{"id":8345,"date":"2017-11-21T12:02:55","date_gmt":"2017-11-21T19:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/?p=8345"},"modified":"2019-01-27T21:38:22","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T04:38:22","slug":"atacama-an-adventurers-playground","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventureswithinreach.com\/travel\/2017\/11\/21\/atacama-an-adventurers-playground\/","title":{"rendered":"Atacama: An Adventurer\u2019s Playground"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Salta, in northwestern Argentina, I planned to head east and visit Chile\u2019s Atacama Desert. I had been there in 2014 for a week and was left completely mesmerized. The contrast of fiery-colored canyons, impressive dunes, enchanting hot springs and snow-capped volcanoes topped with the world\u2019s best star gazing, was impossible to stop dreaming of- once I had a taste, I was dying to return to this playground of outdoor adventure!<\/p>\n

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Driving in to the Atacama from Salta offers some of the most stellar landscapes<\/p><\/div>\n

This time around I wanted to experience more of the desert and, in particular, attempt summiting a few more of the area\u2019s impressive volcanoes. I would start with several desert hikes and then work my way up to a couple of the area\u2019s mid-range volcanoes and finally, end with an attempt on South America\u2019s tallest volcano, Llullaillaco.<\/p>\n

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Atacama Desert<\/p><\/div>\n

Crossing over the high Andes range between Salta and the Atacama Desert, was something I had been craving to do for years. After concluding several weeks in Salta, I decided that it was my time to experience this incredible overland journey. I boarded a double-decker, long-distance bus early in the morning in Salta and spent the next 8 hours winding through the massive peaks of the Andes range surrounded by epic salt flats, grazing guanacos, giant cacti and an endless blue sky.<\/p>\n

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Cardon cacti dot the ladscape<\/p><\/div>\n

The border crossing consisted of us stopping at small cabin in the middle of nowhere in the high desert. There were two lines leading up to two windows right next to each other: the first window was to exit Argentina and the second window was to enter Chile. A few young men were working behind the windows and blasting Judas Priest\u2019s \u201cBreaking the Law\u201d which I found to be terribly ironic and incredibly entertaining. Stamp, stamp. We were flagged through to enter Chile.<\/p>\n

\"Explora

Arriving at Explora Atacama<\/p><\/div>\n

The road leading into San Pedro de Atacama, dips between two massive peaks: Licancabur Volcano and Cerro Toco. Upon arrival, I was greeted at the bus station by my host from the Explora Atacama Lodge, my base for the next four days. Explora Lodge is the ultimate adventure hub for travelers looking for incredibly knowledgeable guides (every single guide I had during my stay at Explora was a wealth of knowledge and passionately enthusiastic about the region- Explora Lodges have a knack for handpicking the best of the best!), an impressively wide variety of exclusive excursions (from trekking, to horseback riding, mountain biking, star gazing at their private observatory and even high altitude mountain expeditions) and total comfort.<\/p>\n

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Puritama Hot Springs<\/p><\/div>\n

My first excursion was trekking to the Puritama Hot Springs along the Ruta del Auga trail. In the morning, we departed by van from the lodge toward the north side of the Puritama Natural Reserve. We started hiking with views of the mountains, volcanoes and the Atacama salt flat basin. To get to the hot springs, we crossed several ravines, some of them deep and others shallow, filled with blooming flowers and cacti. Once at the hot springs, we enjoyed a light lunch and plunged into the glittering thermal pools. In the late afternoon, we continued along a ravine to finish our trek in Guatin, a rural village, where our transfer van was waiting for us with water and cold refreshments.<\/p>\n

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Heading out Saciel Volcano from Explora Atacama<\/p><\/div>\n

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Incredible views from Saciel Volcano<\/p><\/div>\n

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Photo of our team on the summit<\/p><\/div>\n

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Peering into Bolivia from the summit of Saciel<\/p><\/div>\n

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The following day, I set out for my first volcano of the trip- Saciel Volcano (5,661 m.a.s.l \/ 18,615 f.a.s.l)! We departed from Explora (2 hours driving) until we reached an old sulphur mine located between Bolivia and Chile on the ridge of the Sairecabur Volcano (5,300 m.a.s.l. \/ 17,400 f.a.s.l.). The ascent was along a scree field leading to the edge of the volcano\u2019s crater. From here, we continued to the summit where we experienced sweeping views of the neighboring Sairecabur peak and multiple aquamarine lagoons across the border in Bolivia. Here, our driver, a local mountaineer, who had decided to summit with us, broke out a ukulele that he had brought up with him and started strumming and singing; it was quite the summit celebration. We descended through penitente fields (swords of ice jutting up from the ground) and finally ended back at our Explora van where a luxurious picnic was waiting for us. This was definitely the highlight excursion for me during my stay at Explora!<\/p>\n

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Heading to the summit from the Crater<\/p><\/div>\n

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Success at the summit!<\/p><\/div>\n

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At night, I had the chance to visit the exclusive Explora observatory and have a guided class in astronomy and star gazing. The experience was magnificent. Through Explora\u2019s telescope, we were able to see the craters on the moon and even the rings on Saturn!<\/p>\n

\"Expora

Telescope in Explora Atacama’s Observatory<\/p><\/div>\n

On my final morning, we set out, once again by van from Explora to the Salt Mountains, where we walked along the Kari ravine, a canyon formed by water erosion and surrounded by huge sedimentary walls of clay, gypsum, and salt. During the hike, we tackled different kinds of slopes, descending through a sand dune and two waterfalls (these only carry water during the rainy season and were dry when we passed them). We returned in time to enjoy a delicious lunch on the terrace of the lodge.<\/p>\n

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The Sand Mountains around the Moon Valley<\/p><\/div>\n

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Walking through the Valley of the Moon<\/p><\/div>\n

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In the Moon Valley between ancient walls of salt and clay<\/p><\/div>\n

Want to plan your next adventure escape to the Atacama?<\/p>\n

Check out the following itineraries for the Atacama:<\/p>\n