Are you looking through all the Atacama Desert hotels and don’t know which one to pick? Discover the best with this guide, from the all-inclusive lodge and the boutique hotel I stayed in to the best of the rest in San Pedro de Atacama and beyond.
Whether it’s the stunning arch of the Milky Way stretching out over the night sky, or the tranquil waters of Laguna Chaxa, there’s no denying the beauty of the Atacama Desert.
It’s no surprise that you want to visit the Atacama, but the real question is where should you stay when you do?
I’ve slept in the Atacama in about as many different ways as you can. On my first trip, my bed was in the back of a brightly coloured campervan, parked up by salt lagoons and in quiet canyons. When I went back in July, I stayed at Nayara Alto Atacama on its all-inclusive package with private tours, then spent a night at Hotel Desertica in the middle of San Pedro after a few freezing days on the road in Bolivia. All three taught me something about where to base yourself.
The past decade has seen the Atacama’s choice of accommodation mushroom in size, lucky you. Almost all of it is in or around San Pedro de Atacama, the small oasis town at about 2,400 metres that is the gateway to the desert. Here are the places I’d book, starting with the two I know first-hand.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you decide to purchase through one of my recommended partners.
Best hotels in the Atacama Desert: at a glance
| Top picks | Hotel |
| Best overall (and where I stayed) | Nayara Alto Atacama |
| Best for location | Explora Atacama |
| Best good-value luxury (and where I stayed) | Hotel Desertica |
| Best for views | Tierra Atacama |
| Best for a private guide | Awasi Atacama |
| Best budget stay | Jardín Atacama |
Price guide: £ means under about US$150 a night for a double room, ££ about US$150 to US$350, and £££ over US$350. The all-inclusive lodges include meals, most drinks and excursions, so they aren’t as far apart from the mid-range hotels as they first look once you add up tours and dinners.
Where to stay: San Pedro or out of town?
San Pedro de Atacama is the only real base for the desert. Calama’s El Loa Airport (CJC) is about an hour and a quarter away by road, and every tour, bike hire shop and restaurant in the region is clustered along the dusty streets around Caracoles, the main drag.
Stay in town and you can walk to dinner, compare tour agencies and wander back under the stars. Hotel Desertica, Noi Casa Atacama and the smaller guesthouses on Tocopilla and Gustavo Le Paige all put you a few minutes from the plaza. The trade-off is a little more noise and light.
Stay just outside, in the farming hamlets (ayllus) and valleys that ring the oasis, and you swap convenience for silence, space and darker skies. Nayara Alto Atacama is a few kilometres out in the Catarpe valley, and Lodge Quelana is in the ayllu of Solor. Most of these hotels run shuttles or lend bikes for getting into town, and the all-inclusive lodges drive you everywhere anyway.
The other big decision is whether to go all-inclusive. The Atacama’s sights are spread out and many sit at high altitude, so almost everyone ends up on a tour or in a car every day. An all-inclusive lodge rolls the excursions, meals and transfers into one price. A B&B or boutique hotel leaves you to book tours in town or hire a car, which is cheaper and gives you more freedom.
The best hotels in the Atacama
Nayara Alto Atacama
£££
Camino Pukará, Ayllu de Quitor, San Pedro de Atacama
Considering you’re in one of the best stargazing spots in the world, it only makes sense to stay somewhere with an observatory. That’s right, Nayara Alto Atacama provides the opportunity to gaze at the kaleidoscopic array of stars beyond what the naked eye can see.
This is where I stayed on my July trip, and it’s still the place I’d recommend first. The hotel runs two guided sessions at its observatory every evening, and they were included in my package. I lay back under a blanket on the reclined seats while the astronomer showed me the Southern Cross and how to use it to find the south celestial pole, then swung the telescope round to nebulae and old galaxies. I took some of my best photos of the Atacama skies there.
Although the Atacama stargazing opportunities here are the showstopper, this all-inclusive resort offers much more. From its pared-back desert chic interiors to the Catarpe rooms with private terraces, to the excellent food served in the restaurant, it’s a boutique seekers’ haven.
I stayed in one of the Catarpe rooms, and the bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve ever slept on: an all-enveloping cloud of cool, crisp sheets I never wanted to leave. The private terrace looked out over the valley and became my spot for a book and a drink after long days up on the altiplano.
The six pools (two heated, which you’ll be glad of on a winter evening) provide plenty of privacy. Add to that an extensive selection of spa treatments and you have the perfect place to retreat to after long days exploring the surrounding region. I had the 90-minute Ckautcha massage, which combines firm strokes with a heated poultice of Andean herbs, and it was the perfect end to a day at altitude.
