Adventure Your Way with Our Atacama Explorations
Your stay at Explora Atacama includes your choice of dozens of expertly guided Explorations. Customized to match your interest and fitness level, these full- and half-day discoveries and experiences are designed for small groups of no more than eight guests and led by Explora’s own certified bilingual guides. Choose from classic and Signature Explora-only Explorations across five unique zones, with opportunities to hike, e-bike, climb and even stargaze over Atacama’s otherworldly landscape.
49 guided Explorations included with your stay
Led by Explora’s own certified bilingual guides
Customized for every interest and fitness level
Flexible Experiences Customized Daily
Our Explorations feature classic routes to iconic sites as well as Signature Explorations, designed and operated exclusively by Explora in the region’s most remote and pristine locations. Every adventure is customized daily to match with your skills and interests — something you’ll experience every evening, when your Explora guide meets with you to tailor the next day’s Explorations to your preferences.
Explorations are limited to a group size of no more than eight guests to allow for a more personal atmosphere and in-depth discovery. Privately guided Explorations are available at an additional cost.
Led by Explora’s Exclusively Trained Guides
Deeply familiar with the region and its traditions, are local guides have an unyielding passion and knowledge for the Atacama and the magical landscapes we explore. They’re trained at our own School of Guides and fluent in Spanish and English. They are also keenly aware of the fragility of these unique places and share in our advocacy for the conservation of this special desert’s many treasures.
Discover the Best of the Atacama Desert
Choose from 49 in-depth Explorations across four unique Andean zones. These Atacama adventures and experiences include hiking the Cordillera de la Sal with views to the Valley of the Moon, horseback riding over breathtaking desert dunes and swims in private hot springs at Explora’s own Puritama Conservation Reserve.
Explore by:
Hike
Overland
Bike
Horseback Ride
E-Bike
Sky
High Mountain Ascent
Hike
Overland
Bike
Horseback Ride
E-Bike
Sky
High Mountain Ascent
Explore 49 destinations located in the 5 unique Atacama zones:
1. Cuenca del salar
Geometric and seemingly infinite, the Atacama salt flat abruptly interrupts the desert’s chromatic continuum. The crunch of salt under every footstep is swept into silence by the wind, and all that’s left is to go deeper into the territory around you.
The lowest part of this area corresponds to the Atacama Salt Flat (2350 m.a.s.l.) itself, an endorheic basin that once accumulated the waters and sediments from volcanoes and mountains over millions of years. Today it hosts a complex ecosystem, including half of the world’s flamingo species. Also within this Exploration zone, the Salt Mountain range rises to the west of the salt flat in a geological spectacle, as crusts of sediments crown the rugged mountains that frame the desert. Finally, we recommend exploring the Oasis of San Pedro, which stands as a beacon of life and local traditions kept alive by its people
1. Cuenca del salar
Geometric and seemingly infinite, the Atacama salt flat abruptly interrupts the desert’s chromatic continuum. The crunch of salt under every footstep is swept into silence by the wind, and all that’s left is to go deeper into the territory around you.
The lowest part of this area corresponds to the Atacama Salt Flat (2350 m.a.s.l.) itself, an endorheic basin that once accumulated the waters and sediments from volcanoes and mountains over millions of years. Today it hosts a complex ecosystem, including half of the world’s flamingo species. Also within this Exploration zone, the Salt Mountain range rises to the west of the salt flat in a geological spectacle, as crusts of sediments crown the rugged mountains that frame the desert. Finally, we recommend exploring the Oasis of San Pedro, which stands as a beacon of life and local traditions kept alive by its people
Explore by:
2. Quebradas Intermedias
As if sliced off from the desert’s mantle, the ravines in this zone were created over millions of years by the forces of water and wind. Plunging into the abyss, they are sculptures that only time could shape.
Numerous ravines connect the Altiplano and Salt Flat Basin zones, crisscrossing the ascent while volcanic stonewalls and brooks lined with wild grass species modestly irrigate the surrounding land, making room for medicinal plants and flowers which have been used by local shepherding communities for centuries. The Domeyko Mountain Range, located in this zone, hosts wildlife and cultural heritage alike, with guanacos and ancient petroglyphs doting certain hillsides. The ravines offer a cradle for life to flourish in, as is the case of the Puritama Natural Reserve, where a series of hot springs irrigate and sustain a series of ecosystems within.
