DE

Can anyone tell me if I might experience any problems with altitude sickness spending time in the Atacama desert in Northen Chile. Hope to plan a trip to visit there and will stay at the Explora Hotel and want to know what to do if altitude will be a concern. Thanks

Marilyn

I cannot give you specific advice about that area, but I can tell you that the most important thing you can do to enjoy your trip is to allow yourself 2-3 days at the beginning to acclimatize to the altitude. You may have headaches or nausea and you will almost certainly feel very tired. We were terribly frustrated in Cuzco (12,000 feet) because it was such a great town and we could barely drag ourselves around in the 2 days we were there.

DE

Marilyn - thanks for the good advice. I will allow for a couple of days to acclimatize before doing any major outings and just tack the extra time onto our stay.

Marilyn

You're welcome, DE. Please post a trip report when you return. I would love to know what you saw and how you liked it.

wooml

the atacama is only about 1800 above sea level. you shouldn't get altitude sickness there. the explora is the best that there is there.......good choice but know that it is also the most expensive and that you shouldn't expect north american standards of service. it is only a three to four day trip though, so you should definitely put other locations on your itinerary.

DE

Hi Wooml.<BR>I believe that the elevation starts at over 8000 ft. and depending on where you go its gets much higher. At least that's what I have read about the area. When we do this trip we will also put in a visit to the Galapagos at the same time. I can highly recommend the Explora in Patagonia. Had a wonderful vacation there a few years back . It's a spectacular region for those who enjoy the magnificent outdoors. Torres de Paine Park was a most interesting area. <BR>Marilyn, will post a reply after our trip, just don't know when it will be right now.

Roccco

The altitude may not be that high in San Pedro De Atacama, itself, but for all the excursions you can expect to be at mostly over 10,000 feet and for the Geysers expect to be at over 13,000 feet. I was just there in December and my wife had a mostly horrible time due to altitude sickness. <BR>Not to pop anybody's bubble, but staying at the Explora Atacama is the equivalent to staying at a Ritz Carlton in the ghetto. Really, what is the point??? <BR><BR>Look, you are in a town that is almost entirely students that are mostly staying at hostels and budget hotels that surround the very walls of the Explora. You are all going to spend time in the exact same places all day long on the excursions yet you are willing to pay the outrageous prices to have a nice bed to sleep in??? <BR><BR>I considered staying at Explora but I was glad that I chose the Tulor Hotel for about 1/4 the price. The Tulor Hotel was very nice, given where you are, and had a great restaurant that reminded me completely of the dining rooms at a $1000 per night private game reserve in South Africa. <BR><BR>The owners, a husband and wife team, run the hotel and are very nice. There is a nice swimming pool and the food was above average and very reasonably priced. I liked the Tulor much more than the other places that I saw while I was in town (Casa De Don Tomas and other places).<BR><BR>I wouldn't even recommend Explora in Patagonia, unless you want to pay quadruple the amount so you can have a swimming pool. Who goes to Patagonia to swim, anyway??? There is a place that is within 1000' of Patagonia named Hosteria Pehoe that is very nice and has every bit the enviable location as Explora. And again, you will spend most the time around students and backpacker types anyway. Patagonia, for my wife and I, was really a big letdown...but then again, neither of us are really the outdoorsy types (however, we weren't the safari types either before Africa and now we will probably return just 13 months after our first trip). Chile is definitely not ready to accomodate upscale tourism.

DE

Rocco,<BR>I guess it all boils down to personal preferences and an individuals budget. I understand what you are saying and it's good that there are more affordable accommodations in these destinations, so that many people with different budgets can travel to these unique places. More expensive does not always mean better but I did feel that the Explora in Patagonia was worth every penny it cost, at least it was for us. People generally make the same comparison with air travel between the often great expense of business class and that of coach. For me, it is worth the extra money to be more comfortable and I am fortunate enough to be able to afford the extra cost.<BR><BR>How did you find the terrain of the Atacama and what recommendations would you make for excursions, etc. and the most interesting areas to see? It's not a common destination and difficult to hear from people who have been there, so your comments and opinion would be appreciated.

