is required. Visitors often enjoy outdoor activities like trekking, hiking, amateur astronomy, archaeological sightings and even sandboarding.

Traveling through Chile for two weeks was quite an undertaking. With eight flights, countless bus and taxi rides and even a ferry, we explored the central, northern and southern regions. Upon arrival, we flew into the capital city of Santiago for Chilean wine, world class cuisine and an undeniable art scene, then we moved north to San Pedro de Atacama, the driest place on Earth. In Atacama, we enjoyed excursions to the deserts of Atacama for their pink flamingos, red rocks and blue lagoons, Andes Mountains to experience El Tatio Geysers, northern Atacama to moonwalk at Valle de la Luna and Atacama Desert to stargaze like you mean it. From there, we flew to the tip of Chile's southernmost Patagonia region and gateway to Antarctica, Punta Arenas. Then, it was on to Torres del Paine, Chile’s Patagonia, with an exciting opportunity to witness Patagonia’s waterfalls, icebergs and glaciers and finally, our journey led us to Castro on Chiloé Island, land of myth and sea.

Contents

• Arrive at Casa Solcor Bed & Breakfast

• Feast at Adobe & Wander Downtown Atacama

• Enjoy Local Fare at La Picada del Indi

• Indulge Like Locals at Ckunza Tilar

• Fight Fire with Fire (& Homecooking)

Arrive at Casa Solcor Bed & Breakfast

After a lovely time in Santiago, we were ready for our next destination. Waking early to catch an 8 a.m. flight to Calama airport near San Pedro de Atacama, the two hour flight was quick and painless. Once landed, we secured a ride to the desert form a local shuttle company offering round trip transportation to and from San Pedro de Atacama for $25 USD. The drive lasted just over an hour and was fascinating to watch as the landscape ebbed and flowed. Coined the driest place on Earth, the terrain looked incredibly rugged.

We were kindly delivered to our hotel, Casa Solcor Boutique Bed & Breakfast and after checking in, we spent some time exploring the grounds. My first impression was that it wasn’t as nice as the photos online but we settled in quickly and the space began to grow on me. The feel was modest but quaint and cozy.

The bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, shower, attached patio and heating were simple but very cute. A public kitchen for everyone’s use opened up onto a beautiful outdoor terrace. The lounges were designed with desert inspired decor including light and airy fixtures made of local natural materials like grasses and other plant life.

The spacious outdoor terraces felt more like someone’s home than a hotel. They were cozy and warm, soft and comfortable. Casa Solcor also offered free water and snacks and a great spread for breakfast each morning.

Outdoor cabanas afforded a soft place to relax and rest out of the sun’s reach and barbecue stations were a thoughtful touch. Other amenities included spacious living and dining rooms that opened onto more patio space.

And of course, there was a pool, chilled with cool running water meant to refresh anyone in need.

Although small in scale, the pool was crisp and clean and surrounded by a handful of lounge chairs and umbrellas. We were super excited to cool off from the days heat, even just after arriving moments earlier. The weather itself didn’t feel too hot but the dry air was suffocating and unforgiving. Without sunscreen, burning occurred easily, as I learned on our walk into town so don’t forget your slather your ears and neck.

After laying out by the pool for a bit, worried we didn’t have much time to waste, we cleaned up and walked into town, a 15 minute walk by foot down dusty dirt roads.

The walk was interesting as so many of the walls were made of natural materials, mostly mud and rocks lined up one after another creating barriers. Artwork spread across many of the gates and even broken bottles were used as both decoration and security.

Just as we reached town, a hand painted sign caught my eye. It truly felt like we were at the edge of the world and even some of the locations marked were unrecognizable.

Feast at Adobe & Wander Downtown Atacama

After such a long journey, the intense heat and lack of food were finally getting to us. Even more frustrating, we realized the internet and wifi didn’t work in town, so we wandered blindly into Cafe Adobe Restaurant, a cute spot with an indoor outdoor patio.

With an international kitchen and a wide variety of food and drinks, we ordered a local Chilean beer called Escudo and fresh watermelon juice, along with a vegetable salad, margarita pizza, fried potatoes and special shrimp dish.

Each of the dishes were tasty and fresh, though the pizza was average. Toward the end of the meal two men set up and began playing live music, both on guitars. The music was a special treat and all in all, our meal was great, though a bit pricey at $75 USD.

In search of booking as many excursions as possible to maximize our time in the desert we made San Pedro de Atacama our home base. Moving between two different tour agencies, Turismo Gato Andino and Horizons, we were able to book everything we had our hearts set on for the next two days but it would be exhausting.

