For booking and more information call: 1-800-325-5026 email: [email protected] or visit: www.ecoadventures.com/hotels/awasiatacamahotel.php | 1 Tocopilla 4 San Pedro de Atacama, Chile Phone: 56 2 2233 9641 www.awasi.com Awasi first opened its doors in November 2006 with hopes of creating an intimate environment where guests could enjoy the natural beauty of the Atacama Desert. Four years after, we have succeeded in our mission of delivering memorable travel experiences through our lodgings, our gastronomy and our outings. With only 12 dwellings, each room has over 550 sq. ft with a private patio, reading area, and outdoor shower. The natural elements surrounding Awasi have been incorporated into its architecture for it was constructed using only local materials like adobe, stone, and wood. As for our cuisine, our chefs have incorporated the diverse smells and flavors of the Atacama region in our kitchen, using native ingredients such as purple potatoes, patasca, quinoa and chañar, among others. These ingredients have been part guests to ancestral recipes known only in the area. As for our Excursions, they are all private and tailored made an expert guide and a 4WD vehicle so they can coordinate their outings without adjusting to the needs of other guests. In all its offerings, Awasi focuses on the smallest details to ensure a harmonious balance between leisure & adventure, luxury & authenticity, and simplicity & sophistication. www.ecoadventures.com | 2 DEMOGRAPHIC ZONES ZONE A: FLAT Consisting of the low zone of the basin, characteristic for its flat and regular surface. The altitude for these excursions is about 2,400 meters above sea level. The geological events of greater importance in this area are the Cordillera de la Sal mountain range and the Salar de Atacama salt flat. ZONE B: INTERMEDIATE RAVINES Between the flats of the basin and the volcanic summits there is a sector, composed primarily of solidified igneous volcanic rocks, which is located between 3,000 and 3,800 meters. This area is often referred to as the Intermediate Ravines, where the small rivers of the Altiplano descend towards the desert. ZONE C: PUNA Above 4,000 meters altitude there is an important increase in precipitation, which results in green meadows and highland wetlands, called bofedales. Most of the fauna and flora of the region is concentrated in this area. it requires altitude acclimatization prior to your visit and is not recommended for visitors who suffer from heart disease ZONE D: HIGH MOUNTAIN The high summits of the central Andes represent an undeniable attraction for the imagination, reaching up to an altitude of some 6,000 meters. This requires appropriate physical and mental preparation, as well as acclimatization to the lack of oxygen. Most of the summits close to the hotel are between 5,000 and 5,700 meters ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVATION At present, the observations of the universe through professional telescopes are concentrated in just three places around the world; two in the northern hemisphere (Hawaii and the Canary Islands) and only one in the southern hemisphere: Chile, San Pedro de Atacama being one of the privileged locations for this activity. The Awasi astronomy excursion consists of three stages. The first is a general explanation of the universe, covering topics such as sizes, distances, stellar evolution and Andean cosmology; the second is an observation of the night sky with the naked eye, in which you can see stars, constellations and the Milky Way. The third stage takes place inside a small dome, in which there is an 11-inch automatic telescope for observing deep-space objects, those that are impossible to observe with the naked eye www.ecoadventures.com | 3 EXCURSIONS Excursions may by modified or replaced without prior advice by Awasi Hotel ATTRACTIONS OF SAN PEDRO Difficulty: Easy Total time: 2:30 hours How: By car and on Foot / Bike San Pedro de Atacama is known as the archaeological capital of Chile. The settlement is very old, with permanently inhabited since at least 2,500 years ago. On this excursion you will be able to visit the town square and the church, both places representative of the village , and the two major archaeological sites of San Pedro: the Pukará de Quitor, a tenth century fort built with mud and white volcanic rock, and the village of Tulor, built with adobe in curved and organic forms, with an enigmatic history that represents the origin of the people of this area AYLLUS Difficulty: Easy Total time: 2:30 hours How: By car and on foot / Bicycle / Horse people were organized in the Tawantinsuyu, the Inca kingdom, for the employment of men in collective work tasks. San Pedro de Atacama today has 15 Ayllus, located