Return to main articleDream Trips | 2008
An Atacama Desert Adventure in Chile
Though stark from a distance, the world's driest desert is an expansive, exotic landscape studded with oases, majestic dunes, and thermal pools. This is an ideal destination for those who enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking. Bonus: romantic sunsets and starry nights. The new, family-owned Tierra Atacama (800/829-5325 or 56-2/263-0606; tierraatacama.com; from $300, including breakfast), steps from the town of San Pedro de Atacama, is bordered by ancient native algarroba and chanar trees. Inside, the 34 rooms are swathed in natural beiges and browns, and at the 4,850-square-foot spa, couples can book decadent treatments using local volcanic mud, salts, and herbs. Café Adobe (211 Caracoles; 56-55/851-164; dinner for two $23) is a local favorite with a crackling bonfire centerpiece. Try the lomo a lo pobre, a traditional Chilean dish of grilled beef served with crispy French fries, sautéed onions, and a pair of fried eggs. Restaurante Ckunna (359 Tocopilla; 56-55/851-999; dinner for two $23), located in what was once San Pedro de Atacama's first schoolhouse, offers contemporary twists on Altiplanic staples: filet of novillo (young bull) with new potatoes topped with wild mushrooms and chanar-berry sauce. The 1.8-mile-long Death Valley hiking and biking trail starts in the village, runs through stunning natural salt sculptures, and ends with a descent down a sand dune. Tierra Atacama will arrange for a sunrise excursion to El Tatio geyser, or a rock-climbing lesson in the village of Socaire. They can also set up a mountaintop picnic. The handicrafts market—Mercado de Artesanías—at the corner of Ckilapana and Socaire, in San Pedro de Atacama, sells downy-soft alpaca and llama wraps made by artisans in nearby Cámar and Toconao.—Connie McCabe Where to Stay
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