{"id":6113,"date":"2016-11-19T10:35:45","date_gmt":"2016-11-19T17:35:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/?p=6113"},"modified":"2016-11-15T07:24:39","modified_gmt":"2016-11-15T14:24:39","slug":"explora-atacama-desert-chile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/2016\/11\/19\/explora-atacama-desert-chile\/","title":{"rendered":"Further Afield in Chile: Exploring the Wonders of Atacama Explora"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arriving in the Atacama Desert<\/a>, I was speechless as the plane began to descend into Calama, the region’s capitol. The austere and Martian desert stretched out in every direction and was accented with epic snow-capped volcanoes in shades of fiery orange and rusty red; the salt flats beckoned to the east while smaller, salt mountains signaled the mouth of the Moon Valley to the south.<\/p>\n

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Atacama, Chile<\/p><\/div>\n

Met at the airport by my Explora Atacama<\/a> hosts, I was given my introduction to this remote region of Chile, \u201cThe first European explorers to reach what is now known as the Atacama Desert were drawn by tales of a land rich in gold located somewhere south of the Inca Empire. It was due to this quest that the Spanish conquistador, Diego de Almagro, after a perilous journey across the Andes Mountains, became the first European adventurer to arrive in Chile and set foot in Atacama\u2019s arid expanse. To this day, Atacama continues to offer a singular experience \u2013 a stunning encounter with mesmerizing traditions, forms and colors in a remote corner of the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

After almost two hours of skirting the magnificent and impressive geological formations found in the Moon Valley, we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama- our base camp for a full range of adventurous activities over the coming week.<\/p>\n

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Cycling in Atacama<\/p><\/div>\n

During my stay at Explora Atacama<\/a> I was consistently surrounded by absolutely phenomenal guides<\/strong> who were remarkably passionate and knowledgeable about their surroundings. Any questions regarding history, flora, fauna, geology, astronomy, local food and culture and more were thoughtfully and thoroughly answered with energetic responses. Our guides, Luis and Oscar, in particular were some of the most professional and talented guides I have ever had. They consistently went out of their way to make our experience the best possible.<\/p>\n

Just a few of my favorite adventure excursions while at Explora Atacama<\/a> were<\/p>\n