Set your expectations correctly before booking Explora Atacama and you will have an excellent trip. The lodge is rustic. The rooms are dated and have no views despite a location that sits within sightlines of the Licancabur Volcano. The spa is basic. None of that is the reason to come here.
The reason is the guides, the exclusive destination access, and the depth of exploration they make possible. If those are the priorities, Explora Atacama is one of the best home-bases in the Atacama Desert. If lodge amenities, polished room product, or property-day experiences are the priority, there are other options. But this place is awesome, just the way she is.
Atacama: The Destination First
Before the property, the destination. Three nights in the Atacama felt rushed, and I would not recommend going shorter. Elevation is a factor here in a way that is easy to underestimate.
The lodge sits at approximately 8,000 feet. Some of the best experiences in the region, including El Tatio Geysers, sit at over 14,000 feet. Building up to those altitudes safely requires days, not hours. Unless you are arriving from Bolivia or a similarly elevated starting point, give yourself at least four nights and five days to see the Atacama properly. Three nights forces you to skip things or push your body harder than the altitude warrants.
San Pedro de Atacama, the small town closest to the major lodges, is walkable and worth an afternoon. It has a central square, local markets, and enough supply to pick up anything you have forgotten. The town has a distinct backpacker energy that contrasts with the lodge atmosphere and is worth a brief visit for the context.
What Not to Miss in the Atacama
Stargazing: The Atacama has some of the clearest skies in the world. Stay up late. Explora has a dedicated on-site stargazing center, and it is one of the most well-executed amenities at either lodge.
Salar de Atacama: The salt flats are home to flamingo populations that are best seen at sunset. Go late in the day.
El Tatio Geysers: The drive to 14,000 feet is worth every moment. Go early; the geysers are most active in the morning hours. Acclimatize first.
Slot Canyon Hike: The canyon formations are striking. Parts of the Star Wars franchise were filmed here, and the landscape earns the association.
Valle del Arcoíris: The Rainbow Valley gets its name from layered mineral deposits, iron, copper, salt, and others oxidizing over centuries into vivid horizontal striations across the hills. It does not look like anything else in the region.
Puritama Hot Springs: These public hot springs are owned and operated by Explora. Explora guests receive private access to the largest pool, which is a meaningful upgrade over the general access experience.
The Property
Everything at Explora Atacama revolves around the activity center in the main lodge. Upon returning from a day’s exploration, the check-in process with your guide happens before showering or changing. You confirm the next day’s plan while the day’s experience is still fresh. This rhythm is efficient, and it is part of the Explora way of operating.
The flexibility built into this system is one of the most useful things about staying here. There is no pre-booking of excursions, no fixed itinerary to build in advance. You arrive, the guides assess your interests and fitness level, and from there the planning happens in real time. Requests are consistently accommodated.
One important structural note: private excursions are rare at Explora. Activities are done in small groups with other guests. Occasionally the schedule produces a one-on-one guide experience, but this should not be a factor in the decision to book. If private activities are important, Tierra Atacama offers that option with a suite booking or as a paid upgrade.
The Guides
The guide program at Explora is where the property earns its standing despite the limitations of the hard product.
Each season, Explora Atacama receives upward of 800 applications for approximately 8 guide positions. Applicants must meet English fluency requirements and relevant professional experience before the formal process begins. Written exams and physical assessments follow. Once selected, guides work 11 days on and 4 days off, and must be qualified to lead 90% of the explorations on the schedule.
Returning guides reapply each season, though the process is more streamlined for those with a prior season’s performance on record.
The result is a team with an unusual combination of range and depth. They know the terrain in ways that take years to build, and the training infrastructure behind them shows.
Rooms
There are 50 rooms and 4 suites. The suites offer slightly more seating space and a stand-alone shower in place of the combination jetted tub, but the upgrade is marginal. Neither category qualifies as luxury in the conventional sense.
The absence of room views is the most notable miss. The main lodge has a direct sightline to the Licancabur Volcano; the rooms, oddly, do not. Renovation plans for the bathrooms are in progress, which will be an improvement when complete. Until then, the accommodation is comfortable and functional. That is an accurate description and the appropriate expectation.
Food and Beverage
The Atacama lodge delivers the better food experience of the two Explora properties. The menu rotates daily with no repeats observed across a three-night stay. Portions are structured for sharing, allowing for variety across the table.
The Rica-Rica Pisco Sour is worth ordering. Rica-Rica is a local aromatic herb native to the Atacama, and it gives the drink a distinctive quality that does not exist in a standard pisco sour. Do not miss it.
Gluten-free and other dietary restrictions are handled with care and without compromise to the quality of the alternatives offered.
Service
Service is warm, community-driven, and not particularly formal. Staff know who guests are within a day without being told. By the second morning, gluten-free toast arrived at the table before sitting down. Nothing required repeating.
The guides carry the weight of most meaningful guest interactions. The broader staff are genuinely interested in hearing about the day’s explorations rather than executing that interest as a scripted service touchpoint.
Amenities
Four pools, one of which was heated during the visit. A sauna that requires a request to activate. A spa with basic treatment rooms, separated from the main lodge by a curtain rather than a dedicated facility. The rooftop area is underdeveloped.
The on-site Stargazing Center is the exception and is exceptional. The Atacama’s altitude and atmospheric clarity make it one of the premier stargazing destinations in the world, and the center makes the most of that. Do not skip it regardless of how tired you are.
The Booking Discount Worth Knowing
Explora offers a meaningful rate reduction when you book two properties together. The Atacama and Torres del Paine pairing is the most common combination, and the savings are worth structuring the trip around from the beginning. Tierra Atacama and Awasi also participate in similar multi-property pricing.
If you are considering a multi-destination Chile itinerary, reach out before booking anything individually. The discount applies at the time of reservation and cannot be added retroactively. Reach out now, or use our booking engine to book your stay with perks today.
