Nayara Alto Atacama

fabulous geology and scenery

Set in a small canyon on the northern outskirts of the dispersed settlement of San Pedro de Atacama in the north of Chile, Nayara Alto Atacama is a relatively stylish and high quality property.

The lodge is designed to resemble a typical adobe village from this desert area, with thick walls and small windows to provide temperature stability through the hot days and cold nights, a style of building that developed from a merger of native and Spanish cultures.

The open public areas include a nice campfire area and an unusual and very pleasant group of several swimming pools, arranged on different levels.

The lodge also includes the extensive Puri Spa.

Rooms

Guest accommodation is in 42 rooms, which are arranged around the outside of the plot, each of which has an outdoor terrace.

The rooms come in three specifications …

• Linden Suites : 70 sqm / 755 sq ft
• Catarpe Rooms : 50 sqm / 540 sq ft : close to the spa and pools
• Quitor Rooms : 50sqm / 540 sqft : with wheelchair access

Activities

Awasi Atacama offers a range of activities, centred on explorations of the impressive scenery, with some wildlife, historic and cultural elements.

• Vehicle safari
• Hiking
• Mountain-biking
• Sand-boarding
• Horseback riding
• Mountain climbing

We usually include a private guide and vehicle when staying here, since it makes such a huge difference to the quality of the overall experience.

The Atacama area is usually visited by air from Santiago, usually for 3-4 nights.

The area is most commonly combined with the Torres del Paine area in the south of Chile, despite the enormous distance that separates the two areas.

More adventurous travellers continue north on a private-guided overland safari, entering Bolivia and traversing the high Andes to reach the famous Salar de Uyuni.

Seasonality

The best time to visit Atacama is generally considered to be during the Oct-Apr warm dry summer season.

Atacama has a cold desert climate, with two clearly defined seasons.

During the Oct-Apr summer conditions are usually warm and very dry, with lots of sunshine. Average daytime temperatures usually reach around 27C/81F, with nighttime lows holding up around 8C/46F. Average sunshine is up around 9 hours per day, peaking in Nov-Dec.

During the May-Sep winter the weather is usually cool and very dry. Average daytime temperatures usually manage to reach around 19C/66F, with nighttime lows dropping to around 0C/32F, with regular frosts and snow cover at higher altitudes. Average sunshine remains high at around 8 hours per day.

Visitor traffic can be a real issue in San Pedro de Atacama, with the peak season running from mid-December through to around the end of February. That makes the Oct-Nov and Mar-Apr shoulder seasons appear all the more attractive.

On the 2nd of February each year the Festival de la Candelaria takes place in San Pedro, which features a large parade, with music and dancing. Obviously the town becomes very busy around this time.

Getting there

The San Pedro area is typically accessed by air from Santiago into the San Pedro de Atacama Airport, which is actually in the town of Calama about 60 km to the northwest.

It’s also possible to arrive or depart into San Pedro by means of the overland route through Bolivia, via the famous salt flats of Uyuni and, more unusually, the overland route across the high Andes to Salta in northwest Argentina.

a little large for a boutique property