Tierra Atacama

Designed by some of Chile’s leading architectural talent, this stylish desert hideaway is superbly luxe and has won awards for its sustainability initiatives. Tierra Atacama’s stellar looks have appeared on the covers of Conde Nast Traveller and BA High Life magazines. It sits in 5 rugged acres, punctuated by waving pampas grass and giant cacti, with the Licancabur volcano and Salt Mountains as a dramatic backdrop. The 32 bedrooms are beautiful: adobe walls, private terraces, outdoor showers and volcano views; meals in the restaurant are refined and varied. But it’s the desert adventures you’ll come here for: hikes and bike rides to salt flats studded with pink flamingos, turquoise lagoons, spurting geysers and the other-worldly Moon Valley. Then it’s back to the hotel for a massage in the Uma Spa or to sit by the firepit with a glass of wine as the sun goes down and the valley glows red.

Senderos Soul

The light, the light! It’s all about the light, from the first bright rays that peeked through my flowing white curtains, revealing the majestic Licancabur volcano, to the dusky pink Atacaman sunset shooting violet rays across the pool. Tierra Atacama is designed to make the very most of the light with airy bright rooms which conversely also offer respite from the heat of midday. Although you’ll often find this desert oasis in glossy magazine lists of the top hotels in the world, it's vibe is relaxed and informal. Tierra Atacma is an other-wordly paradise of active adventures in the desert combined with spa and wellness back at the hotel. Staying here made me feel incredibly healthy and alive! There’s something that feels essentially right about the kind of indoors-outdoors, active life that’s possible here. At night the famous dark skies are alive with stars and planets. A local guide not only showed them to us in great detail, but explained their meaning in the local Andean culture too. Tierra Atacama is also a leader in hotel sustainability so I felt assured that my visit left behind the lightest of footprints on this fragile landscape.

Naomi, Senderos

Getting there

Tierra Atacama is on the edge of San Pedro de Atacama, a charming, rustic village in the Atacama Desert, northern Chile.

by road

BY ROAD

Reachable by road from Calama, Bolivia and Argentina.

by air

BY AIR

Nearest airport: Calama (Daily flights from Santiago, 1 1/2 hour's drive from San Pedro de Atacama)