Luxury Atacama Desert Tours made for you

The Atacama Desert ranks among the driest regions on earth, fifty times more arid than California’s Death Valley, with some regions having never had any recorded rainfall.

Located in the far north of Chile, it is a place of truly other-worldly landscapes. Mesmerising views are sculpted by rugged volcanoes, vividly coloured lagoons, salt-flats, geysers and shifting sand dunes. In fact, Atacama’s extraterrestrial plains, such as the aptly named Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), have been used to test Mars-bound NASA rovers. Thanks to its high altitude and low-to-zero light pollution, it’s also a stargazing haven home to the world’s most advanced observatories.

Despite its seemingly inhospitable climate, the desert blooms with lively oases. Flamingos flock to its algae-rich lagoons, and vicuñas, guanacos and Culpeo foxes roam the plains. What’s more, Atacama is home to a handful of luxury hotels, with options such as Awasi, Tierra and Explora offering an elevated brand of desert-chic inspired by their spectacular surroundings.

Based around the remote oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama, you can venture out and explore this incredible wilderness on foot, 4WD vehicle, horseback or mountain bike. The borders of both Bolivia and Argentina are relatively close by too, making it a great stop while exploring the iconic Salar de Uyuni and Argentina’s northwestern provinces of Jujuy and Salta.