PS: Their all-inclusive private tour package is an incredible way to explore the region. My guide, Rodolfo, grew up in nearby Calama and knew the region’s geography and culture inside out, and my driver, Eric, handled the rough roads with ease. They took me to Piedras Rojas, where the hotel laid on a picnic of Thai chicken curry and cauliflower soup in the middle of nowhere, and to the El Tatio geysers for sunrise. It is expensive (expect well over US$1,000 a night), but once you add up the meals, drinks and private tours, it’s better value than booking them all separately. I rave all about it in my full Nayara Alto Atacama review.
Check Rates and Availability
Tierra Atacama
£££
Séquitor, on the edge of San Pedro de Atacama
Want to ogle one of the Atacama’s magical sunsets from the comfort of your private terrace? Book yourself a stay at one of Tierra Atacama’s 28 rooms. Long established as one of the best Atacama hotels, Tierra’s reputation is well-deserved.
Your naturally lit private abode isn’t the only place to admire the volcanoes on the horizon. The outdoor pool looks straight out at the landscape, and there’s an indoor pool for chilly winter evenings.
When you’re not dipping your feet in the pool or lounging in your four-poster bed, the on-site restaurant provides undeniably tasty meals. Tierra is all-inclusive, so meals, soft drinks, spa access, airport transfers and a guided excursion each day (one full day or two half days) are part of the package. Alcoholic drinks are extra. And when you’re back from the altiplano, the spa, sauna and hot tub await.
It might be the middle of the desert, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a blow-out stay. Even if you’re staying elsewhere, it’s worth booking a drink at the bar.
Check Rates and Availability
Explora Atacama
£££
Domingo Atienza, San Pedro de Atacama
Sticking with the theme of all-inclusive luxury, Explora Atacama is yet another Atacama Desert hotel that ticks all the boxes.
For starters, it offers more than 40 explorations, on foot, by bike and on horseback, and its horseback rides are extremely popular. You can also take your Atacama Desert stargazing to the next level at its in-house observatory, which has a 16-inch telescope.
Explora is a lodging that puts comfort at the fore, with 50 rooms spread across a 17-hectare estate in the oasis, day chairs that mould to your body and satin-like linen to make you feel like royalty. And if all this isn’t enough, guests get their own exclusive pool at the Puritama Hot Springs. Now, is that pure bliss or what? Airport transfers on set schedules are included, though massages and laundry cost extra.
Check Rates and Availability
Awasi Atacama
£££
Tocopilla, San Pedro de Atacama
The most exclusive stay in San Pedro, and the one for travellers who want the Atacama entirely on their own terms. Awasi Atacama, a Relais & Châteaux member, has just 12 round rooms and suites, each with its own terrace, plus an outdoor pool, right in town.
What sets Awasi apart is that every room is assigned its own private guide, and excursions go out by 4×4 on your schedule rather than a group timetable, which is the best way to dodge the crowds at places like El Tatio. It’s the same approach that made my private-tour package at Nayara so good, taken one step further.
It’s all-inclusive, with meals, drinks and excursions in the rate, and it doesn’t come cheap: published rates start at around US$1,460 a night for two.
Hotel Desertica
££
Caracoles 455, San Pedro de Atacama
Resting in an old Atacama family orchard, Hotel Desertica is a small boutique experience of just 12 rooms, in standard and superior categories. I spent one night here on my July trip, straight after a four-day tour across the Bolivian altiplano, and after one of the coldest nights of my life, it was exactly what I needed.
Where other luxury hotels are located in the surrounding region, Hotel Desertica is a chic escape within the bustling town of San Pedro de Atacama itself, on Caracoles, a short stroll from the plaza and the town’s restaurants.
It offers the perfect blend of contemporary finishings and local woven textiles, adding a splash of vibrancy you won’t forget anytime soon. Did I mention the rooms are massive? Maybe not, but they really are, as each is set within its own standalone circular turi (rounded lodge), a nod to the way the pre-Hispanic Atacameño communities built their homes.
Although they don’t offer in-house tour guides, they are more than willing to set one up for you. A fair warning: the outdoor pool isn’t heated, so it’s bracing rather than balmy. But the hotel’s best feature is its on-site restaurant, offering fresh and contemporary cuisine, and it really is great. Read my full Hotel Desertica review.
Check Rates and Availability
Hotel Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama
££
Av. Las Chilcas, San Pedro de Atacama
Hotel Cumbres San Pedro de Atacama doesn’t shy away from blending traditional notes of colour with boutique-chic design. The parquet flooring and timber ceilings create a warm and inviting space, especially when the sun paints the rooms in a honey-coloured glow.
Yes, the interiors are awe-inspiring, but you won’t want to miss the night sky. And you won’t need to with the lavish circular seating arrangements in the courtyard just beyond the ambient on-site restaurant, Kunza.
With 60 rooms, it’s bigger than most hotels in town, and that brings more facilities: three outdoor pools, a poolside bar and a spa. The hotel is also happy to organise tours to the region’s top attractions, like the El Tatio geysers or a San Pedro de Atacama tour.
