Explora, founded in 1993 and with sites throughout Chile, Peru, Argentina, and Bolivia, pioneered eco-tourism in the region by taking visitors on "explorations" into the Atacama's remotest areas. Explora Atacama is more aptly defined as an adventure lodge than a hotel, with its own spa, four outdoor swimming pools, horse stables, airy sitting rooms, restaurant, and bar.
The most famous section, however, is the one surrounding San Pedro de Atacama. This city is the largest in the region. All excursions depart from San Pedro de Atacama, since it is the best location from which to view the whole of the Atacama Desert. The Atacama Desert's formation
The crew excavated excavations up to three feet deep in locations that, based on chemical analysis, were previously uninhabited by people. They returned in 2016 and 2017 to gather further samples and monitor any bacteria that remained as the bleak terrain dried up again. Back in the lab, the researchers investigated the soil and discovered DNA that indicated that wetter locations closer to Chile's coast had bigger, more diversified microbial communities than drier ones further inland. Additionally, they saw signs of the ATP moleculeâcells' universal currency for storing and delivering energyâas well as the building blocks of cell membranes.
At 16,570 feet (5,050 meters) above sea level, the Atacama Desert plateau may be the greatest location on Earth for seeing the solar system's secrets. Each year, the desert has up to 330 cloudless nights, much to the pleasure of amateur astronomers. An array of observatories high on the Atacama Desert plateau monitor the celestial bodies in our solar system and beyond. ALMA is a network of 66 telescopes operated by an international partnership of scientific institutions from Europe, North America, East Asia, and the Republic of Chile. It spies on distant stars and planets born around them.