Packed tight, the following day at 6 a.m. we’d head to Laguna Chaxa, Piedras Rojas and Altiplanic Lagoons for an all day excursion. The next day we planned for three tours back to back to back. Before sunrise, we’d travel to El Tatio Geysers, then Valle de la Luna and finally the Atacama Desert for stargazing with an astronomer. The tour prices were affordable and ranged from $40-$90 USD each depending on length and offerings.

With only around 5,000 locals, the streets of San Pedro de Atacama were fairly quiet. Small groups of tourists, farmers moving animals to and from and the occasional roaming dog were just about all that could be seen as the sun began to set and temperatures cooled in the dusty streets.

To stay hydrated, we stopped in Rincon de Sal for a local drink of membrillo or quince. A hard fruit that resembles an apple, membrillo is combined with cinnamon and stewed to make a delicious and refreshing juice.

Enjoy Local Fare at La Picada del Indio

In the evening, we chose a local spot, one less expensive and touristy than our first meal. Dinner at La Picada del Indio was a great choice and offered seats both inside and out back. Opting for indoor dining, we ordered from the set menu as recommended. It included an appetizer, entree and dessert for $7,000 Chilean pesos or about $8 USD. For our selections, we ordered both mango and melon fruit juice, squash soup, a chicken wrap, two baked chicken dishes with rice and lime green jello with coconut cream topping for dessert. 

The atmosphere reeked with authenticity, especially as most tables were packed with locals. Halfway through dinner, a few gentlemen came in to entertain the diners with live music. This time, one was on a guitar and the other had a set of small pipes sounding similar to a flute. Feeling lucky, these live performances were something I could get used to. Just make sure you don’t forget to tip the performers on your way out.

After enjoying a modest but delicious dinner along with the live entertainment, it was time to get some rest for the busy day ahead. In the morning, we’d be exploring nearby sights like Laguna Chaxa, Piedras Rojas and Altiplanic Lagoons.

Indulge Like Locals at Ckunza Tilar

After an incredible tour, we were dropped at the town center. Though tough finding exactly what we wanted without any cell service, we landed on Ckunza Tilar, another local spot but this time, a bit more hip. Dining outside, our eyes were larger than our bellies and we ordered nearly half the menu. It also didn’t help that portion sizes were massive.

First up were our drinks, fruitilla juice (strawberry) and a bitter ginger lemonade. To eat, a super limey ceviche made with white fish, red onion and avocado, a side of french fries and mixed salad of heart of palm, olives, red onion and avocado. And finally, a traditional dish of steak and potato.

Everything was so tasty and exactly what we needed. Still, we couldn’t help ourselves and ended up at Heladería Babalú for dessert. There were so many incredible flavors that we’d never heard of so trying as many samples as possible felt absolutely necessary.

With a handful of traditional flavors and even more unique ones like pisco sour, adenium obesum (desert flower) and green apple, the selections were right up my alley. After selecting two flavors each, we were on our way, enjoying our sweet treat as we walked off our dinner.

In the early morning hours, we’d venture off to El Tatio Geysers, the third-largest geyser field in the world. A very special excursion, we couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us and prepped our cold weather gear for the chilly experience.

Fight Fire with Fire (& Homecooking)

Returning just before lunchtime from the incredible geyser tour and with the afternoon off, we spent a few hours at the pool, lazily napping and indulging in the sun. Once hungry, we made our way over to another local spot called La Conchana. Truly authentic, this place was set in a small hut-like building where we grabbed seats outside on the covered patio.

From the small daily menu we selected our order, learning that a few items had already sold out for the day. I chose mango juice and a clear soup with pork, potatoes, squash, onion, rice and carrot, along with a side salad. The soup was delicious, even on a hot day and tasted extra yummy with a squeeze of lemon.

My partner ordered a soup filled with lentils, which was also delicious, and chicharron, or fried pork belly. The entire meal was fantastic and felt like we were being hosted at home in someone’s kitchen the whole time.

While we ate, there were two tiny kittens playing below our table. Obviously innocent and hungry, it was hard to take my eyes off them even though they were a bit scruffy.

Rushing back to our hotel, we joined our tour to Valle de la Luna just in time. Known as Valley of the Moon, we’d explore its moonlike landscape of dunes, rugged mountains and distinctive rock formations. After that fascinating experience, we’d nap and head out after dark to stargaze in the Atacama Desert.

Exhausted the next morning, we only had time for a quick bite to eat at our hotel before heading out once again. A latte, scrambled eggs, toast and fruit was just what we needed for another long and exhausting day of travel.

Our shuttle arrived right on time to return us back to the Calama airport an hour away. We’d be flying out of the local airport, through Santiago and then down to Punta Arenas, a city near the tip of Chile's southernmost Patagonia region.

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Map of Atacama