The Travel Plan

Fly to Chile and day hike in Patagonia and the Atacama Desert.

Itinerary At a Glance – February / March 2023

DAY 0	Fly from Durango, Colorado to Santiago, Chile
DAY 1	Drive from Santiago, Chile to Viña Del Mar
DAY 2	Drive from Viña del Mar back to Santiago
DAY 3	Fly from Santiago to Puerto Natales in Patagonia
DAY 4	Stay in Puerto Natales at The Singular Patagonia
DAY 5	Transfer to Explora Torres del Paine
DAY 6	Half day hike “Aonikenk”
DAY 7	Full day hike “Alto del Toro”
DAY 8	Full day hike “Glacier Grey”
DAY 9	Fly from Puerto Natales to Santiago
DAY 10	Fly from Santiago to Calama and transfer to Explora Atacama
DAY 11	Multiple excursions: “Puritama”, “Laguna de Chaxa” and Stargazing the Southern Hemisphere
DAY 12	Two excursions: “Dunas de la Chula” and “Tebenquinche”
DAY 13	Full-day excursion “Rio Blanco” (aka the Tatio Geysers hike)
DAY 14	Fly from Santiago, Chile to Durango, Colorado

Part 3 continues with DAY 10 and our exploration of the Atacama Desert.

Day 10 – Fly from Santiago to Calama and transfer to Explora Atacama

Off to the Atacama desert: Checking in for LATAM Airlines involved the same kiosk process as SKY airline. We quickly checked our bag and stopped at Starbucks for breakfast snacks before boarding.

After the no-frills SKY Airline flight, we were pleasantly surprised to get bottled waters and food service, albeit a simple fast-food style sandwich with a package of cookies. Still, it felt like a treat!

Outside baggage claim, we were greeted by our Explora driver. The drive through Calama to San Pedro de Atacama took about an hour and fifteen minutes.

San Pedro is the Atacama desert gateway. It’s a small, vibrant town with an array of hotels, restaurants and shops. The Explora Atacama adobe compound was tucked in at the end of a small lane just a 15-minute walk to San Pedro’s main street.

After unpacking, we relaxed at the bar, enjoying a Pisco Sour (of course) before attending the orientation, which is standard at every Explora. It’s a quick 30 minutes or so where they explain their overall educational and environmental philosophy along with an overview of the area and lodge. It’s a nice way to start your stay.

Every Explora has a similar operation, so we quickly knew how to schedule an afternoon hike along with a hike for the following day. By 4:30 pm that afternoon we were off to see the salt flats on the Cordillera de la Sal excursion.

Here’s the description:
“We take a van to the Salt Mountain Range to see typical desert landscapes: open reddish clay grounds, sand dunes, and sedimentary rock formations. We walk up to the highest point of this mountain range to see the panoramic views. We will take a 30 minute walk through one of the least known mountain side of the Salt Ridge.“

This easy 3 hour excursion showcased the beautiful, stark landscape of the salt flats where we learned to differentiate salt deposits from layered gypsum. A surprise rain storm limited a few aspects of the trek, but we were treated to numerous rainbows filling the sky.

LINKS

• Explora Atacama

Day 11 – Multiple excursions: “Puritama”, “Laguna de Chaxa” and Stargazing

Puritama: We discovered that we were the only two people signed up for the Puritama hike. That’s always an unexpected perk at Explora. There isn’t a minimum number of participants required for an excursion to go forward, which means you may end up on your own private adventure!

Here’s the description:
“We take a van to Guatin where we begin an ascending walk. We walk for almost 30 minutes along giant cacti up to the Puritama River Creek. There, we descent to walk along the river, through rock walls and vegetation. We arrive to the Puritama Hot Springs where we will have some time to relax before returning to the lodge.”

I highly recommend this hike. It’s 3.2 miles mostly along a fairly easy riverbed with only a few brief rock scrambles. The Explora guides always show you the best way to navigate difficult areas to ensure you’re able to safely handle any dicey situation.

We saw black-hooded sierra finches, blue dragonflies, a large rodent creature called the Viscacha (looks like a rabbit with a long tail), and gigantic feathery foxtails. We were also able to view rocky refuges built by the indigenous peoples that once inhabited the area.

At the end of the hike are the promised hot springs. In true Explora style, they have their own changing facility at the last pool in the chain, making for a private experience. We were given robes and treated to a spread of beverages and charcuterie snacks.

Laguna de Chaxa: We went on an overland excursion later in the afternoon. The overland category is ideal for anyone who may not be up for a more physical activity. You’re driven by van to a wonderful location where minimal walking is required.

Here’s the description:
“Departure of Explora by van to the central area of ​​the Atacama Saltflat reaching the Laguna Chaxa, habitat for various birds in the area. We can walk along a path immersed in the Salar de Atacama.”

We picked this excursion because we would get to see flamingos! The Laguna Chaxa is considered one of the largest flamingo reserves in Chile. We saw Andean and Chilean flamingos flying and feasting upon tiny shrimp in various lagoons.

Stargazing: Explora Atacama has its own private dome observatory with a 14” Meade telescope. We were excited to see the southern hemisphere and several objects that aren’t visible in the U.S.

Here’s the description:
“It takes place almost every day at Explora. We begin with a briefing of basic concepts under the open sky. We then learn about orientation, distances, and local culture under one the world’s clearest skies. In our own observatory, we get to watch stellar objects in the solar system and deep space. Ask our guides for availability.”

Before heading into the observatory, the guide used a laser pointer to point out constellations such as the Southern Cross and Orion, bright stars and the Magellanic Clouds, which are actually galaxies.

