Arriving in San Pedro de Atacama can be a little overwhelming. Although the town is pretty small, the number of tour operators is steep. I mean, if you’re planning on going to the north of Chile, and you’re not in the mood of driving a car yourself, at some point you need to get yourself acquainted with these tours on offer.
Just a quick round around town will make your bed look like this:
Flyers all around.
It’s not just that; most of the tours offer more or less the same deals. So apart from what tour you need to take, there’s also the question about how much they’ll cost you. On top of that, you need to find a tour operator that you feel comfortable with.
Personally, I needed a couple of hours to digest all of the information provided. Therefore I hope this article will get you started in a way that you at least know what’s on offer. I only went on a tour with Desert Adventures and to me that was a bit of a disappointing adventure.
According to the information center in town, both Lithium Travel and Talatur had the best reviews. But then again, who knows if the guy behind the counter had an uncle or neighbour working at one of those agencies. And then again as well, no matter the organization, it all depends on the guide in the end.
Do mind that you can do Valle de la Luna, Pukará de Quitor and Laguna Cejar on your own by bicycle if you want to spare some pesos. And to save a little more money; go here to see where the best and cheapest eats in town are!
The 10 tours below are the most common. There are also a few agencies that are into exciting volcano hikes, if you’re in a very active mood and not afraid of a bit of altitude. All prices below are in Chilean pesos – I realise the dollar sign is confusing, but that’s just what they use over there too. These are just the prices that I received (including the discount – all tour operators will give a discount if you ask for it). That doesn’t mean however that you can even get a better price – just ask and go for it!
Tatio Geysers (Géiser del Tatio)
Tour cost = $25.000 – $20.000 with discount. Admission $ 10.000 for foreigners
More or less from 4 am – 12:30 pm
Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere, at an altitude of 4300 meters. Apart from walking around over there in the bitter cold early morning, you can soak later on the day in some hot springs nearby. On the way back there’s also a stop to visit the Machuca Village.
This tour leaves in the very early morning. Some operators even pick you up at an earlier time, because it’s even better to be at the geysers before sunset. The drive towards the sight is some 90 minutes.
To me this would be the tour that I would be the most picky regarding the operator. Walking around in the area of the geysers can be dangerous. One misstep and you might hit a boiling spot in the earth. I saw a group at the geysers of Uyuni just walking around between the boiling pots, without their guide watching them. Therefore I would advise you to go with an organisation that you trust, with a good guide. Cosmo Andino Expeditions for example seemed recommendable. But follow your gut.
Altiplano lagoons and Piedras Rojas (Laguna Altiplanicas + Piedras Rojas)
Tour cost $45.000 – $35.000 with discount. Admission $ 5.500
More or less from 7 am – 6 pm
The price is high, yet the day is long. Many operators combine these two highlights in the desert. The lakes of Miscanti and Meñique and lake Chaxa have a gorgeous setting and very blue water. Apart from that, you see a lot of birds like flamingos on the way and perhaps even a desert fox. Especially if you’re not going to the Bolivian salt flats, this might be a proper tour for you to experience.
At the time of my visit (May 2018) the second part of the tour – Piedras Rojas – was closed and replaced by Tuyastu. Apparently a couple of people damaged one of the stones with graffiti or something. Pissed off locals – understandably – closed access to the Piedras. Tours now stop and view the area from a distance. Apparently like that the view are still worth it, but you can’t really come close anymore.
Salar de Tara
Tour cost $55.000 – $45.000 with discount. No admission fee
More or less from 8 am – 5 pm
One of the less visited tours, if only because of the distance and the price. The landscape of Tara is one that apparently resembles Mars. It’s high up (you go up till 4800 meters) in the Andes, and you’ll encounter quite some animals too as the environment changes along the way. Laguna Diamante, Monjes de la Pakana, Cathedrales de Tara and Salar de Tara are the highlights of the day.
As I had been to the salt flats in Uyuni, one tour operator recommended me this trip in order to see something different.
Valle de la Luna
Tour cost $17.000 – $12.000 with discount. Admission $ 4.000 for both valleys.
More or less from 3 pm – 7:30 pm
During this afternoon you’ll visit the out of this world sites of Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte. Since this tour is so close to San Pedro de Atacama (3 km) it’s a popular one. First you visit a salt cave, next you go to see three statue like rocks (‘The three Maria’s) before walking to a great dune with a beautiful overview to the valley. After leaving this valley you shortly visit the nearby red sandy Valle de la Muerte.