Roccco

DE,<BR>I know exactly what you are saying about wanting to be in luxurious surroundings...I just don't think it is possible in Chile.<BR>Now I paid well over $1000 per night to stay at Singita Private Game Reserve in South Africa last year and while that was worth every penny, I probably wouldn't do it again. For two years in a row now it has been voted the #1 place to stay in the entire world but the prices are now about $1500 per night. As wonderful as it is, with a room that is probably over 1000 sq. ft., the highlights of the stay at Singita are still the game drives, and I feel the game drives would be every bit as good at a lodge that charges $750 per night (or less) than they would be at Singita.<BR>Anyhow, back to Chile...the terrain around Atacama is, for lack of a better word, dusty. And that goes for whether you are staying at Explora for $700 per night, the Tulor Hotel for about $150 per night or one of the many youth hostels for $50 or less per night.<BR>Most of the excursions were very interesting but I would avoid anything with the word &quot;Laguna&quot; in it. Otherwise, count on a multihour drive each way to a very high elevation to see, if you are lucky, half a dozen flamingos. <BR>One excursion took us to the &quot;Great Dune&quot;, a mostrously large sand dune, the size of a mountain. The challenge is to climb all the way to the top. This was part of an excursion that also took us to the Valley Of The Moon and a few other places that day. I would recommend a maximum of three nights in Atacama. <BR>The thing that surprised me the most about Atacama was how cold it was on the excursions. It is one thing being at 8000' ? elevation in San Pedro De Atacama but once you are over 10000' it can really be bone chilling. Some of the excursions from Atacama were actually colder than any part of Patagonia ever was.<BR>If I could do my trip over again, I probably would have stayed in Puerto Natales and just taken a couple day trips to Torres Del Paine. Puerto Natales, in all honesty, seemed much more spectacular, with the freedom of cruising to glaciers, etc., that was not possible in Torres Del Paine.

DE

Rocco,<BR>Thank you for your informative reply. I will consider your suggestions when making our plans for a trip to this region. Still sounds like an intriguing place to visit.<BR>A question about your african safari. Were you in an area where anti malaria pills are neccesary and if so what did you take and did you have any adverse reactions? We have also talked about doing a safari but I am somewhat hesitant wanting to avoid having to take any undue medications. Also were you in an area where one can take a hot air balloon ride over the plains?

Roccco

DE...if you haven't already booked your trip to Chile, do yourself a giant favor and go to South Africa instead!!!<BR>I was SO DISAPPOINTED with my Chile trip, partially because I was actually trying to outdo the South Africa &amp; Zimbabwe trip I took a few months earlier. It wasn't even close!!!<BR>I just bought a new house a few months ago and one entire room is walled with the amazing photographs I was able to take on safari in both South Africa and Zimbabwe. I mean you are literally within 10' of a herd of lions that are chomping down on some poor impala and almost as close to elephants and hippos, which are much more dangerous to humans. From my Chile trip, I maybe got three or four really good photographs from Atacama &amp; Patagonia but from Africa I was able to get maybe 30 incredible photos that now grace both my walls at home and at my work office.<BR>Anyhow, regarding anti-malaria...yes, I did have to take anti malaria tablets and even had to get some antibiotic shots prior to my trip. However, there are a few lodges in what are known as &quot;malaria-free&quot; zones.<BR>I will likely be heading back to South Africa and possibly Zimbabwe in April or May. During my Chile trip, I was just kicking myself in the butt...here I was with other tourists who, to be blunt (and crude), almost sporting erections over the sight of a llama or fox, and all I could think of was how I could instead be twice as close to a lion, leopard, elephant, hippo, wildebeest or other wild animal!!!<BR>If you are truly interested in going to Africa, go to the Africa and Middle East forum on this website for some really good links.<BR>

DE

Rocco,<BR>Thanks again for your input.

tweak

when i was in the atacama area, the only place i had problems with the altitude was the 3am tour of the geyser field. i definately recommend the tour (many companies out of san pedro host the tour), but dress very, very, very warmly, and walk slowly. besides that, i don't really recall having any problems.

critterpix

DE-this is my first reply to this group. I have not been to the Atacama but I do get altitude and motion sickness. I get altitude sickness in Mexico City! Several years ago I learned about taking ginger, and it has changed my life. You can buy it in most drug and grocery stores. You can swallow the pill or make a tea. One of our dreams is to go to the Atacama, so please let us hear about the trip.

DE

critterpix &amp; tweak,

As it turns out we have postponed our trip to the Atacama and are now scheduled to do a month long jaunt in Southern Africa mainly Botswana, Namibia and SA. First time visitors.

I have heard that ginger can also be very helpful with motion sickness which I am prone to and when the times comes I will take your suggestion and try it for the high elevations. Thanks for the good tip.

We will get to the Atacama at some point as it is still an area we Definitely want to explore. Possibly a destination for next year. Thanks again for your comments.