Discovering San Pedro de Atacama: 5 Best Luxury Hotel Resorts

Known as the most arid place on earth, the Atacama Desert is a rocky Mars-like landscape that stretches over 1,500 kilometers across the northern coast of Chile, spilling into Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. The desert’s strangely arid atmosphere has made it a hotbed for rare natural wonders that attract avid explorers and nature-lovers. After all, nowhere else in the world can you find such incredibly unique phenomena such as the Atacama Salt Flats, Tatio Geysers, Moon Valley, Puritama Hot Springs, and Laguna Baltinache all in one place. Renowned for its exceptionally clear skies, Atacama is also home to some of the world’s most powerful telescopes attracting professional astronomers and keen star-gazers alike.

The wild adventures the desert promises are made even more enjoyable with a luxury retreat to return to at the end of an action-packed day.  Our pick of 5 best luxury hotel resorts in and around San Pedro de Atacama, the adventure hub of the desert, will ensure your Atacama experience is just as relaxing and indulgent as it is adventurous and awe-inspiring. Think spacious private lodges, personal tour guides, serene garden oases, and artistic gastronomy complemented by an attentive service and personal touch.

1. Awasi Atacama

In the ancient Kunza language once spoken by the Atacama people, ‘Awasi’ means home  — and that’s just how Awasi Atacama feels. Combining the luxuries of an upscale hotel and the softer qualities of a home, the lodge’s indoor and outdoor spaces are an inviting place to retreat to after an adventurous day in the desert. Think quaint thatched roof yurts, cozy reading nooks, cushion-scattered outdoor sofas, and a blazing fire pit beneath the stars.

Consisting of just 12 suites, guests not only can you benefit from an intimate sense of calm, but also a comforting community atmosphere. Assigned with your own personal knowledgeable Atacama guide and 4WD, you also benefit from full control of your schedule whilst being able to rely on professional assistance and expertise to enrich your desert excursions

From the traditional techniques used to build the adobes by hand to the textiles and gastronomy, every aspect of the lodge is an ode to the earth’s keeper, Pachamama.

As described by Travel & Leisure, the “open-air restaurant serving Andean fare is a highlight” of this thoughtfully designed desert escape, and we couldn’t agree more. Let Chef Juan Pablo Mardones excite your senses with his creative and colorful Chilean cuisine or join him for a cooking class to make your own delicious dishes from rare locally sourced ingredients.

2. Explora Atacama

With a passion for nomadic in-depth exploration in South America, Explora has created award-winning action-packed retreats in some of the continent’s most revered adventure destinations including Atacama. The light and spacious modern lodge juxtoposes its warm and rustic desert setting whilst being effortlessly at one with the landscape and its ancient Aymara heritage. The 42-acre property features four pools, each of which are concealed by tall pampas grass and wild fauna, as well as timeworn paths leading to indigenous parcels.

As a lodge focused on adventure and exploration, it is armed with a troop of professional naturalists, geologists, historians, and explorer guides. This makes it particularly appealing to those with a thirst for knowledge of the unique landscapes you’ll be exploring, and an itch for a more challenging kind of adventure. From hiking, cycling, overlanding, and horse-back riding to exciting mountain climbs, the possibilities of adventure are limitless.

Play and rest are beautifully entwined at Explora Atacama as it ensures an optimal environment to unwind after an exciting day’s adventure. As well as the secluded pools, guests are gifted with a sauna, steam bath, and outdoor hot tubs to soak those sore muscles in after a day hiking through the mysterious Valle de la Lune. Then, allow the lodge’s esteemed chefs refuel you with nutrition-rich dishes served with a premium Chilean wine.

This images belong to Explora (r)

3. Nayara Alto Atacama

The ultra-luxurious Nayara Alto Atacama a hidden oasis concealed by the Atacama’s famous rocky outcrops 3km from the town of San Pedro. While its soft adobe buildings blend seamlessly with the terracotta earth, the green Algarrobo trees and scented Rica-Rica bushes bring a refreshing vitality to the famously dry landscape. Its Catarpe rooms, each complete with a terrace overlooking the Salt Mountains, combine natural materials with traditional textiles to give you a refined yet rustic desert retreat.

After an invigorating day exploring the Atacama’s mighty geysers, vast dunes, and rose-hued lagoons on your curated excursion, return to your desert oasis to indulge in the restorative power of the desert. Soak in one of Alto Atacama’s mineral hot springs and unwind with a massage under the cool shade of the pavilions at the Puri Spa. Using sounds, aromas, and local artisanal organic products, the spa’s treatments will deepen a connection to yourself and nature.

In the evening, the retreat’s traditional Chilean cuisine will take you on an adventure of its own. While Ckelar Restaurant serves you fresh, light, and nourishing dishes made with ingredients from the on-site garden, Quincho will serve you asado under the stars. Spend your nights exploring the galaxy from one of the clearest skies on earth with Alto Atacama’s very own professional telescope.

4. Noi Casa Atacama

Noi Casa Atacama is a luxurious boutique hotel that excels at incorporating traditional northern Chilean design in a simplistic modern setting. Inside the adobe-style hotel, the rooms are defined by their spaciousness and clean lines complemented by traditional art and textiles to remind you of your desert setting.

The hotel’s modernity extends to its eco-consciousness. From its solar powered electricity to its reuse of rainwater for irrigation and organic garden, Noi Casa Atacama is considered one of the deserts most sustainability-oriented accommodations. Since the Atacama is such a rare and precious environment, the environmental footprint of its visitors is important, and it’s even more important for hotels like this to recognize it.

Of course, the benefits of an organic garden go beyond the environment; it is the source of ingredients for Noi Casa Restaurant’s thoughtful, artistic, and authentic Chilean dishes. What they don’t grow themselves, the chefs source from local farms for a positive impact on the community.

Above all, the hotel is thoughtful towards its guests and goes above and beyond to deliver their dream Atacama adventures. Whether your focus is on culture, astronomy, archaeology, geology, or a mix of them all, the hotel’s tour guides plan excursions to perfectly match your interests and ability levels.

5. Tierra Atacama

Nowhere captures the essence of the Atacama Desert quite like Tierra Atacama, an all-inclusive adventure and spa hotel in San Pedro. Here, guests can immerse in its breathtaking environment whether they are hiking a volcanoe or sipping coffee in bed. The property, designed by some of Chile’s most renowned architects, brings the outside in and blends itself into its surroundings.

Each of the chic minimalist rooms, complete with four-poster beds and free-standing baths, are focused on a large window that offers expansive views of the Atacama. As well as the interiors, the region has greatly inspired the hotel’s cuisine which creates innovative and modern dishes with local ingredients and recipes.

Tierra Atacama focuses in combining adventure with relaxation with its utterly indulgent Uma Spa and wellness centre. Their expedition and health experts have created a menu pairing that matches excursions with spa treatments that go hand in hand. Just like the hotel, the spa incorporates the desert into its environment and treatments by using traditional practices, local natural resources, and the energy from the Licancabur Volcano beyond. From the indoor and outdoor pools, tubs, and treatment rooms to the hotel’s very own yoga platform, desert views will continue to leave you in awe.

Enquire about your Atacama Desert Adventure

View our sample Luxury San Pedro de Atacama Vacation package, or learn more about these 5 Best Luxury Hotel Resorts in San Pedro de Atacama and speak with a dedicated luxury destination expert today calling toll free on 1 855 217 9045 (USA/Canada) or by filling in our online contact form.