Chile - 4 weeks at the driest place on earth 🏜
But first: 3 days in Santiago de Chile
Before heading towards Calama, we spent 3 days in Chile's capital - Santiago de Chile. Firstly, of course, because we wanted to see the city, and secondly, because we had to quarantine again - until our second PCR test, which we had to take upon arrival at the airport, came back negative. However, we were very lucky because we arrived in Santiago at around 11 pm and didn't have to wait at the airport for the test or for the results for long. Our negative result arrived the next morning at 10:30 am, and we could set out to explore the city. 😎 There wasn't much to see, though, as Santiago isn't very touristy. Nonetheless, we explored the city center, tried the famous hot dogs with avocado, tomatoes, and lots of mayo, and then checked out the many modern buildings in the business district. That was enough for the three days, and then we were on our way to Calama, a mining town located in the middle of the Atacama Desert - the driest place in the world! ☠️🌵🌵
Immersing in the lives of locals
At the Calama airport, I had a big reunion with my good friend Moritz, whom I hadn't seen in almost a year. He is currently working as a mountain guide in a luxury hotel in San Pedro de Atacama and takes his guests on magnificent tours every day. He will also take us on one or two tours! But first, we got to know his family, who welcomed us warmly and let us sleep in a guest room for the entire time. Moritz's family has a farm with many different animals, including llamas, ostriches, and a variety of birds. During our tour, we also watched the beautiful sunset, which is said to be particularly intense due to a volcanic eruption in Ecuador - as you can see in the pictures, I believe. 😁👍
Over the next few days, we planned our stay and tours and explored the tranquil village of San Pedro de Atacama, which is practically a small oasis in the otherwise dry Atacama Desert and the largest "city" in the surrounding area. In addition to hundreds of souvenir shops, there are also super delicious empanadas and small supermarkets. However, the selection is manageable, and the prices are comparable to Europe, sometimes even higher. There is always something to do here, as not only tourists want to be entertained, but also the many guides who work in the surrounding hotels. So there are pool parties almost every day, and the bars are also busy daily. 👯🪩
Gargante del Diablo & the Guantin Gorge
Many attractions of the Atacama Desert are located in the immediate vicinity of San Pedro, such as the Gargante del Diablo - a beautiful rock gorge that we crossed by bike. Bikes can be rented at many shops in San Pedro at affordable prices and are the perfect mode of transportation in/and around the city. You should not miss Gargante del Diablo as it is truly an incredible adventure to ride a bike through the narrow rock gorge. However, it is essential to bring enough water and sunscreen as the tour lasts about 3 hours, and there is little shade! ☀️🌵
Another highlight near San Pedro is the Guantin Canyon, about 30 minutes by car. I have never seen so many and especially large cacti before! It's worth visiting Guantin just for this alone. However, there is much more to see, and so we followed the river downstream until we reached a beautiful waterfall. You can also hike further down, which many agencies offer as a separate hiking excursion. Additionally, many locals come here to swim, which I can also highly recommend. 🙂💦
The Jere Valley and the Puritama Hotsprings
The next place that Moritz and I explored together was the Jere Valley, a dreamlike oasis amidst the rocky desert. As often in the Atacama Desert, there is an astonishing contrast between the absolute dryness of the desert and the fresh green of the oasis. Wherever there is a small river, trees, bushes, and flowers sprout, and there are an incredible number of different animal species in one spot - it's indescribable, you have to see it with your own eyes! 😊😍
The same was true for our tour to the Puritama Hotsprings. Here, too, we experienced the stark contrast between the dry rocky desert, where only a few cacti grow, and the green oasis by the river. Along our way along the riverbed, we saw an incredible number of animals and various plant species. After a few kilometers, we reached the hotsprings, passing small natural pools where the locals bathed. Upon arriving at the hotsprings, we had time to bathe in one of the warm springs and enjoy delicious snacks, fresh juices, and good Chilean wine. On each of our tours, we were served delicious food by the Explora Hotel staff, who always had it ready for us at the destination. 🤩👍🏽
My first time horseback riding and the Volcano Blanco
Another special highlight was on the program a few days later - I was going to ride a horse for the first time! 😍 And not just on the meadow, but right through the desert. It was a magnificent experience and definitely not the last time! Afterwards, we spent a few hours at the 4 huge pools of the Explora Hotel, drank delicious wine at the bar again, and ended the evening in one of the two large hot tubs - what could be better? 🙈
The next day, we continued with more action and took the tour to the Volcano Blanco together with Explora and our guide David, up to 4600 m altitude. The tour started with a highlight as we visited a lagoon with many flamingos in their natural habitat. It is incredibly calming to watch these animals in their "daily life". 😁 30 minutes later, we reached the next sensation - the Tatio geysers. Here you can see the truly impressive power of the earth as it shoots boiling water out of the ground. From here, our hike began, which was again marked by an incredible contrast. Starting again in the rocky desert without any plants, we went down to the river, which we followed throughout the entire hike. The further we walked, the greener it became, and the more animals we saw. In addition, smaller geysers also appeared along the way. When we reached the Volcano Blanco, we were all a bit confused - the Volcano Blanco is also a geyser, which has piled up over the centuries due to the high mineral concentration in the water and then sealed itself off. On it, we could discover an incredible play of colors, which arises from the many minerals that the water brings up from the lower layers of the earth.
