The new luxury hotel drawing tourists to one of the driest places in the world
This majestic Andean giant now forms the dramatic focal point for guests at Tierra Atacama, a luxury hotel recently unveiled following a $20 million refurbishment.
Nestled in San Pedro de Atacama, the gateway to northern Chile's highland desert region – a realm of geological wonders and one of the driest places on Earth – the property masterfully blends exhilarating adventures with comfort and relaxation.
Here's why the Tierra Atacama stands out as one of the smartest and most invigorating places to stay in one of the driest places on earth.
The look and feel
Decked in wood and warm colours, rooms have the feel of a cosy cabin. Working with the property's original footprint, built on a former cattle corral, designer Carolina Delpiano has created the perfect sanctuary for relaxation after a day of adventure. All rooms feature thoughtful touches ranging from aesthetic to practical – including artwork inspired by the cosmos and handy humidifiers to combat the Atacama's dry air.
Promising to be the most luxurious accommodation in the region, Tierra's four new suites are works of beauty. An ethanol-powered fireplace suspended from the ceiling begs to be lit even on warm nights, creating a soothing and welcoming space.
An outdoor patio with plunge pool also features a pop-up fireplace, with views facing Licancabur volcano. A pergola can be closed for shade during the day or opened to reveal stars at night.
In the main dining area, black wooden ceilings replicate a dark sky, and a floor paved with Travertine marble – all sourced from a local quarry – was inspired by the region's famous gleaming white salt flats.
Fabulous food
Although overshadowed by its neighbours, Chilean cuisine is having a moment and Tierra's chefs do a fantastic job of showcasing the bright, zingy and refreshing flavours which characterise dishes.
Endemic to the Andean altiplano, aromatic shrub rica rica makes an appearance in ice cream and cocktails along with the sweet caramel-like fruit from chanar trees.
Every few days, a barbecue is prepared outdoors and served on a long table crafted with wood reclaimed from a sunken boat found in Chile's Pucon region. A large stone oven is used to prepare pizzas which would easily get the thumbs up from an Italian.
Although wines and spirits form part of the menu, a good selection of mocktails makes it much easier to reduce alcohol intake and boost hydration – recommended for avoiding headaches and sickness at Atacama's giddy high altitudes.
Spa and wellness
Dry air and hot temperatures can wreak havoc on the body, but endless space and big horizons make desert regions the perfect place to unwind.
Meaning 'water' in the local Aymara language, the onsite Uma spa is an oasis of pools, hot tubs and hydrotherapy stations – including the only indoor heated pool in the region – all fed by the property's onsite well. To combat water wastage, all grey water is recycled and used in the gardens.
Alongside a menu of treatments, the spa also offers a selection of rituals and journeys. A steam room session, facial and massage are combined with cryotherapy – a new addition to the spa. The culmination of a relaxing two-hour session topped with a touch of meditation and breathwork, immersion in an ice bath on an outdoor terrace is the ideal solution for easing tired and swollen limbs while also attacking cellulite.
The hotel's head gardener doubles as a yoga teacher offering daily classes. Promising a calming of the mind and connection with the surroundings, two-hour nature bathing sessions are also held onsite.
Star-studded attractions
At night, skies above San Pedro explode with a glittering array of constellations. Most hotels offer trips to external observatories, but Tierra has gone one step further by setting up a scope in their spacious light pollution-free backyard.
Wrapped in blankets, guests can sit in an amphitheatre with a glass of Carmenere while listening to experts share scientific facts about space along with entertaining stories. Best of all, it won't take you lightyears to get to bed.
Outdoor adventure
Opportunities for adventure are endless in Atacama, but navigating local regulations, avoiding crowds and managing acclimatisation to high altitudes does require careful consideration.
All guests have the chance to plan a personal itinerary with Tierra's guiding team and join group tours. Anyone staying in the suites or apartments has access to a personal guide and driver, allowing greater flexibility for timings and more opportunities for spontaneous detours.
Highlight activities include treks through the cacti-strewn Guatin Gatchi Valley, sunset at the Cejar Lagoon and an early morning expedition to see the steaming Tatio Geysers.
