Explora Atacama

Simply outstanding. The rooms were impeccable and the staff just outstanding. Especially the brilliant Diego! He was so cheerful and accomodating. Food was well thought out and beautiful. The cocktails were so good! Not cheap but seriously worth every cent! Excursions were great and well thought out. The care of the guests was paramount. Patagonia next!

This was probably the best trekking and lodge experience that I’ve had in my years of travel. I have visited over 55 countries that have not had an experience this class ever. I call it the four seasons or Ritz Carlton of South America. Extremely highly recommended as well as, accommodating to your needs

LOVED our five-day stay at Explora Atacama! Highlights were our excellent private guide, the phenomenal food, and AMAZING choice of daily activities. We loved having our own private pool at Puritama Hot Springs, the 5-mile hike near El Tatio Geysers, and our evening hike in the Rainbow Valley. Explora does an exceptional job keeping you away from the over-touristed sites, and they excel at taking good care of their guests.

In many ways our trip to Atacama was magical. We loved the different areas of the desert and it was great to be somewhere all inclusive where everything was taken care of so you could focus on the most important item, the excursions. Explora misses out on 5 bubbles from us because it wasn't perfect but it was very good. On arrival from Calama we were collected from the airport with some other guests and arrived at Explora mid-afternoon. We were keen to maximise our stay and wanted to do a half-day excursion shortly after arrival. To their credit the staff at Explora, after greeting us with a Pisco sour, were also keen to arrange an excursion. Before that first excursion they wanted us to sit down with a staff member and set out our excursions over the duration of our stay. One improvement I would suggest would be that once the activities are agreed, a summary should be provided to guests confirming the excursions, also with details of what clothing and equipment is necessary. It was only by chance when we were talking to a guide one evening that we realised the staff member who arranged our excursions had made an error and booked us onto the wrong one the following day. Fortunately we were able to correct the error. The guides were generally very good, although if you couldn't keep up at the front, you were likely to miss out on conversation and information as you hiked along. The transportation was at times difficult in terms of terrain and suspension, perhaps the transport requires some upgrading. We thought the accommodation was disappointing, especially in the context of the cost of our stay. It's great that the accommodation is simple and traditional but it was tired, dark and not as clean as it could be. The ceiling fan needed to be on during the night, but this was right above the bed and essentially blowing in your face all night! The biggest disappointment was the star gazing activity, the event we were looking forward to the most. Sadly for us it was a little cloudy, clearly not in the control of the staff, but the group was far too big which meant you were standing around in the observatory doing nothing as people took their turns. They need to have a rethink about this activity because it doesn't compare well to the various excursions that take place during the day. Food was generally good and always available. And the staff were friendly and helpful. They were also able to arrange return transport in line with our flight time. All in all, although not perfect, we would consider using Explora again for further South American exploration.

The people are really great. The food is 'okay'- they try too hard to create usual tastes... need some simple options too. The rooms need a major renovation. The common areas look like they were renovated but in more of a low budget way. The van's are okay but need to upgrade to sprinter van.

An extraordinary experience. Very interesting and well organized tours, with well informed guides. We learned a lot about the region, geology, history and local communities, Excellent food, very nice and helpful employees. 100% recommended.