The highlight of the tour is the sunset at the end of the tour on the other side of the Valle de la Luna at Coyote rocks. Over here the valley really resembles a moonscape landscape with craters and hills.
To me it was worth it, but if I had to do it again I’d definitely do it by bicycle.
Hidden lagoons (Laguna Escondidos) =
Tour cost = $ 25.000 – with discount $ 20.000. Admission $ 5.000
More or less from 2 pm – 8 pm
A bumpy ride, very blue waters and a salty skin, that’s what you get with this tour. It takes a 20-minute walk from the parking space to get to the 7 small lakes. You’re allowed to swim in the first and last one. Like with Laguna Cejar, the water is so salty in here that you’re kind of floating in it. Fun if you’ve never experienced this.
Puritama hot springs (Termas de puritama) =
Tour cost = $ 15.000 – with discount $ 10.000. Admission in the morning $ 15.000/ Admission in the afternoon $ 9.000 from Monday to Friday and $ 15.000 in the weekend and on Holidays
Morning tour from 8 am – 1 pm or afternoon tour from 1:30 pm – 18 pm
A visit to in total 7 natural pools were you can chill out. The higher ones have the warmest water, although you apparently shouldn’t expect ‘hot springs’, they’re more like ‘warm springs’.
As it is in nature, there aren’t any shops or something nearby, but there are toilets and facilities to change. It’s an easy ride from San Pedro de Atacama too. The surroundings are very pretty, but it can be busy in here.
Rainbow valley (Valle del Arcoiris)
Tour costs = $ 30.000 – with discount $ 23.000. Admission $ 3.000
More or less from 8 am – 01:30 pm
From what I’ve heard you cannot compare this rainbow valley in any ways to the ones in Peru or Argentina (Quebrada de Humahuaca), but if you’re not planning on visiting those, this one could still do the (colourful) trick. The area stars some interesting formations and many minerals that change the colours of the rocks. The tours are less popular too, so perhaps you don’t even need to share the views with anyone.
Laguna Cejar
Tour cost = $ 20.000 – with discount $ 15.000. Admission $ 10.000 in the morning and $ 15.000 in the afternoon
More or less from 3 pm – 8 pm
Laguna Cejar consists of three lakes that are all close (18 km ) to San Pedro de Atacama. Two of them aren’t that special, but the other one is so chock-full of salt (or well.. they probably all three are) that you can basically float in it – and you’re allowed to do so. A little Dead Sea smack right in the middle of the Chilean desert. You’ll also visit the Ojos del Salar and nearby laguna Tebenquinche.
Unfortunately the admission for laguna Cejar is ridiculously high, one of the highest of all attractions in the area. If you go in the morning this will save you 5000 CLP, but for some kind of reason the tours go in the afternoon (as far as I’m concerned). Minding the high fee, to me seeing the lakes was worth it, even though I already had seen quite some salty lakes at the Bolivian salt flats.
Astronomic tour
Tour cost = $ 25.000 with discount $ 20.000. No admission
More or less from 9 pm – 11 pm or 23:30 pm – 00:30 am
Star gazing is the bomb in this area. Some organisations offer tours with astronomic explanation about the planets, satellites and constellations. Of course some telescopes are involved too. Make sure however that you’re planning your visit when there’s no full moon. The bright light will seriously diminish the experience and some operators won’t tell you this in advance.
Ancestral Caravan (Caravana Ancestral)
As far as I’ve seen this tour is only offered by Talatur. The concept is simple; you walk with a llama along your side while a guide tells you all about the heritage of the local people in the desert, their customs and their culture. It includes a picnic too. I haven’t done it myself; but I heard enthusiastic stories of people who thought it was an authentic experience. The tour needs a minimum of 4 people. I forgot to ask about the prices, so you have to inform those yourself if you’re interested!
Manon Bhre
February 19, 2019 at 3:57 am
Hi, I ‘ve got one day in San Pedro de Atacama. I would like to visit the valle de la luna the morning and Laguna Cejar the afternoon. How could I book ?
Thanks
Manon
Kristel
February 19, 2019 at 4:02 am
Hi Manon, that would depend on what you want to do! In case you’d like to visit both places via an organised tour, you’d best contact one of the organisations to see what’s possible. But both these places you could visit yourself as well, by bicycle or with a car (also see my other post about cycling to Laguna Cejar). Or you could cycle to Cejar in the morning and do a tour to Valle de la Luna (although that might be a tight schedule). Also, I’d advise you to visit the places in reverse order as the sunset at Valle de la Luna is very pretty to watch! Good luck and enjoy! Kristel from TTT