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Make it happen Also visiting Estonia and Latvia, and starting from the Finnish capital Helsinki, Intrepid Travel's small-group tour spends six days in Lithuania. Jazz-loving Klaipeda, the Curonian Spit, the watery Aukstaitija National Park and Vilnius all feature. Best for adventurersPrincipe — the smaller isle of the two-island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, found about 135 miles off the coast of Gabon in west Africa — is finally getting overdue recognition. There are various factors: the presence of an island-wide, equatorial Unesco biosphere; the chance to see nesting sea turtles (November-February) or humpback whales (July-October); the lure of empty, paradise-like sandy beaches such as Praia Banana. Most crucial are three small, eco-luxury hotels established by South African philanthropist Mark Shuttleworth. As well as bringing good chefs and chic design, these have helped to revive the island's cocoa farms and boost employment. Local culture is encouraged, and outdoor activities — boat trips, parrot-watching walks, paddleboarding — are plentiful. Make it happen Arguably the loveliest (and least formal) of those Shuttleworth hotels is Bom Bom, which straddles two typically postcard-worthy beaches. On the tidal island between them is a good restaurant, while air-conditioned bungalows surround the palm-flanked pool. Best for off-radar safarisKenya, Tanzania and South Africa tend to hog Africa's safari limelight, but that's a good thing: it leaves authentic Malawi to savvy insiders. After decades of neglect, the non-profit organisation African Parks (Prince Harry is on its board) began rehabilitating three tracts here in 2015. Gradually, poached-out animals were reintroduced in record-breaking translocations, snares rooted out, fences formed and wonderful new lodges built. Visitors to Majete Wildlife Reserve's riparian woodland now frequently sight all the Big Five animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) while hippo and croc-spotting cruises sail along Liwonde National Park's Shire River, as sunsets silhouette palm trees to create one of Africa's greatest safari experiences. Trips to this charming country should also include the tea-farming Thyolo Region before finishing at huge Lake Malawi, whose sandy beaches and diving make for an appropriately relaxing finale. Make it happen YellowWood Adventures arranges bespoke safari trips to Malawi, with the suggested itinerary pairing Liwonde, Majete and an island stay on Lake Malawi with time at a tea-growing estate in the country's south. Best for unique creaturesNinety per cent of Madagascar's exceptional wildlife can be found nowhere else on Earth, including blue coua birds, cat-sized chameleons, mongoose-like fossas and the chief reason to visit: more than 100 types of lemur, from graceful sifakas to large indris. Among the best places to view the latter is Nosy Be, an island off the island that also hosts some of the Indian Ocean's dreamiest beaches and the luxury lodge Miavana. Visit between July and October for whale watching, as well. Back on the world's fourth-largest island, vanilla plantations and crater lakes add to the natural spell, as does the striking Avenue of the Baobabs stretch of road. Make it happen Available in May and November, this 17-day group tour with Jules Verne will get up close and personal with lemurs and chameleons. You'll also pause in traditional tribal villages, walk avenues of ancient baobabs and explore sacred forests. Best for marvellous monasteriesBeloved for its philosophy of Gross National Happiness, the remote Himalayan kingdom is about as authentic as travel gets. Visitor numbers are limited — with tourists required to pay minimum daily tariffs from $200 (about £150), which covers accommodation, food, transportation and guiding — and Buddhist values dominate. That extends from Cham dance ceremonies to jaw-dropping standout is the Tiger's Nest, a fairytale complex somehow teetering on a precarious cliffside. Cities such as Thimphu and Punakha host impressive dzong fortresses and markets as vertiginous valleys all around provide a dream destination for trekkers. A potent fuel for that pursuit is the national dish of ema datshi — a lively stew combining hot chili peppers and yak cheese. Make it happen With its strict travel rules and myriad local customs, Bhutan is much easier to visit if you have expert help. The experienced Wendy Wu Tours is such a tour operator, and operates a 24-day group tour here every November. Best for aquatic adventureBy common consensus, this South Pacific archipelago is reckoned tobe the world's best bet for swimming with humpback whales. Its 170-odd islands, with only a few dozen of them inhabited, are a pit stop on the colossal cetaceans' natural migration from the Antarctic, with August and September being peak time. As well as swimming trips, numerous operators run boat-based tours for those who don't want to get in the water. Make for the northerly Vava'u group of islands, where you'll also find Tonga's best white-sand beaches. Tonga also promises surfing, happily little development, a Stonehenge-style megalithic structure, and absolutely no hurry. Make it happen Seabourn comes here on one of its small, sumptuous expedition ships in April as part of a cruise which also takes in Fiji and Samoa. You'll spend two days in Tonga: one in the Vava'u archipelago and another in the capital, Nuku'Alofa — its name meaning the 'Abode of Love'. Best for big sky energy 'This is wonderful! No one told me it was like this.' So, according to legend, said