The morning dawned – early, dark and bleary. We knew we shouldn’t have stayed up late to watch the World Series, but we did it anyway. Now we were faced with the prospect of getting through disembarkation on roughly five hours of sleep. (Though my wife wisely sent the kids to bed after the Blue Jays’ home run earlier in the game. Happier times.)
I awoke to find that our subbed-out driver had subbed out our transfer to another driver, which does not bode well – but there was no time to find a new-new-new driver, so we’d just have to see how it goes. At least we’re arriving at Valparaiso where there should be plenty of taxis to hand, though it’s always a pain to find a van large enough to accommodate this many people and bags.
Out of the room by 8 am, and then off to La Terrazza for a lingering breakfast. There’s a last-day-of-summer-camp feeling in the air as guests swing by one another’s tables, wishing them well on their return trips and future travels. We’re thankfully able to stash our carry-on roller bags near the front entrance to avoid clogging up the tables.
It’s equally difficult to say goodbye to the crew and guides that have been our constant companions for the past 23 days – particularly those who we have seen time and time again. Bogdan in particular has acted as a mentor as I’ve continued to learn photography. We can only hope to encounter them again when we return to the Cloud in the summer of 2027.
With breakfast well finished, we head down to Dolce Vita for a few final minutes then bid a fond farewell to the crew as we disembark, particularly to John, with whom we hope to snorkel – and play Dungeons & Dragons – in the future.
Down the stairs to the loading platform. We declare the seed necklaces we received when visiting Hiva Oa, and are given the green light to bring them with us. We’d expected it wouldn’t be a problem, but better to ask than risk a fine. We board the bus and wait for it to fill up before it takes us to the terminal.
Meanwhile, our new new driver has been in touch via WhatsApp to confirm that he is near the cruise terminal, and to ask that we let him know when we are ready to be picked up. Our cell coverage cuts in and out before the eSIM finally finds the right network – though again I am glad to have our Zoleo satellite relay in case we lose coverage, at it would allow us to send text messages.
One more round of scans and security, and then we grab our bags and head to the exit. We find our driver exactly where he said he would be – he dashes off to get the van, and soon we are loaded and on our way.
Farewell, Valparaiso!
It’s a leisurely, scenic drive to the Santiago airport from here. I manage to tap out most of yesterday’s trip report, and the kids listen to their podcasts.
Roughly two hours later, we were dropped off at the airport. Our driver did a great job, and we had no issues with paying by credit card. And after double and triple-checking we have indeed paid only what we were quoted.
We’d considered storing our soft-sided ‘snorkel bag’ at the airport during our time at the Atacama, but the only lockers available are in the international terminal. We decide to just bring the bag with us. It’s an extra cost of roughly US$29 each way, but well worth avoiding the hassle of schlepping all over the airport looking for lockers.
We don’t have a lot of love for LATAM after they refused to let us voluntarily downgrade from premium economy while changing flights – which resulted in an extra thousand dollars in charges for worse seats. But their agents were incredibly helpful with getting our bags checked in. The airport is much quieter than it was when we were headed off to Punta Arenas and on to Puerto Williams earlier this year, which also helps.
We have a look at lunch options, and decide to go through security before looking for food. Here we find Chicken Bareo and Lovdo Pizza. Unable to decide between the two, we elect to get something from each:
We ordered way too much food – as is often the case – but at least no one went hungry.
Our RBC Avion Visa Airport Companion reports that there are lounges here we could access if so inclined, but there’s little more than an hour left before our flight boards. Instead we elect to head to the nearby ‘maze’ playground so the kids can get in a bit of activity before the flight.
I completely forget to take a picture of the maze, only to remember that this isn’t our first rodeo:
Indeed, I had taken a picture of the maze earlier this year, when we were flying to Antarctica.
Familiar as it is, the maze easily keeps the kids busy for 15 to 20 minutes, but then I check the flight status board – not only do I see a “head to gate” notice, but there’s a timeline. 8 minutes. Yikes!
We collect the kids and dash down to the gate, arriving in roughly 8 minutes. But there’s not even a gate agent. That’s when I realize – the 8 minutes was the time to walk to the gate, not the time until boarding. Ugh.