However, this was not our last highlight and we also saw gatherings of tens of thousands of flies along the river (which was truly impressive to see live). At the end of the tour, we arrived at a large grassland where we saw hundreds of vicuñas (the wild "ancestors" of llamas) in their natural habitat - some from less than 50 meters away. Back at the car, we were greeted with a buffet of fresh fruit, delicious juices, snacks, and a sandwich which we enjoyed while looking out at the wild vicuñas. Can life get any better? 🥰 Many thanks to the Explora Hotel for these incredible experiences! 🙌🏼
If you like the pictures and the tours, I can highly recommend checking out the Explora Hotel. Along with the amazing accommodations, it offers daily experiences that can only be described as once-in-a-lifetime experiences!!! 🙌😍
5649 m – my highest mountain yet! ⛰
A few days later, Moritz had some time off, and we were able to undertake a "private tour" with him. He rented a jeep in the city, and early in the morning, we set off towards Cerro Toco. We drove the jeep up to about 5200 m altitude and parked it right next to the James Ax Observatory - the third-highest observatory in the world! I was surprised that the jeep made it that far up - but at around 5000 m, you could feel the jeep struggling with every meter of altitude. 🙈
From there, we hiked the final 450 m on foot. What usually sounds like an easy hike is definitely anything but easy at this altitude! Although we had no problems with our conditioning, we felt our hearts beating stronger and our heads starting to ache more with increasing altitude. Nonetheless, we made it to the summit in about an hour, which according to Moritz can take up to two hours. I think we have simply gotten used to the altitude by now, as we have been at elevations of up to 4000 m in Peru in recent weeks. I still find it incredible how high the mountains and especially the cities are here in South America. 😳
From the top, we had an incredible view of the surrounding area and could even see Bolivia on the other side! There was also a very special delicacy for us to enjoy: dried llama meat. It sounds disgusting, looks disgusting, and even smells disgusting - but it tastes incredibly delicious! 😂 After 30 minutes of rest and many photos and videos later, we began our descent and stormed back to the car in just 30 minutes - what an experience!
After a few hours of rest, we headed out again in the evening. This time, we went deep into the desert, where we viewed the stars with a large telescope belonging to Moritz's cousin. Unfortunately, due to the full moon, we couldn't really see the stars, but I was able to take a great picture of the moon with my phone! 😳
The Lama Festival - a very special tradition!
The day of departure approached quickly as we had done so many things. Just before that, however, Moritz surprised us with a very special plan: his family invited us to accompany them to the Lama Festival of a friend's family in the nearby village. At the Lama Festival, all family members, distant relatives, and friends come together to celebrate and honor the well-being of the animals. In addition, the llamas are adorned with colorful decorations and marked so their origins can be determined. The festival lasted all day, and along with lots of beer and singing, there were occasional ceremonies. The highlight was the "adornment" and marking of the llamas, goats, and later, the sheep. Additionally, at the end, one animal was given away to each of the hardworking participants. We could have even won one, if we hadn't left a few days later! 😂 It was super interesting to experience this tradition of the local families and especially their hospitality. 👏
A few days later, when we were leaving, we had one last dinner with Moritz's family and were then bid farewell. Moritz's grandmother even knitted a sweater for Janet and a hat for me! 😍 Now we finally have traditional clothing from South America. ☺️ Overall, it was a fantastic time in Chile, and I thank my friend Moritz and his family very much for their hospitality and the many great experiences we were able to have! ❤️
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