When we first arrived at Explora Atacama I was surprised at how plain everything looked but after a little exploring realized that this is indeed a remarkable facility. Our room wasn't spacious but was plenty large enough to accommodate both of us and our luggage. The main lodge is very nice inside and very spacious. The pools looked great but we never had time to use them.
We did four walks: (1) Kari walk (walking through a desert canyon) which was very nice, especially when you're able to take a few minutes and listen to the salt crystals making a crackling sound as they cool. (2) The Cactus Walk, which was probably more interesting than Kari. There is a good deal of walking and you're at a higher altitude but the pace is easy. (3) Bike ride to the salt lagoon. This is a easy bike ride and if you get tired you can always hitch a ride in the van that follows you. When you get to the lagoon you have the opportunity to go floating, which is a lot of fun. But be warned, you must wear something on your feet when you're in the lagoon and you have to be careful of your hands, or else you'll end up with some cuts from the salt crystals. (4) The hike to the hot springs/thermal pools. You can either hike there or else they'll take you in the van as part of another trip. The hike was interesting and the hot springs are just great for soaking. Of course Explora has the best one reserved for their use! Of the outings we did, I would rank them as follows: Salt Lake bike ride number one, the Cactus Walk and the hike to the Hot Springs tied at number two, and the Kari walk as third (but still a good walk, especially good as a first walk to start your time there).
In addition to the above we rode horses four times in three days (one time was a lesson). They have some great horses there! Several things to note about horseback riding there: first, they have either English saddles or Chilean saddles, no Western saddles when we were there. Secondly, if you request it, you can get a lesson arranged either as one of your activities or it can be worked in before or after an activity. When we were there I wished I had brought a handkerchief or a bandanna to wear over my nose and mouth. The area where they give the lessons is incredibly dusty, and there are places in the desert where I wish I had one also. Another thing that I wished I had brought: a pocket camera. When we were riding in the desert we were advised not to bring our cameras due to the dust and the movement of the cameras on their straps might bother the horses or us, so we missed some of the greatest shots of the trip. One great thing I did have was a clip that REI and other places sell that clips to your cap and then to your collar to keep from losing your cap when galloping the horses. The best guide we had while riding was Rowena. From what we were told all of the guides love to go horseback riding but some of them more for their own fun than for that of the guests, so be sure to know your limits and be up-front with them about what you can and can't do and don't depend on them to set limits for you. Some of them will let you get in over your head but if you're up for it this is a great place to ride!
You need to know that everyone in Chile seems to eat late. Dinners are considered early if they start at 8:00pm.
Working with the guides: each night you work with a guide to pick the activities for the next day. The idea is you sit in the bar area and a guide will come up to you and help you make your selections. In my opinion this is the weakest part of the Explora Atacama experience. Guests are not taken in the order they arrive in the bar; the guides are infamous for picking and choosing who they go to. Generally, once you've worked with a guide or been on their hike you've got a good chance of them working with you pretty quickly, even if you came in after everyone else. The first night we were there we waited for an hour and ten minutes before someone worked with us, and this was after we complained to the manager twice about the delay (the guides kept going to people they had already met even though they came in after us). To make it worse we were the second couple to have shown up in the bar! It could have been worse, the first couple to show up in the bar were literally the last ones to be worked with, and they were very unhappy about the delay (remember, you're doing this before dinner, so we didn't even walk into the restaurant that night until almost 9:00). Why can't they have a simple system where you sign a list as you arrive and are taken in order?
Another note on working with the guides here (by the way, this didn't seem to be true of Torres del Paine Explora; more on that in another review): it's best to know what is offered before you work with the guides (read the brochures and website) and then be politely persistent about getting it arranged. Time after time we, and others, found that we were initially told "no" (it's not being offered, it's full, etc.) but if we persisted then they always graciously arranged it. My guess is that they try to limit the number of outings offered to limit expenses but if you've spent a fortune on this trip and they've advertised something then you should be able to get it. We were also fortunate in that the facility wasn't full while we were there so we were able to frequently go in small groups or else just us and a guide. When you first start working with a guide let them know what outings you definitely want to go on while you're there so that they can give you guidance on what you should do when (assuming you've got a good guide helping you). When you finish making your selections for the next day be sure to ask about how you should dress for each outing (shorts are generally a bad idea for most of the hikes). Be aware that by the front door of the lodge there is a board where all the outings for the next day are posted; be sure to double check the times of the outings and make sure it agrees with what you were told when you made your selection.
We had a great time here and I would go back in a heartbeat. I might feel a bit differently if I didn't love horseback riding. Overall the guides were great but there are exceptions. I agree with the reviewer who said that management there is weak, I completely agree. The facility is beautiful, the food is great. We were on the go the entire time we were there. We arrived on Wednesday March 21 and left on Sunday, the 25th. The weather was great. The facility was no where near full and by the time we left there were very few people staying there.
Best things I packed: multiple pairs of jeans, clip to keep cap on, sunblock, sunglasses, camera, lightweight t-shirts from REI that can be sink-washed and dry in minutes.
What I packed too much of: walking shorts, heavy t-shirts.