Check Rates and Availability
Noi Casa Atacama
££
San Pedro de Atacama
A good alternative to Desertica if you want to stay in town without giving up a pool and a spa. Noi Casa Atacama is a single-storey hotel of 25 rooms, built from local stone so it sits low against the desert, with contemporary interiors softened by regional textiles and artwork.
There’s an outdoor pool, a modest spa and a restaurant serving Chilean dishes, plus a terrace bar for a pisco sour before you head out to dinner. It’s central enough to walk to Caracoles.
Hotel Kimal
££
Domingo Atienza 452, San Pedro de Atacama
There’s no shortage of Atacama Desert luxury hotels, and Hotel Kimal is an ambient stay gushing with rustic beauty. From traditional terracotta tones in the architecture to the piercingly bright woven bed throws, your room will surely tick all the boxes.
When you’re not resting or walking through the property’s gardens of native plants, how about diving into one of the two outdoor pools? You can also dig into the gourmet dishes at the on-site Paacha restaurant.
It’s on the corner of Caracoles, so the centre of town is on your doorstep. After a long day at altitude, book a massage at the spa.
Check Rates and Availability
Hotel La Casa de Don Tomás
££
Tocopilla, San Pedro de Atacama
Of the hotels San Pedro de Atacama offers, La Casa de Don Tomás is a reliable option for several reasons. It’s one of the larger hotels in town, a few minutes’ walk from the centre, with a buffet breakfast included and a restaurant that serves dinner, so you don’t have to go out after a long day.
The rooms are fairly modern and use ambient lighting to create a calming atmosphere. It’s also an absolute pleasure watching the carefully thought-out shadows dance on the terracotta-toned walls of the communal lounge.
While they don’t include tours in your lodging, you can book something at the tour desk. Or, simply enjoy the cooling embrace of the outdoor pool in your downtime.
Check Rates and Availability
Casa Solcor Boutique Bed & Breakfast
££
Antonio León 74, San Pedro de Atacama
The simple pleasure of a comfortable bed and hearty breakfast may sound like a given at the hotels in San Pedro de Atacama. But few can truly compare to a boutique stay at Casa Solcor, a B&B of just 12 rooms.
From the buffet breakfast to the complimentary bicycle rentals, Casa Solcor considers your every need. Some rooms even have a private courtyard where the crisp Atacama air will be a welcome embrace.
You can also walk through the tamarugo tree-lined garden or gaze at the starry sky around the fire pit near the pools. There are two of them, and they’re open around the clock.
Check Rates and Availability
Hotel Pascual Andino
££
Gustavo Le Paige 150, San Pedro de Atacama
For a small and intimate stay in the heart of San Pedro de Atacama, look no further than Pascual Andino. With only 10 rooms, it oozes rustic charm, from the contemporary terracotta rooms to the inviting outdoor pool.
As it’s at the heart of town, exploring the best bits of Atacama is a given. The best aspect of this cosy stay has to be the private patios leading off the rooms. There’s no restaurant, but that hardly matters with half of San Pedro’s restaurants a few minutes’ walk away. If you’re feeling romantic, pick up a bottle of Chilean wine in town and soak up the night sky from your patio.
Check Rates and Availability
Terrantai Lodge
£££
Tocopilla 411, San Pedro de Atacama
Terrantai Lodge is a polished small hotel of 21 rooms in the centre of town. Picture yourself resting in the deluxe bedroom with exposed stone walls as the views lead to your semi-private patios.
How about a gentle stroll through the lush gardens? Sound like your vibe? Then, you’ll adore the communal library, where you can grab a book or two during your stay.
Plus, the crystal-clear pool offers a relaxing environment after a complimentary buffet breakfast. It used to be one of the town’s best-value boutique stays, but rates have crept up, so compare it with Desertica before you book.
Check Rates and Availability
Our Habitas Atacama
££
Domingo Atienza 282, San Pedro de Atacama
For the feel of an adobe village rather than a hotel, try Our Habitas Atacama, the long-standing Hotel Altiplánico under a new name. Its rooms are built in the style of an altiplano village, in semicircles around cultivated fields, with earthy tones, local textiles and private terraces, and it faces Licancabur volcano.
There’s an outdoor pool for lazy afternoons between excursions, a small spa, and Almas, a restaurant cooking over wood fire with local Atacama ingredients. It’s on the quiet edge of town, about 15 minutes’ walk from the plaza, which makes it a good middle ground between the big all-inclusive lodges and the guesthouses in the centre.
Lodge Quelana
££
Quelana 34, Ayllu de Solor, San Pedro de Atacama
Now, there are some smaller, more affordable options that still compare with all the Atacama luxury hotels, and Lodge Quelana is a great example. It’s a boutique stay of just eight rooms, with every room overlooking the communal pool.
