Our Habitas Atacama perches high on an arid plateau in the Andes Mountains, on the outskirts of oasis-town-turned-tourist-hub San Pedro de Atacama. This holistic retreat looks out over a dramatic, almost Martian landscape that glistens with salt flats, volcanoes, and hot springs, calling to adventurers everywhere. Rarely does a getaway get you this far away.
The hotel itself is a fusion of the contemporary and the traditional, with its 51 lodgings (a mix of cosy rooms, spacious suites and studios) beautifully decorated in earthy tones and featuring stonework, tapestries, ceramics, and furniture sourced from regional artisans. There’s an onsite restaurant, a tranquility pool, and a wellness area offering everything from sound baths and massages to meditation and sweat lodges. Daily activities are designed to encompass art, culture, learning and food. And once you have unplugged and detoxed, the site becomes a base camp from which to explore and experience the jaw-dropping landscape which is one of the driest on earth – hiking, mountain biking, sandboarding and guided excursions are only a few of the choices on offer. At night, a communal feel takes over, with guests mingling, dining and sharing their adventures, often to live music from local bands and under a spectacular blanket of stars that feel almost within reach.
Highs
- That night sky – with 300 cloudless nights a year and zero light pollution, the Atacama is the best stargazing spot on the planet
- A great range of (often complimentary) daily activities, from astronomy classes to morning yoga, crafts and workshops, with cultural events most evenings
- The treatments and rituals in the wonderful spa
- The restaurant and bar take centre stage with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients
- The commitment to sustainability: water management, no single-use plastics, the menu is half plant-based, locally sourced materials and a tree-planting scheme all contribute to low impact
Lows
- The Atacama is remote and inhospitable, so opportunities to get out and about on your own are extremely limited. And it's 100km to the nearest airport
- You're at a high altitude in a desert renowned for bright sunlight and arid air, be prepared for these conditions
- The pool isn’t heated
- The rooms don’t have black-out curtains/blinds
Best time to go
The Atacama is a year-round destination, although September to December brings fewer tourists, warmer temperatures, and plenty of stargazing opportunities. During winter (April-August) the skies are clearer; in summer (Sept-March) there’s more flora and fauna. Avoid January and February if you’re into stargazing – it’s the rainy season. Remember that temperatures can change considerably during the day; it can be as hot as 35ºC during the day in summer and drop to 10ºC at night.
Our top tips
For an adrenaline rush, try a sandboarding tour from San Pedro to the Valle de la Muerte (which means Death Valley but is actually a mistranslation from the French marte, meaning Martian). Shimmering sands and red rock abound in this adventure moonscape, and the climb to the summit of the slopes provides a burst of cardio and the chance to see the desert from another perspective. We recommend the 4pm tour because the evening light is gorgeous.
- Desert Retreat
- 51 rooms
- Restaurant and bar (open daily)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Outdoor Pool
- Spa
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car essential
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Laundry Service
Rooms
There are four types of accommodation – Trekker Villas, Explorer Suites, Adventure Rooms and Pioneer Studios. They are made of adobe, topped with thatched roofs, and decorated in neutral tones with local accents, such as woven lampshades, raffia furniture and local textile wall hangings.
Rooms vary in size rather than style; all have kingsize beds (some can be arranged as twins on request), minibars and closets, and come with private sit-outs. Each Explorer Suite has a workstation and lounging area. Slightly smaller, with the same minimalist vibe and set-up, are the Adventurer Rooms. Pioneer Studios are the smallest, without a living area, and are aimed at couples or solo travellers.
The Trekker Villa is the most spacious. At 43 sqm, it's best for groups or families of up to four. There's a kingsize bed in the bedroom, a sofa bed in the living room, a workstation and a private terrace.
Bathrooms come with large walk-in showers and big oval-shaped sinks; note that the Trekker Villa has an outside shower and a bathtub.
Features include:
- Hairdryer
- Minibar
- Safe box
- Toiletries
- WiFi
Eating
The onsite restaurant, Almas, (Spanish for Souls) specialises in locally-grown, seasonal produce and wood-fired cooking techniques, labelling itself as ‘refined yet rustic’. Almost half the menu is plant-based in keeping with the sustainable ethos, with some food coming from the native herb garden. Dine in the main adobe dining hall, or on the partly-shaded terrace, or in the desert garden near the pool.
Start the day with a breakfast that includes probiotic toast, manjar pancakes and huevos eggs. For lunch, maybe empanadas, white fish ceviche, chicken with hummus. For dinner, dishes get more inventive – think vegan carpaccio, lamb chop with rica-pica baked in the clay oven, red quinoa, or camembert in coca leaf and chañar syrup. End with a mousse, flan or sorbet – elevated with local honey or candied berries.
Don't miss out on the cocktails – we love the sound of coca leaf-infused gin or pisco with aquafaba, as well as the classic mojitos and tequila margaritas. And there's a good mocktail list too, plus a decent array of wine, beer, liqueurs, spirits, smoothies and elixirs.
The ancient village of San Pedro is only a few minutes' stroll away and, although small, has a selection of credible eateries that are popular with the backpacker crowd. Expect hearty fare with lots of beef and pork, as well as a plethora of ceviches (salmon, tuna, shrimp), salads, quesadillas – usually washed down with huge pisco sours. Most also offer vegetarian/vegan options and are good value for money.
Features include:
- Bar
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Restaurant
- Restaurants nearby
Activities
- The spa has myriad treatments including chakra alignment, meditation, purification, detox facials, cupping, as well as massages (therapeutic, Swedish, hot stones and prenatal)
- There are daily group activities including morning yoga, breathwork, ceramics and crafts, and workshops in medicinal plants and regional cooking. Naturally, there are also stargazing and astronomy classes, and cultural and music events most evenings
- Nearby geographical and cultural attractions include Pukará de Quitor, a pre-Columbian archeological site; Mirador de Kari, a rocky mountain plateau that’s great for sunsets; El Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon); Rainbow Valley with its multicoloured rocks; and Licancabur, a stratovolcano believed to be holy by the Atacameno people
- Adventure lovers will enjoy the hiking, biking, paragliding, and geyser chasing at El Tatio
- There are pool parties on site, but ask around San Pedro de Atacama and you’re sure to learn about many of the desert parties that take place in the wild
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Cycling
- Hiking
- Paragliding
- Private guided tours
- Stargazing
- Swimming
- Well being
Kids
Kids of all ages are welcome although the vibe is quite grown-up, and there's not a huge amount for them at the resort apart from the 12m pool. A limited number of baby cots and a high chair are available on request.
Best for:
Teens (over 12)
Family friendly accommodation:
The Trekker Villa has a sofa bed for an additional guest and an extra bed can be added for a family of four. An extra bed can also be added to the Explorer Suites and Adventurer Rooms on request.
Cots Available, Extra Beds Available
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
Our Habitas Atacama is located in the Atacama desert, on the edge of the tourist hub of San Pedro de Atacama in northeast Chile, and close to the Argentinian and Bolivian borders. San Pedro de Atacama is two days by car from the capital Santiago. The quickest way to get here is to fly.
By Air:
The nearest airport is Calama, about 100km away, which has regular flights from Santiago airport.
From the Airport
Car rental is available at the airport but the desert can be inhospitable and breakdowns in the middle of nowhere are not uncommon. Arrange an airport transfer with the hotel or one of the numerous companies operating at the airport, who will take you direct to San Pedro.
Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.
Airports:
- Calama El Loa 100.0 km CJC
Other:
- Beach 315.0 km
- Shops 1.0 km
- Restaurant 1.0 km