I have a slight obsession with salt flats. So, when I recently traveled to Argentina for a competition, visiting Salinas Grandes quickly made its way onto my to do list. What I learned is that there is an opportunity to spend the night on the salt flats through Pristine Camps. I’ll be honest, it isn’t cheap, but how often do you get to basically sleep on another planet?!

Pristine Camps did not disappoint! We had the salt flats almost completely to ourselves — a photographer’s dream!! I just walked, biked, took pictures, and stared in awe the entire time I was there. The nice thing about Pristine Camps is their existence didn’t take away from the salts, they actually added to it. The yurts they used blended perfectly with the white flats and, to me, looked like homes you would see if you were on a Mars colony, which just added to the cool factor!

The yurts were also extremely comfortable and warm during the cold nights. Because you are in the middle of no where Pristine Camps handles all your meals, and was very accommodating of our vegan diets, more about that here. It was true luxury every step along the way.

One of the most magical parts of our stay was the night sky. With almost zero light pollution the stars were spectacular! We bundled up and went out at 3am to get the full effect of the sky, and it was breathtaking. We even saw a few shooting stars! Salinas Grandes with Pristine Camps is an experience I will never forget! Read on to learn how they collaborate with the local indigenous population and work to keep the whole experience sustainable from their CEO Carolina Barnetche.

Where are you based?
I’m based in Buenos Aires but I usually visit one of the three camps every month, wherever my presence is required the most.

What inspired you to start Pristine Camps?
The desire to undertake a project that would unite nature, tourism, hospitality, and sustainability in something disruptive. We saw the opportunity to create luxury experiences that were also responsible towards the environment and local communities, showcasing the beauty of nature in its most pristine form.

You have a few locations. Which was your first one? How do you choose your locations?
Salinas Grandes was the first to open in November 2021, immediately following the pandemic lockdown and reflecting the public's eagerness for more moments in contact with nature. The stars aligned in our favor since one of the partners had previously work with the local community and another one had a dream of creating a glamping that later became a luxury camp with a larger purpose: to showcase nature in its most pristine form, hence the name.

Your locations are out of this world – on top of salt flats, next to a glacier, and in a jungle. How do you get access to these unique places?
Step by step. It is not an easy task, but the vision and the desire to create something outstanding was always the engine which made the impossible possible.

Why did you decide to go with a yurt design for your camps?
We choose a white dome design in Salinas Grandes because we realized this kind of construction would blend in with the landscape.

Iguazu, in the middle of a nature reserve, required a different design to best adapt to the lush green vegetation that surrounds you as well as to the music of the jungle. And finally, in el Calafate we considered that the design had to change and our cabañas appear. We wanted to continue with the idea of domes but in wood, to be part of the landscape.

I got to experience your location at Salinas Grandes, the salt flats, which is truly a magical experience. It felt like being on Mars! Can you tell us a little bit about how you work with the local indigenous people to have this camp and help protect this sacred land?
This is the most attractive part of this business for me. We decided to make and alliance with local people to be partners in this adventure because they had the concession of the salt flat and we the knowledge and the skills. So we decided to put our efforts together to create something wonderful and to create job opportunities for them in the tourism and hotel industry. It is a win-win situation because we offer high quality service, and personal attention for our guests but enriched with the wisdom and beauty of local culture. I guarantee this is something you will not find in big cities.

How does having this hotel on the salt flats help protect the land?
First of all it is important to understand that if we would leave and pick up the whole camp, the salt flats would stay in the same pristine conditions as when we found them because the construction was made on wooden sticks, we enter water every day and take out grey water every day, too.

I love how you try to be as sustainable as possible with this location. Can you tell us a little bit about the sustainable methods you use at Salinas Grandes? Are you as sustainable at all your locations?
We are truly sustainable: we have big solar panels for the electricity requirements. We don’t use plastic. We abide by “Politica Zero”, that means we buy our products from local communities to buy our produce from local communities to avoid long distance transportation and to showcase the flavors of typical gastronomy of the area.

The three camps have the same purpose, and that is to protect the nature where we put our feet.

Do you use solar energy at all your locations? What made you decide to go with it?
All three of our camps are equipped with solar panels, with the Calafate camp featuring the largest solar energy system for a hotel in South America. This is all part of the sustainable project we carry out. Our planet is only one; we have to take care of it right now.

Handling clean water in and water waste out at Salinas Grandes sounds like quite the undertaking, as Salinas Grandes is a desert and very far from everything. Can you tell us a little bit about this?
It s very difficult but not impossible. It’s an artisanal job every day but we are taking care of the salt flat and giving our guest comfortable conditions.

What is your must see thing to do at Pristine Camps?
Pristine Salinas is a magic place, where you can make a stop, enjoy the calm an serenity, discover an amazing sky full of stars and live the moment as the only present we have.

What is next for Pristine Camps?
In our Master Plan we want to continue offering more unique and nature locations, but we are still working on it. I hope in a few months we can share a good new one.

The world is a crazy place these days, what do you do to stay positive?
How could I not stay positive when I am surrounded by so much beauty? We are blessed with Pristine places that enlight our senses with the magic of our planet. So my hopes and dreams are set on protecting everything around us and being part of the wonder of life itself.

What is your motto?
Every day is a new adventure.

To learn more about Pristine Camps, please check out the links below:
pristinecamps.com
Pristine Camps
pristinecamps