2. Quebradas Intermedias
As if sliced off from the desert’s mantle, the ravines in this zone were created over millions of years by the forces of water and wind. Plunging into the abyss, they are sculptures that only time could shape.
Numerous ravines connect the Altiplano and Salt Flat Basin zones, crisscrossing the ascent while volcanic stonewalls and brooks lined with wild grass species modestly irrigate the surrounding land, making room for medicinal plants and flowers which have been used by local shepherding communities for centuries. The Domeyko Mountain Range, located in this zone, hosts wildlife and cultural heritage alike, with guanacos and ancient petroglyphs doting certain hillsides. The ravines offer a cradle for life to flourish in, as is the case of the Puritama Natural Reserve, where a series of hot springs irrigate and sustain a series of ecosystems within.
Explore by:
3. Altiplano
The Altiplano exists up there, somewhere between the mountains and the sky. Within, a whole new world silently awaits the intrepid explorers that venture its way. For us, this is a territory that words simply fall short of.
The Altiplano zone –or Puna as it is known locally– stretches between 3800 and 4300 m.a.s.l. It is an elevated plateau, crowned by imposing mountains, volcanoes and geysers. Lack of oxygen, intense sunlight and extreme temperatures keep this unique territory safe, calling only those who are drawn to unusual beauty.
3. Altiplano
The Altiplano exists up there, somewhere between the mountains and the sky. Within, a whole new world silently awaits the intrepid explorers that venture its way. For us, this is a territory that words simply fall short of.
The Altiplano zone –or Puna as it is known locally– stretches between 3800 and 4300 m.a.s.l. It is an elevated plateau, crowned by imposing mountains, volcanoes and geysers. Lack of oxygen, intense sunlight and extreme temperatures keep this unique territory safe, calling only those who are drawn to unusual beauty.
Explore by:
4. Cielo
Atacama’s night skies are a constant spectacle. When night falls, the sky becomes alive with the infinite powder of the Milky Way or Celestial River, as it is known in Atacama. Star-gazing has been a pastime of humanity since the dawn of time, as our forefathers often looked to the skies for divine answers. Atacama’s night skies’ sheer definition allows gazers to draw their own constellations and meaning from beyond our planet and even our galaxy. At the center of the Milky Way lies the Yakana or constellation of the Llama, seen breastfeeding its newborn calf. To its right are the Partridge, the Frog and the Serpent constellations, which guide the Andean shepherds and farmers, protecting them seasonal floods.
4. Cielo
Atacama’s night skies are a constant spectacle. When night falls, the sky becomes alive with the infinite powder of the Milky Way or Celestial River, as it is known in Atacama. Star-gazing has been a pastime of humanity since the dawn of time, as our forefathers often looked to the skies for divine answers. Atacama’s night skies’ sheer definition allows gazers to draw their own constellations and meaning from beyond our planet and even our galaxy. At the center of the Milky Way lies the Yakana or constellation of the Llama, seen breastfeeding its newborn calf. To its right are the Partridge, the Frog and the Serpent constellations, which guide the Andean shepherds and farmers, protecting them seasonal floods.
Explore by:
5. Montaña
These colossal massifs not only hoard minerals, but also encompass cultural expressions of people past and present. Axes of mystery, Atacama’s mountains frame its territory, remaining vigilant of all whom explore it.
The best views of Atacama can be found by reaching the peaks of the Licancabur Volcano along with the Kimal, Toco, Láscar, Corona, Soquete, Sairecabur and Colorado mountains – summits that scrape the skies at over 5000 m.a.s.l. Though spectacular, this altitude level requires physical stamina and preparation, and is therefore not for the faint of heart. The rewards, however, are worth the patience and dedication: a unique encounter with the world from above
5. Montaña
These colossal massifs not only hoard minerals, but also encompass cultural expressions of people past and present. Axes of mystery, Atacama’s mountains frame its territory, remaining vigilant of all whom explore it.
The best views of Atacama can be found by reaching the peaks of the Licancabur Volcano along with the Kimal, Toco, Láscar, Corona, Soquete, Sairecabur and Colorado mountains – summits that scrape the skies at over 5000 m.a.s.l. Though spectacular, this altitude level requires physical stamina and preparation, and is therefore not for the faint of heart. The rewards, however, are worth the patience and dedication: a unique encounter with the world from above
Explore by:
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