The landscape around San Pedro de Atacama desert in Chile's Atacama Desert
The ethos of the hotel company Our Habitas is sustainable practices in natural settings with a dose of relevant luxury mixed in. So it makes sense that its latest property is Our Habitas Atacama in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile in the pristine, unique Atacama Desert known to be the most arid non-polar landscape on earth but one also with lunar rock formations, salt flats, volcanoes, geysers and hot springs, a cornucopia of dramatic nature. The hotel opened its doors a few days ago.
The Explorer Suite at Our Habitas Atacama
The 51 earth tone, minimalist rooms are accented with traditional stonework, local tapestries, ceramics and furniture in line with the brand’s usual practice of sourcing from and supporting local businesses. The involvement with local communities doesn’t stop there either: through the RISE impact arm of the company, donations are contributed for every guest who stays there to support local cultural and environmental causes along with providing job opportunities and hospitality training.
The view from the outdoor shower at Our Habitas Atacama
Local influences surface in the restaurant Almas utilizing seasonal produce and herbs grown in the garden in regional dishes prepared over wood fires. Wellness options also reflect local techniques and utilize local ingredients; other practices include daily sound baths, guided meditations and the spiritual temazcal sweat lodge experience. Workshops for guests include teaching about the region’s medicinal plants, local ceramics and crafts and gastronomy. And since communal interactions are always part of Our Habitas programming, events that bring guests together will also be part of regular activities.
The Valley of the Moon in the Atacama Desert, a nature sanctuary west of San Pedro de Atacama.
Most, though, for obvious reasons, will incorporate the natural surroundings. "There is no place on earth quite like the Atacama desert,” explains Oliver Ripley, Our Habitas Co-Founder and CEO. “It's an incredibly serene and humbling place, which is a draw for those seeking fully immersive adventure and authentic discovery. There's something levelling about being surrounded in such natural beauty, whether it's paragliding above the dunes during the day or being engulfed in the stars at night.”
A narrow canyon leading to the volcano Licancabur in the Atacama Desert.
Excursions can be arranged to notable area sites such as Pukará de Quitor, a pre-Columbian archaeological site; Mirador de Kari, a rocky mountain plateau with an overhanging rock and a spectacular location to experience the sunset; El Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) known for its exceptional stone and sand formations carved by wind and water and Licancabur, a stratovolcano on the border of Bolivia, believed to be a holy mountain by the Atacameno people that comprises part of the Andean Central Volcanic Zone with a 19,409-foot high cone. In these settings, there is ample opportunity for hiking, biking, mountaineering, sandboarding and paragliding.
Stargazing in the Atacama Desert
At night, the singular views continue: located miles above sea level with no major cities to bring in obstructing light pollution and over 300 cloudless nights a year, the Atacama Desert is one of the prime spots on the globe for stargazing and astronomy. For that reason, NASA observatories and a veritable field of high powered telescopes are located there; San Pedro de Atacama has become a hub of astro tourism with some of those telescopes available to the public. But for Habitas guests who want a clear view of the 200 billion stars that comprise the Milky Way, all they have to do is look up.
