Plan the Ultimate Adventure in Chile’s Atacama Desert

If the universe’s history is condensed into one calendar year, humanity barely accounts for a minute. The pyramids of Egypt would have been erected at 11:59:50 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, with Christopher Columbus’ voyage embarking just a mere second before the ball dropped.

I never expected the cosmic calendar, a model inspired by renowned astronomer Carl Sagan, to influence my travel planning, but there I was, sitting cross-legged under a sea of stars in one of the world’s most lauded astrotourism destinations: Chile’s Atacama Desert.

This arid, Andes-mountain-flanked stretch of northern Chile has the perfect ingredients for stargazing: little to no light pollution; dry, typically cloud-free weather (it receives as little as half an inch of rainfall per year); and an elevation between 8,000 and more than 16,000 feet above sea level. These superlatives have allured top astronomers and the most powerful observatories. Its Martian landscapes are so extreme that NASA uses it as a training ground in the search for life on the red planet.

My reason for visiting the Atacama was simpler than hunting for proof of alien life: I sought to regain perspective.

Throughout the pandemic, domestic astrotourism adventures and documentaries like Cosmos became therapeutic, reminding me of my tiny place in the universe and how minor inconveniences like my double-postponed COVID wedding or canceled trips mattered so little in the grand scheme of life.

I promised myself that once travel lockdowns lifted and I felt safe, I would spend at least one night beneath the striking constellations that Chile’s wild desert is known for. Consequently, any international trip, especially to one of the world’s most extreme deserts, felt distant at that time. However, as I learned this spring, it was worth the wait.

Navigating the Atacama Desert

My husband and I journeyed to this otherworldly desert with Awasi Atacama, a Relais & Chateaux brand consisting of three boutique luxury lodges in South America. Minutes after checking in, the property’s concierges helped me plot my ideal stargazing adventure. We decided on our last night for the stargazing and night photography experience with renowned local astrophotographer Mauro Cuevas. It promised to be the grand finale of our trip.

What I did not anticipate was finding nearly as much grounding and serenity during the daytime desert adventures, too. Awasi distinguishes itself from other Atacama hotels by offering private, tailored, and adventurous guest itineraries — akin to an African safari. Each room has its own private guide, and our guide, Alonso Matías Vielma Sepúlveda, was exceptionally attentive.

“What kind of activities would you like to experience?” Sepúlveda asked as we sat down for itinerary planning and enjoyed lemonade by one of Awasi’s numerous adobe fireplaces – a part of the Chilean desert aesthetic that extends throughout the property, from the thatch-roof round guest rooms to the cocktail bar adorned with stones from the local river.

“I’ve heard Valle de la Luna [Valley of the Moon] is incredible,” I said, attempting to recall at least one non-astro experience I had seen so I wouldn’t seem unprepared. Then, I paused. If I sought peace and tranquility, I needed nature devoid of crowds — the top ten list I was trying to recite would not suffice. “Actually, let’s revise that,” I said. “We appreciate hiking, wildlife, and scenic landscapes. Is there an itinerary that combines these?”

Sepúlveda smiled and nodded, already planning the itinerary. What followed was a daytime Atacama Desert itinerary that rivaled my anticipated night beneath the stars.

The Desert by Day

We only had two days to discover the awe of the Atacama Desert, but Sepúlveda’s itinerary maximized our experience.

First on the agenda? Hiking in the desert’s Altiplano, an Andes-fringed plateau with an elevation exceeding 14,000 feet. We shared our off-the-beaten-path trail with foxes, viscachas (large rabbit-like animals), vicuñas, and not a single other tourist. In fact, the vicuñas, a wild camelid, outnumbered us by at least five to one — and that number increased significantly once they grew accustomed to our presence.

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Equally tranquil was sunset at Vallecito, a destination in the Atacama’s salt range known for its lunar landscapes. (It’s like the more popular Valle de la Luna, although Vallecito maintains a peaceful absence of crowds.) As I watched the desert and distant Andes transition from golds and oranges to pinks and purples, the butterflies in my chest felt like they might burst. Little did I know, this beautiful light show was just a preview of the stargazing night ahead.

Finding Solace Through Stargazing

The night of my long-awaited Atacama desert stargazing adventure commenced fittingly with a celebratory feast. Each Saturday, Awasi hosts a traditional Chilean barbecue, known as asado, featuring grilled meats, fish, vegetables, and sides like the tomato-and-onion salad typical in Chile.

As delicious as the feast was, I could hardly eat a thing. My excitement for the night’s stargazing and astrophotography pursuits overshadowed my appetite. Just stepping out of our guide’s vehicle into the lunar landscape of Vallecito felt like entering another planet — and that was before I even glanced up at the stars.

The constellations and distant galaxies appeared not just sparkling but almost within reach. We enjoyed four hours of almost pure darkness to count shooting stars, marvel at the glowing Milky Way, and identify the galaxies, constellations, and planets astonishingly visible to the naked eye.

Reluctantly, we concluded the night around 2 a.m., fully aware that our 7 a.m. flights would arrive all too soon. Stealing one last glance at the cosmos, a final humbling lesson from Sagan floated to the forefront of my mind: “All of the rocky and metallic material we stand on, the iron in our blood, the calcium in our teeth, the carbon in our genes were produced billions of years ago in the interior of a red giant star,” he wrote in “The Cosmic Connection,” ultimately concluding with his famous assertion: “We are made of star stuff.”