But – no matter. It was right around time to head to the gate anyway, so we unpacked our various devices and read / watched shows until boarding was called. We’re early in the pecking order, but not early enough that we are entirely sure that we will get overhead bin space – so we pounce as soon as they begin the announcement for Group 3.
Success! No issues with finding overhead bin space, and we soon settle in for our flight.
Farewell, Santiago!
The lack of sleep works in my favour this time, and I’m able to sleep for most of the flight.
There’s some definite turbulence and cross-winds as we descend into Calama, but nothing beyond the pale.
Touchdown, Calama!
The airport is easy enough to navigate, and we scarcely have long enough for a brief bio break before our bags are off and we find the Explora representative waiting for us beyond security. Here we are presented with our water bottles, and with tags for the room – though perhaps not enough tags to fully encompass our massive amounts of luggage. No matter, we have our names on the bag.
We then wheel our bags out of the airport toward a nearby van. We’re initially concerned about them finding room for all the bags, but they are loaded without incident. Into the vehicle to make the journey to Explora – and we arrive roughly an hour and a half later.
Arriving at Explora is like stepping into an oasis. Our bags are taken from us and whisked off to our rooms. We sit down, sign a bit of paperwork, enjoy some drinks and house-made potato chips, and then watch the initial briefing video. Expeditions at Explora Atacama encompass five different zones, each at a different elevation level – the cuenca del salar (salt flats), the quebradas intermedias (intermediate valleys), the Altiplano (elevated plateau), the montaña (mountains) and the cielo (night sky).
We meet with our representative – Marjorie – and talk through the available options. We decide to focus our initial explorations on the salt flats and intermediate valleys while we’re adjusting to the altitude – at 8,000 feet we’re not particularly high, but some of the excursions at Explora Atacama stretch to 16,000 feet, or roughly the same height as Everest Base Camp!
The pick-and-choose concept here is similar to other overland expedition destinations we’ve previously visited, like EcoCamp Patagonia. Tomorrow’s agenda is relatively relaxed – my wife and daughter have booked in for a horseback ride, while my son and I will be doing an introductory-level eBike. We also slot ourselves into a range of other activities, including a visit to the hotsprings, Explora’s Observatory, the geysers, a trip to see the flamingos, and another round of horseback riding and eBikes. Phew.
(Beyond tomorrow, all of this is pencilled in – we are welcome to change excursions if we so choose, availability permitting.)
Off to the rooms – which are lovely, and connecting!
Hot and cold water is provided in each room – though the tap water is safe to drink
No air conditioning here, as the specially-constructed building gets cool enough during the night to keep it comfortable during the day. But there are substantive electric heaters to keep us toasty during those cold desert nights.
We also check out laundry prices because laundry remains the bane of our existence:
Not fabulous, but not terrible either. We’re very glad to have reached Laundry Zero on Silversea prior to our departure. The extra discount for children under 10 is also much appreciated.
We take a few brief minutes to explore the resort:
Lovely – and deserving of a proper photoshoot tomorrow morning.
Time for dinner – it’s a lovely restaurant, tastefully decorated:
Tonight’s menu:
All drinks and wine is included, with the exception of certain premium wines.
Explora does have a kids menu, and ours elect to order some hamburgers:
I might have to have one of these myself one of these nights
My wife and I start with the king crab chupa:
And then move on to the pork chicharrón:
It’s really, really good. A touch better than Silversea, if I’m honest – though of course Explora would have fewer issues replenishing when based on land.
Back to the room to put kiddos to bed. Despite being in the desert, the water pressure here is actually phenomenal and the hot water seemingly unlimited.
Off to the bar to bring back a single drink each to celebrate our successful arrival.
The bar drinks:
And the 12:30 to 10 pm bar menu:
My wife has a sour altiplano:
While I have the desert lemonade, barely visible in the background.
And with that, it is most definitely time to call it a night. Looking forward to tomorrow’s unique blend of relaxation and adventure… but first, some badly needed sleep!
Ongratulations on a very successful crossing !!
Xx Nana