San Pedro de Atacama Puritama Hot Springs: A Full Look

San Pedro de Atacama Puritama Hot Springs: A Full Look

The Atacama Desert, mainly a spot known for its extreme dryness and otherworldly landscapes, apparently hides a relaxing treat: the Puritama Hot Springs. Near San Pedro de Atacama, these thermal pools really give an inviting break after a day of checking out geysers, salt flats, and star-filled skies. The Puritama Hot Springs give you a spot, more or less, where you can relax in warm waters while surrounded by dramatic desert beauty, which makes it a “must-visit” for, like your, people exploring this area of Chile. This review takes a closer view, kind of, at what makes Puritama quite an exceptional spot, right, from its naturally warm waters to, well, the experiences awaiting visitors.

Getting to Puritama: Preparing Your Visit

Puritama Hot Springs entrance

To visit Puritama, which might be one of your first things to think about, so here’s some details, at the end of the day. First of all, the hot springs sit just about 30 kilometers north of San Pedro de Atacama. The road there, very, tends to be, seemingly, a fairly easy drive, it’s almost all on pretty decent roads, anyway, although having a 4×4 would probably make the drive more comfy. So that way, like, you will be comfy enough for the long drive there.

For folks not really wanting to drive themselves, several tours run daily from San Pedro, too it’s almost, offering transport and admission. So, for example, booking with a local tour operator definitely, arguably, removes all the stress of getting there. Also, keep in mind that there’s an entrance fee; which is, sort of, always a good idea to check current prices because, clearly, they sometimes change based on the season. Before heading over there, just checking current prices for that.

One more tip to maybe, just a little, keep in mind: booking in advance, is that, really, can be pretty useful. This is mainly important during the high season, because, honestly, Puritama becomes popular, and restricting visitor numbers keeps it enjoyable for people; that is so. With that, there will most likely be a chance of you visiting here.

Experiencing the Waters: Relaxation and Rejuvenation

Puritama Hot Springs pools

Puritama really is made of eight thermal pools which are terraced along a narrow canyon, or it could be, feeding from underground hot springs. You know, the water, arguably, tends to be a comfy temperature, mostly, in a way, around 28-31°C (82-88°F), making it seemingly perfect for relaxing, even as the desert air tends to be cooler, in fact. With the right comfy temperature, most of the time you won’t notice the desert air being a cooler breeze for your enjoyment. Puritama, in that case, basically uses water sourced naturally and heated geothermally; that’s right. With that being a key reason that the mineral richness from its thermal water soothes the body.

You know, moving between the pools uses a wooden walkway that mostly winds through the canyon. And each pool might be offering its personal, very, more or less, intimate setting. What is also nice is that there’s enough privacy from the rocks. The water, by the way, is nice, clear and fairly clean; that helps improve the relaxing setting. Still, due its location being nature surrounded, arguably, you might get the rare bug floating in there, which is just to be expected.

Changing rooms and bathroom areas, typically, can be found onsite, just a little. And so too it’s almost, consider toting along a towel, right, flip-flops, and potentially a robe if it seems you would like moving from the pools. Keep that in mind.

Surroundings and Ambiance: The Desert’s Embrace

Atacama Desert landscape near Puritama

The surroundings are key, honestly, to Puritama’s beauty. Set, arguably, within the stark setting from the Atacama Desert, it can make the contrast of warm waters to be incredibly striking, right. You get the huge desert all around and there is just something pretty magical with the way it all connects, like that.

Because it is such a protected area, the Puritama Hot Springs and it’s desert looks typically untouched, in some respects. This gives nature lovers that almost unmatched beauty from this spot, usually. The rugged desert adds peace to your time in these hot springs, seemingly. Really, this place almost brings calmness that only nature can. Anyway, keep in mind there are other people there, which could affect this calming thing; but really this spot looks great, still. With that you must keep in mind that there are other people in the area.

What to Bring: Essential Packing List

Travel Packing List

Make that your visit Puritama more comfy with proper preparation; that is something that may occur. And so I did write this short list:

  • Swimsuit: Absolutely a must for having fun, right in the thermal waters.
  • Towel: Basically, make sure to have one to get you dry following your relaxing soaking time, very.
  • Flip-flops or sandals: Because they would be useful when walking round the pools so, too it’s almost, keeping the feet safe while going from, apparently, the changing rooms to, arguably, the waters.
  • Robe: Providing additional comfort more or less, mainly between dips, like.
  • Water: Staying very hydrated can be important, very, given that the desert environment may cause dryness. It’s important when near a dry, open place.
  • Sunscreen: Considering the Atacama’s sunshine could be intense, and so protecting your skin can be extremely useful, right. It helps very much and gives UV protection for the exposed skin.
  • Hat and sunglasses: More UV protection really may be useful, that is so, also guarding well against that sun.
  • Camera: Trying to remember the unique setting can make this worth taking; also you may wish to capture all those landscapes that are good looking; of course.

Sustainability and Preservation: Respecting the Environment

Environmental protection

Protecting Puritama, in other words, really becomes important, and mostly it has to do, might be, with its untouched condition as a key, naturally kept beauty, right. That’s one main part for keeping that spot well.

Visitors play their part if they’re aware of something while going here by doing a few things: they follow, seemingly, posted guidelines, that’s something, and also picking up your personal garbage, too. This would definitely help preserve that cleanliness as something, you may say, worth trying to have for the spot.

To protect this kind of area just being conscious also, more or less, includes decreasing our impacts to, arguably, the spot to guarantee the many coming future generations gets these relaxing spots, anyway. I suppose we should give focus on saving these areas. As I was saying, really being careful goes very far to make certain that these treasures gets to be there for ages.