in the area surrounding the old town, which faithfully embody the peaceful agrarian way of life of the ethnic Lickan Antay, which has remained relatively intact for millennia. Here it is possible to visit their cultivation fields, to observe the thousand-year old route of the irrigation channels, and to see both native and introduced flora and fauna. VALLE DE LA LUNA Difficulty: Easy Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot / Bike The Valle de la Luna, or Valley of the Moon, is without doubt the most famous natural attraction of the Antofagasta region. It is located less than ten kilometers from San Pedro, in the middle of the Cordillera de la Sal. Its gigantic sedimentary rock walls, with their red and white tones, are contorted by the huge tectonic pressure acting upon the Atacama Desert. Some of the most popular sites in the sector are La Duna Mayor, Las Tres Marías, El Mirador de Kari, and El Cañón de la Sal. www.ecoadventures.com | 4 EXCURSIONS Excursions may by modified or replaced without prior advice by Awasi Hotel KARI CANYON Difficulty: Medium Total time: 3 hours How: By Car an on foot Subject to weather and conservation situations. The Valle de la Luna hides a secret of great beauty, little frequented or known: el Cañón de Kari. Named for the green color of its ores (minerals as removed from the mine) of copper, it is journey that never ceases to amaze, from the heights of the Mirador, passing through a salt flat, until reaching the serpentine path of the water between blades of clay and salt BARRANCAS Difficulty: Easy Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot / Horse El Valle de la Muerte, or Death Valley, is very close to the Valle de la Luna, in another sector of the Cordillera de la Sal. You can get a fantastic panoramic view of the town of San Pedro, the central Cordillera of the Andes and the impressive Cuenca de Atacama basin, from the crest of a sedimentary rock wall raised up by the energy of the tectonic plates. The trek is mainly on the plain, upon a rocky surface. PIEDRA DE LA COCA Difficulty: Medium Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot / Bicycle / Horse In prehistoric times, the inhabitants of San Pedro built a large network of commercial routes towards other zones, such as the coast or the Bolivian Altiplano. Their footprints are still visible today in the rock, where they made mysterious engravings of animals and people. Here it is possible to walk where they did, thousands of years ago, to appreciate not only the rock art but also the beautiful natural formations of the Cordillera de la Sal GARGANTA DEL DIABLO Difficulty: Medium Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot / Bicycle / Horse The Cordillera de la Sal is that mirror the landscape of the planet Mars. One of them stands out for the enormity of its walls of clay and gypsum, from which you can expect fantastic views behind every nook and cranny of the route, and that www.ecoadventures.com | 5 EXCURSIONS Excursions may by modified or replaced without prior advice by Awasi Hotel KATARPE Difficulty: Easy Total time: 2:30 hours How: By car and on foot / Bicycle / Horse In the sector north of the town, following the course of the Río San Pedro river, you come to the Katarpe sector. Here officials of the Tawantinsuyu (Inca kingdom) were assigned to administer the Lickan Antay, collecting taxes and recruiting people to form compulsory armies for the Inca. The remains of the Kallanka (Inca center) can still be seen, surrounded by the majestic Cordillera de la Sal mountains and the salty waters of the river. This destination can be combined with other excursions, like La Garganta del Diablo or La Piedra de la Coca LAGUNA CEJAR Difficulty: Easy Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot / Bike The Salar de Atacama is the third largest salt flat on the planet. It is also very special in its morphology, a product of the extreme aridity of climate. However, there are lakes deep at their heart, of high salinity, that possess curious and beautiful birdlife, in addition to plants that are extremely salt-tolerant. The Cejar and Piedras lakes are visited - in the latter, it is possible to bathe and enjoy an experience similar to that of the dead sea - in addition to Los Ojos del Salar and the Laguna Tebinquiche, both of great scenic beauty. TOCONAO AND SÓNCOR SECTOR Difficulty: Easy Total time: 3 hours How: By car and on foot The Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos national reserve, the most diverse in the country in terms of biomass, derives its name from the three endemic flamenco species of northern Chile. There is no better place to observe these majestic birds than the Río Burro Muerto, in the Sóncor Sector.