On the other side of your spacious and chic room is a private patio for those romantic wine-fuelled nights. As it’s an adults-only stay (over-18s only), you can truly let loose and indulge in all that Atacama and Quelana offer.
PS: It’s in the quiet ayllu of Solor, outside the centre, so it’s darker at night than the town, but you’ll want a bike or a taxi for dinner.
Check Rates and Availability
Jardín Atacama
£
Gustavo Le Paige 159, San Pedro de Atacama
Jardín Atacama is a space where minimalism and local flair blend seamlessly in one affordable stay of 16 rooms. The rooms are simple, and the cute messages in the bathrooms are a lovely touch.
This lodging truly comes alive in its fairy-lit gardens and courtyards. You can also kick your feet up by the fire pit and watch the dazzling spectacle of the night sky.
And it’s right in town, so you can save the money you’d spend on a fancier room for a really good tour. There’s a snack bar for drinks and light bites, and the restaurants of Caracoles are a short walk away.
Check Rates and Availability
If you’d rather not stay in a hotel at all, there’s another way. On my first trip, a Chilean I’d met on the road told me that most people stay in San Pedro and go on tours, but that I should hire a car or a camper and strike off on my own. So I did. I picked up the keys in San Pedro and spent a week driving around 1,000 miles in a campervan I nicknamed Bruno.
My first night was spent parked up by Laguna Tebinquinche, watching the stars and planets appear one by one with a glass of wine in my hand. Later in the week I pulled up miles from the main road in the shadow of the Cordillera de Sal and had the whole sky to myself, though being out there alone, I admit I glanced over my shoulder more than once. The night before El Tatio, I slept in the tiny hamlet of Guatín to shorten the 3:30am drive up to the geysers.
It was the opposite of my later stay at Nayara. I ate my meals off a rusty table under the open sky instead of in a restaurant, and I had to work out the roads for myself. But I got to the busiest places after the tour buses had left, and some of my favourite Atacama memories come from that week. Read about the whole trip in my guide to the best things to do in the Atacama Desert.
If you want to do the same, campervans and 4×4 campers can be hired in Calama, so you can pick one up when you land. A few things I learned:
- You can camp in some places, but not inside the national reserves or on the community-run land around the lagoons, so check before you settle in for the night.
- Hire a 4×4 if you want to leave the main roads for places like the Salar de Tara.
- Carry more water than you think you need, and fill up with fuel in San Pedro before heading up to the altiplano, where fuel stops are few and far between.
- Nights are cold all year and well below freezing at altitude in winter, so pack a proper sleeping bag.
Where to stay in the Atacama: frequently asked questions
San Pedro de Atacama has the best places to stay in the Atacama Desert. Stay in town if you want to walk to restaurants and tour agencies, or just outside, in the ayllus or the Catarpe valley, for quiet and darker skies.
Yes and no. Some San Pedro de Atacama resorts are very pricey, with the all-inclusive lodges charging well over US$1,000 a night, but you can also find some bargain stays for under US$150. The tours are fairly expensive, though, and entry fees to the lagoons and parks are charged on top, so budget for them if your hotel doesn’t include excursions.
Ideally, try and spend four to five days. This way, you can experience everything without being in a rush, and you can start with the lower sights before heading up to El Tatio and the high lagoons once you’ve adjusted to the altitude. My Atacama Desert itinerary shows how to fit it in.
If you can stretch to it, yes. An all-inclusive stay maximises your time, as the excursions, meals and transfers are all arranged for you, and there are plenty of options. My package at Nayara was expensive, but given that it included all my meals, drinks and private tours, it worked out better value than booking everything separately.
Not if you stay all-inclusive, as transport is usually part of the package. Otherwise, you’ll need to hire a car or book a variety of tours from San Pedro. You’ll most likely fly into Calama’s El Loa Airport (CJC), about an hour and a quarter from San Pedro, where you can hire a car or take a shuttle into town.
June has traditionally been one of the cheapest months, and it’s also the start of the clear, cold winter season, which is the best time for stargazing. Prices are highest over Christmas, New Year and the Chilean summer holidays in January and February, which is also when the altiplanic winter brings more cloud to the high Andes.
Now you’ve booked your San Pedro de Atacama hotel, read these
- The best things to do in the Atacama Desert
- Fancy a challenge? Hike Cerro Toco volcano
- Here’s how to spend three perfect days in the Atacama
- Weird and wonderful facts about the Atacama Desert
- My Nayara Alto Atacama review
- My Hotel Desertica review
- Stargazing in the Atacama Desert
- Why you need to see the El Tatio geysers at sunrise
- The best Atacama Desert tours
Love this? Save and share on Pinterest
Discover the top things to do, insider tips and hidden gems in our Chile Travel Guides.
Read the guides →
