It's time to chill in Chile

Endless hues of beige and pink surround the quiet highway that crosses the Atacama, a thin 1,600-kilometres-long strip of desert in the northern half of Chile, located between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Andes mountain range, bordering Bolivia and Argentina, to the east.

From a striking distance, tips of snow covering the mountains emerge as a surreal landscape amidst the arid heat of the desert. A few llamas grazing on dry shrubs and bushes seem to be the sole sign of life in this harsh surrounding. Known as the driest non-polar desert on Earth, some parts of the Atacama only experience rainfall every 20 to 100 years.

NASA, which likens it to Mars on Earth due to its barren soil, has been using the location to test instruments for future missions to Mars, researching techniques for how to detect life in a seemingly sterile environment.

Its otherworldly appearance has been used as a location for various movies such as Space Odyssey. And its extreme topography with vast salt flats and soaring volcanoes (including the highest active one on Earth) has been a dreamland for geologists and archeologists. Just last August, scientists unearthed an ancient cemetery of flying reptiles that roamed the country more than 100 million years ago, living alongside dinosaurs. This very part of Chile also reported findings of mummies 2,000 years older than those in Egypt.

Beyond the enigmatic appeal of the Atacama desert, there is the pure beauty of its overwhelming vastness, which fuels a desire to explore.

Following an hour’s drive from El Loa Airport in Calama, Chile—the best entry point to the Atacama desert and an easy connection from the country’s capital, Santiago—signs of life and greenery appear by a faint stream of water known as the San Pedro River.

Nestled within sandstone ridges, Nayara Alto Atacama, a leading hotel of the world, mimics the layout of a traditional Atacama village with llamas at the centre, surrounded by a garden of cacti, pomegranate trees, and other indigenous plants. Located near the town of San Pedro de Atacama, the premises merge authenticity and modernism: spacious bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows frame the surrounding Andean peaks.

Private terraces and outdoor showers allow guests to take in the natural surroundings. Multiple swimming pools, a spa, two bars on-site, and a gourmet restaurant offer all the hospitable amenities of a luxury hideaway, while providing a perfect home base for various forays into nature.

Among notable excursions: the Atacama Salt Flat, the third-largest in the world, spans over 2,999 square kilometres, with its rough and rugged surface dominated by a landscape of volcanoes. The Rainbow Valley, rich in minerals, reveals a convergence of colours frosted by a glimmering layer of salt.

A pre-sunrise departure to El Tatio reveals a field of 80 gurgling geysers, which send steam up to 20 feet into the air, with a backdrop of snow-capped volcanoes. The Moon Valley, with its endless dunes of salt, displays its extraterrestrial appearance from stone and sand formations carved by wind and water.

Along the way, Chilean wildlife like vicunas and guanacos (both relatives of the llama), viscachas (a relative of the chinchilla), and flamingos can be spotted.

At night, due to the high altitude and lack of light pollution and clouds, the Atacama becomes one of the best places in the world for astronomical observations, where endless stars and constellations can be seen—luring astronomers from around the globe to study the universe and reminding us, yet again, of its grandiosity.

Lake District

Chile’s Lake District, a 337-kilometre stretch of land in the southern tip of the country, north of Patagonia, boasts a notably diverse landscape, lending itself as a haven of wilderness escape for soft and extreme adventurers.

Over 20 pristine emerald- and sapphire-coloured lakes, rivers, and waterfalls offer a wide range of water sports from kayaking and fly-fishing to sailing, whitewater rafting, heli-skiing, and snowboarding, depending on the season.

Endless trails in the national parks guide spectators through lush, ancient forests of monkey puzzle trees, a species considered a living fossil that dates back to 240 million years ago. From Villarrica National Park, a line of three volcanoes—including the park’s namesake, the Villarrica volcano—stretches transversely to the Andean range.

Trails of dried lava remaining from past eruptions lead intrepid travellers to the top of Chile’s most active volcano (among the country’s impressive repertoire of 500 mountainous craters), where some will try to catch sight of the active lava lake while others listen to local tales of the powerful spirit that lives in the crater.

In the heart of the Lake District and near the bustling local town of Pucón, luxury hotel property &Beyond Vira Vira is set on 34 acres surrounded by native parklands on the banks of the Liucura River.

Vira Vira, which originated as a passion project of a retired Swiss businessman who fell in love with Chile, has its own state-of-the-art fromagerie, a fully working farm, an organic vegetable garden, a flour mill, and beehives, all supplying the majority of ingredients served at the property’s reputable restaurant.

Six suites, 12 villas, and a five-bedroom hacienda overlook the estate’s surroundings with floor-to-ceiling window frames that flood the spacious wooden interiors with natural light. Accommodations are carefully decorated with vibrant handwoven textiles, textured rugs, and indigenous Mapuche artefacts, all appointed with built-in fireplaces. En suite bathrooms include a separate bath and walk-in shower, and multiple hot tubs are accessible to guests on the property.

To drive its sustainable initiatives and enforce its conservation efforts, &Beyond Vira Vira offers guests a visit to local Mapuche communities, while supporting a clean-water project and an equine-therapy programme for children—allowing guests to experience, in many ways, an inspirational escape into Chile’s extraordinary world.

Booking details are available at nayaraaltoatacama.com and andbeyond.com