the modernist painter Georgia O'Keeffe upon her first visit to New Mexico. The initial seduction for her came via this southwestern US state's mesmerising, one-off landscapes: White Sands National Park's eerie gypsum dune fields, the pink-hued Sandia Mountains, the giant Rio Grande Gorge at sunset. Beyond the Land of Enchantment's great geography, though, you'll also find an esoteric arts scene — especially in main city Santa Fe, where O'Keeffe's landscapes vie for attention with mysterious collective Meow Wolf — and a fiery food scene amalgamating Native American, Mexican and Spanish influences. Then you've got mud-brick Indian pueblos, microbreweries, a famous October hot-air balloon fiesta, Breaking Bad locations, Billy the Kid's grave and Roswell's UFO history. Make it happen Globus Journeys's group tour, Enchanted New Mexico, introduces Santa Fe, sandstone canyons, ancient pueblos, O'Keeffe's studio and plenty more of the state's highlights. Best for forest hikesUnlike Bali, there are no built-up resorts and hustling hawkers here, just lush rainforest trails, scattered waterfalls and a dramatic, Jurassic-looking coastline. The two islands may both have a Kuta Beach, but Bali's is packed with bars, malls and chain hotels, while Lombok's is a windswept zig-zag of milk-white sand meeting palmy forest. Inland, there are fewer overpriced spas and more authentic villages — hike to them along forest trails for glimpses of the Indian Ocean. And don't miss a trip to the trio of car-free treasure isles a ten-minute speedboat away: the Gili Islands, sandy circles sprinkled with chic boutique hotels and low-key beach bars. Make it happen G Adventures operates a seven-night Lombok tour for small groups. You're promised animist temples, bamboo forests and traditional Sasak weaving villages before several days of relaxation in the Gili Islands. • Most romantic city breaks in Europe• Best places in the world to go island hopping
The Independent
5 days ago
- The Independent
Teen influencer detained for a month after landing in Antartica makes deal so he can leave continent
An American teen influencer whose ambitious solo flight around the world ground to a halt two months ago when he landed in Antarctica has struck a deal with Chilean authorities so he can finally leave the continent, according to reports. Ethan Guo, 19, has been trapped for almost two months after Chilean officials accused him on violating the nation's airspace and "multiple national and international" laws during the June leg of his trip, according to CBS News. Since 2024, Guo, he has travelled to six out of the seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia – stopping at hospitals along the way to meet with child cancer patients, and discuss raising awareness with experts and medical professionals. He documents his journey on social media while raising funds for cancer research. It was during a flight out of Chile that Guo ran into trouble. Chile controls the airspace at and around the tip of South America and maintains territorial claims and a base in Antarctica. Chilean officials accused Guo of submitting a false flight plan before he left from Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Airport in Punta Arenas. They claim that Guo deviated from his pre-approved flight plan - which would have taken him to Ushuaia, Argentina - and traveled to Antarctica instead. On Monday, a judge ruled that Guo can leave King George Island, which is roughly 75 miles off Antartica, if he donates $30,000 to a children's cancer foundation within 30. He has also been banned from reentering Chilean territories for three years. Guo agreed to the terms and told the Associated Press that he was "relieved by the outcome." "I remain in Antarctica awaiting approval for my departure flight," Guo told the AP. "I sincerely hope they give it to me soon so that I and my plane can continue with my original mission." He told the New York Times that his time at the base has been quiet and lonely, and that he's passed the time by reading science fiction books. 'It's very hard and it's really isolating and lonely,' he said in video call with the Times. 'That means, like solitude — like, you know, confined solitude.' Guo told the Times that he only landed at the Chilean base because ice was forming on his plane, causing him to lose control. The teen added that he lost contact with local air traffic controllers and he was losing speed. Guo said that he needed to land, and the Antarctic base was the closest safe haven. 'I was like, 'I don't care what's going to happen,'' Guo told the paper. 'Like, this is an emergency. I need to get down.' He said he's unsure of exactly when he'll fly back to continental Chile, or how he'll get off King George Island, where he's currently staying. Chile's aviation authority said the young pilot could leave as soon as he pays for transportation off the island. He's been barred from flying his own plane off the island because, according to Chilean authorities, his on-board life rafts and life vests are expired and because his plane does not have a functioning anti-icing system. Officials also noted that "there is no certainty that the remaining fuel on the aircraft will be enough to reach the city of Punta Arenas," which is about a six hour flight from the base where Guo is being detained. Guo told the Times he does not want to leave his Cessna behind and believes it's in good enough condition to make the flight. Guo not forced to stay on the island at any point, but the brutal winter conditions in that part of the southern hemisphere means that flying wasn't an option, AP repots.
