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Awasi Lodge-Atacama Desert, Chile
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, 04-03-2011 at 03:35 PM (1393 Views)

WOW....that is a summary of our visit to Awasi...WOW! We were picked up at the airport by our guide, Gonzalo. His background was impressive and his knowledge of the area superior to none. Upon arrival to Awasi, Gonzalo mapped out our next 5 days and organized our trips. Every detail was taken care of by Gonzalo and the staff. We never had to worry, think, plan, etc. What a relief after our past few months at home and dealing with family issues. Gonzalo took us to all the major sights of the desert. He comforted me with my fear of altitude sickness. With his encouragement, I participated in activities I never would have dreamed of doing. I avoided altitude medicine completely! I loved the trip! We hiked the Valley of the Moon, swam in salt ponds, walked ON geyser fields, stargazed (with Jorge) at night identifying stars and constellations that I only read about. Only a small group of people stay at Awasi at any time. There are only 8 casitas which limits the amount of guests. The food was lovely; traditional foods with modern twists. My husband and I were touched by this experience and really can't find all the words to completely describe the scenery, accommodations, food, guides, staff, and overall effects of this magical lodge.

omegaet, [email protected], travel2fun and 1 others like this.

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[email protected] - 04-04-2011 06:36 AM
Nice report and gets me thinking about going to Chile - never really had a huge inclination to go there but now having 2nd thoughts and this place sounds amazing!
thanks
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omegaet - 04-04-2011 01:32 PM
.....bonniejoy03...tell the truth, was there any point during the drive from Calama to Awasis you wondered if you had made a mistake with this trip?

After the long drive through the high desert and when you started the downward decent, did you stop and look out across valley and get your first sight of the little oasis of San Pedro de Atacama?

Did you think there was hope that everything might turn out alright?

How about when the pavement stopped and you were riding on that small dusty road....did you wonder about your decision and whether the Luxury Link package was really going to worth the expense?

Isn't that whole region full of surprises! Do you think it is possible to fully describe the experience without spending time there?

Sounds like you really had a fabulous and eventful visit to Awasi and The Atacama!

p.s.....did you guys take on the challenge of Licancabur? We headed out that way one morning with the intentions of trying to make the summit, but our guide (as well as ourselves) grew concerned about weather rolling in from Bolivia....so we turned and hiked back down.

We still enjoyed some unbelievable vistas.
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Updated 04-04-2011 at 01:50 PM by omegaet
bonniejoy03 - 04-05-2011 03:09 AM
Never had 2nd thoughts! The ride with Gonzalo from the airport was spectacular. Remember, we had been in Santiago the night before and had a great rest and President sighting before we arrived. Awasi runs a top notch business! We got to 16500 feet. That was fine with us and without Diamox. I did quite well with the altitude. I did not do well on the first day of hiking cliffs and "skiing" down the sand dunes. I actually went back with the driver to the Valley of the Moon while Michael did the hike. The heights were way too much for me. What an amazing trip and once in a lifetime!
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omegaet - 04-07-2011 04:16 PM
bonniejoy03....how did LAN treat you on your domestic flights? Did you enjoy the 'treats' included in their hand-out boxes?
bonniejoy03 - 04-09-2011 04:18 AM
Always love LAN! Missed the free drinks on the international flights because we flew AA. (though AA was absolutely amazing especially considering the problems in Miami. I think we only had 60 people on our flight home. Our seats were in the 1st section of economy-I think it is about 4 rows. There were only 5 of us in the whole section! First class was full but the rest of the plane was empty. What a treat!) Our LAN flights were great and Awasi had all our boarding passes ready to go. They even were able to purchase our tickets for us at a discount.