LINKS

• Puritama Explora Conservation Reserve

Day 12 – Two excursions: “Dunas de la Chula” and “Laguna Tebenquinche”

Dunas de la Chula: What would a trip to Chile be without a horseback ride? We’re not horse people, but we couldn’t pass up a chance to do a beginner-level excursion.

Here’s the description:
“We horseback ride to the Salt Mountain Range. We go across the San Pedro River and ascending sand dunes, from where we have panoramic views of the Andes Mountain Range and the oasis. Afterwards, we follow through a dry riverbed and comeback to Explora through the pampa.”

We were happily surprised to find we were the only people signed up for this activity – another private excursion! We were geared up with leather gators and helmets, and given two gentle horses. We had a guide leading the way and another guide at the rear making sure we were doing ok.

The sunny, morning ride was well-paced. We headed through the side streets of San Pedro, crossed a river and the main road to Calama, and then traversed the Delta area leading up to the sand dunes and mountain range. It was a beautiful, peaceful ride.

Laguna Tebenquinche: What caught our interest about this excursion was the opportunity to float in a salt lagoon, and boy, did it deliver!

Here’s the description:
“Departure from Explora by van to the northern part of the Salar de Atacama arriving at the Tebenquinche lagoon, habitat for various birds in the area. We can walk along the lagoons to learn more about these special formations with views of the Andes. We will continue by van to Céjar, the salty lagoon where we can bathe and float.”

After a quick 30-minute drive to Laguna Cejar, we entered and parked at a popular, public attraction. For these types of excursions, the guide would take care of the van’s entrance and fees. It was all included in our Explora stay. We never had to pay anything extra.

Laguna Cejar has facilities to change into your swimsuit, use the bathroom, and take a quick shower pre- and post-lagoon swimming. It’s just a short 20-minute walk to the salt lagoon where we had 30 minutes to float. I’m not much of a swimmer, but you don’t need to be. The water is so salty that you can’t help but be buoyant and float on your back. We found that a sort of chair position was most effective. We pulled our knees up slightly towards our chests, crossed our ankles and used our hands to easily navigate around the small lagoon. It was incredibly fun!

Day 13 – Full-day excursion “Rio Blanco” (aka the Tatio Geysers hike)

Our first 14’er: Being from Colorado, we often hear about 14’ers, hikes that ascend to elevations over 14,000 feet. There are people whose goal is to do all the 14’ers in the state (there are 58). On this hike we may not have climbed up to 14,000 feet (we drove there by van), but we were at that altitude so we’re counting it!

Here’s the description:
“We take a van to the Tatio Geysers, where we first walk up and then down a creek to reach an unknown warm water river, the Blanco River. We walk along the river’s bed near geysers and mineral formations unique to this geological landscape.”

Another amazing Explora private (yes!) excursion, we were thrilled to conquer the hike that everyone was buzzing about at the lodge, the “Rio Blanco.” Explora guides are careful to ensure that folks can handle the altitude. You either have to stay in San Pedro long enough to acclimate, or like us, who live at over 7800 feet in Colorado, be a little more equipped to handle it. Either way, you will definitely feel the 14,500 feet at the start of the hike.

On this 5.7 mile hike that descends gradually to the Blanco River, we saw incredible geysers, wildlife including herds of Vicuña (a llama-like animal), eagles, and a rare frog. Our lunch stop was along the water where it was so warm I slipped off my shoes and enjoyed a relaxing soak while eating my Explora meal of Tabouleh with grilled chicken. Our guide put out the never-get-used-to-being-this-spoiled charcuterie spread of cheese, prosciutto, nuts, tomatoes and toasted bread slices, along with salt and pepper grinders, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They know how to do it!

This was the last excursion of our 2-week vacation – a perfect ending to a trip of a lifetime.

Recap

• The end of February, beginning of March was a great time to go. The weather cooperated and we avoided larger crowds.
• We were glad we included both Patagonia and Atacama in our trip. It required more planning and stretched our budget, but it was a dream vacation that we will never forget.
• Staying at a lodge that included excursions greatly simplified that part of trip planning. I didn’t have to prebook costly excursions or be concerned about weather or physical limitations that might crop up. There was complete peace of mind.
• Adventurous locations don’t necessarily require a certain level of fitness or ability. There are often ways to access sites, such as vehicles, boats or horses, enabling you to have unique experiences.
• Never be afraid to ask. For example, at Explora we discovered half-way through our stay at the second lodge that we could get coffee (including cappuccino!) in to-go cups. And we didn’t realize we could ask for nuts, chips or other available snacks at the bar. What other little treats could we have enjoyed had we just asked?
• When planning future trips with multiple stops, I intend to avoid single overnight stays at airports. They’re inconvenient with extra unpacking and packing, plus the Holiday Inn at the Santiago Airport has seen better days, probably due to the amount of travelers coming through. It was a bed to sleep on, but that’s about it. And we did it twice!
• We considered trying another brand for the Atacama portion of our trip, but couldn’t resist the discount that Explora offered on booking two properties. It was worth it, so keep an eye out for those types of offers when planning a multi-stop trip, and make sure you understand the offer. For example, when we initially booked Explora, they offered 10% off each property. I later saw the offer change to 25% off a second property booked. I had booked the less expensive property last and would have received a smaller discount under that offer.
• We packed carefully. Each of us had one medium-sized piece of checked luggage and a backpack. We hand washed laundry as needed which worked out well except for Atacama where items seemed to take forever to dry. In the future, I might pack a bit of extra clothing (we had room) or splurge on a laundry service.