As volcanoes go, Licancabur, in Chile’s Atacama Desert, is quite young—only tens of thousands of years old. The classically shaped stratovolcano was formed sometime after the Late Glacial Period, and the crater at its summit contains one of the highest-altitude lakes in the world. It’s considered sacred by the Atacameño people, and its name in the local Kunza language translates to “people’s mountain.”
Licancabur looms over the small town of San Pedro de Atacama like a period at the end of every long street. It marks sunrise and sunset, and there’s no better place to admire it from than Tierra Atacama, one of the region’s best-loved hotels, which reopened in April after a $20 million renovation.
When Tierra Atacama opened, in 2008, its 32 rooms soon lured visitors from all over, drawn to the clearest skies—and some of the most striking scenery—in South America. Now there are just 28 rooms, which are larger than before, and four suites are especially spacious. The original architect, founder Miguel Purcell, and interior designer, Carolina Delpiano, returned for round two, and the hotel is now part of Baillie Lodges, which also owns Southern Ocean Lodge, on Australia’s Kangaroo Island, and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, on Vancouver Island.
Tierra Atacama’s design was inspired by the desert. The orange-brown of the chanar fruit (which has a candy-like syrup that tastes similar to a date) became the color of the doors. To represent the salt flats, the floors are made of off-white travertine from local quarries. Furnishings are upholstered in the midnight blue of the Atacama skies. Rugs and blankets, woven in alpaca and llama wool by artisans from San Pedro de Atacama, cover floors and beds.
All rooms look out onto Licancabur, and many now have floor-to-ceiling windows. The suites open out onto private pools surrounded by daybeds and dining tables. Inside, suspended gas fireplaces warm the rooms, which stretch from a living area through the bedroom and into a large bathroom with a stand-alone, egg-shaped tub and indoor and outdoor showers.
Given the high temperatures in the summer, spending the afternoon at the pool is an appealing prospect, and Tierra Atacama has indoor and outdoor options to choose from. The spa’s amenities include a yoga platform, where breathing and meditation classes are held, but staying at Tierra Atacama is like its own exercise in nature bathing. From tasting the chanar ice cream to watching flamingos land on the salt flats, it’s the great outdoors at its very best.
The writer was a guest of Tierra Atacama. Rates begin at $1,900 per night, which includes all food and alcoholic beverages, airport transfers, and daily excursions. There is a three-night minimum stay
Mary Lussiana is a Lisbon-based writer and reviewer of hotels
