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Private Uyuni Salt Flat (4 days)
4-day private tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat, beginning and ending in San Pedro de Atacama. It includes transport, superior accommodations, and meals.
- 1 person: US$ 2,050 per person.
- Group of 2 people: US$ 1,150 per person.
- Group of 3 people: US$ 950 per person.
- Group of 4 people: US$ 750 per person.
- Group of 5 people: US$ 740 per person.
- Group of 6 people: US$ 630 per person.*
*Even though the 4x4 vehicle has space for six passengers plus the guide, the last seat of the vehicle is more cramped that the other seats. Therefore, if you would like for all travelers to be able to sit comfortably, we suggest doing the tour in two groups of three each (two separate bookings).
- Select the departure date from the calendar.
- Select the number of people.
- Click on "Add to cart".
- Pay online an advance deposit of the total price of the program.
- Once the payment has been made, the booking will be subject to confirmation depending on availability. If you wuld like to find out about availability before making the payment, send us an e-mail at reservas@denomades.com.
- You can reschedule or cancel the tour (with a full refund) up until 31 days before it starts.
- Hotel pickup in San Pedro de Atacama.
- Private transport.
- Spanish-speaking driver/guide.
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
- Accommodations in hotels:
- Three nights of accommodations in 3-stars hotels in a double or queen private room, a private bathroom, hot shower, and solar panels heating:
- 1st night in the Hotel Tayka del Desierto (Hotel Jardines de Mallku Cueva or Eco Hotel Los Flamencos, according to availability).
- 2nd night in the Hotel Tayka de Piedra (or Hotel de Sal Tambo Loma, according to availability).
- 3rd night in the Hotel Luna Salada (Hotel Palacio de Sal or Hotel Cristal Samaña, according to availability).
- Round trip shuttle between Calama airport and San Pedro de Atacama.
- Border tax (Bs. 17 per person).
- Drinks at hotel meals.
- Entrance fees to parks (Bs. 186 per person).
- Entrance fee to the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve (Bs. 150 per person).
- Entrance fee to the Polques Hot Springs (Bs. 6 per person).
- Entrance fee to Incahuasi Island (Bs. 30 per person).
- Access to bathrooms along the way (approximately Bs. 6 each time).
- Travel insurance with health coverage.
- Water.
- English speaking driver/guide: US$ 315 per group.
*Subject to availability when booking.
- Comfortable and warm clothing.
- Comfortable shoes (ideally for hiking).
- Swimsuit and towel (for Polques Hot Springs).
- Sunglasses.
- Sunscreen.
- Toiletries.
- Toilet paper.
- Water (1 liter per person, for the first day. You can buy it on the road during the rest of the tour).
- Passport or ID card. If your a foreigner resident in Chile you should bring both to present them at customs.
- At least Bs. 250 for mandatory expenses on the tour (tax, entrance fees, bathrooms, and water).
- Extra money in cash (Bs.) to buy souvenirs and other expenses (optional).
- Minimum age of 7 required.
- Not recommended for people suffering high blood pressure, heart failure, asthma, or other similar ailments, for whom visiting places above 4,000 meters (13,123 ft.) of altitude may present a health risk (the tour is done mostly above 4,000 meters of altitude, even reaching 4,850 meters (15,912 ft.) of altitude one of the days of the tour).
- No allowed for pregnant women.
Start: Day 1 at 7:00 am at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
End: Day 4 at 6:00 pm in downtown San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 1: Pick-up will be at your hotel and then we will set off for the border crossing between Chile and Bolivia, where we will go through customs and border procedures and then begin the tour that includes a visit to the Verde and Blanca Lagoons and the Polques Hot Springs. Then, we will continue on to the Sol de Mañana Geysers, the Colorada Lagoon, and the “Stone Tree” before reaching our hotel.
Day 2: We will leave in the morning to begin the visit to a number of Altiplanic lagoons in the middle of the Andes Mountain Range. We will see the Cachi, Honda, and Chiarkota Lagoons and we will also make stops at the Hedionda and Cañapa Lagoons so we can take pictures and stretch our legs after the time spent traveling in the vehicle. Finally, we will stop at the Chiguana Salt Flat before going to our hotel to have dinner and then get some sleep.
Day 3: We will start the day very early in the morning to enter the Uyuni Salt Flat and get set up in a superb spot to see the sunrise. After giving a warm greeting to the sun, we will cross the endless white stretch of the salt flat until reaching Incahuasi Island. We will be able to explore the trails and climb up to the highest part of the island where we will have a 360° view of the salt flat. Then we will visit the Salt Museum and the Dakar Monument, and we will leave the salt flat to visit the town of Colchani. We will then continue on until reaching our hotel to get some sleep.
Day 4: Like the Uyuni Salt Flat (4 days) standard tour, this day is dedicated solely to the return trip from Uyuni, which is why we will leave very early from the hotel to get on the road to the border. Here we will go through the corresponding procedures and then continue on to San Pedro de Atacama, where we will end the tour.
Altiplano winter
From January to April, a weather phenomenon occurs that is known as Altiplano winter, which is the rainy season in the central Andes. Due to this, the described itinerary may be modified as follows:
- The second night would not be in the Hotel Tayka de Piedra, but in the Hotel Luna Salada or a similar hotel in Uyuni.
- We would not visit the Incahuasi Island because it is located in the middle of the salt flat where we find the largest concentration of water during the rainy season.
Changes due to force majeure
These are referential itineraries. The route to get to the salt flat, the places visited, the indicated order and the end time will always be subject to change according to weather conditions, road conditions, unforseen events, and accommodations availability. The itinerary is confirmed in the briefing given by the supplier the day before the start of the activity. However, the itinerary still could be modified due to the occurrence of the aforementioned situations once the tour has already begun.
- What days of the week the tour is available?
As it is a private service, it is possible begin the tour any day of the week, every month of the year. - How much time in advance should I book the tour?
Because of the hotel high demand in the area, we recommend you to book at least one or two months in advance. -
It is necessary to have tourist visa to enter Bolivia?
It depends on the passenger’s nationality. Passengers from Chile and the rest of South America, and passengers from Western Europe do not need tourist visa, while the passengers from United States, Central America, Asia and Africa do need tourist visa, which price is US$ 100 or US$ 160 according to the country (you can check the price per country here). The visa is obtained directly in the border, where along with the payment of the visa in cash (bolivianos or US dollars in good condition), the passengers will have to present their passport and two wallet-size photographs. In case you are a foreign person resident in Chile, besides your passport, you should take your ID card, so you can prove your residence before the police authorities in customs. - Do I need to be vaccinated against yellow fever for the tour?
The vaccine against yellow fiebe is not required for the tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat. It is only required if you subsequently plan to visit the Bolivian jungle. - What kind of car is used to do the tour?
The tour is made on a minibus in Chile and on a 4x4 (Toyota Land Cruiser) in Bolivia. -
How is the infrastructure of the accommodations of this program?
The program with hotels has a similar level of structure for every accommodation. The rooms are private, single, double or triple, according to the availability, all have solar panels heating and private bathroom with warm water. -
What type of sockets have the accommodations?
The accommodations have sockets type C, compatible with the types E and F. Anyway, our recommendation is that you carry an adapter to avoid any inconvenience. - How many bags or suitcases can I bring??
Each passenger may carry at most 1 bag or suitcase of 18 kilos which will go above the 4x4. - How is the weather along the tour?
In summer (December to March), the temperature ranges from about 4 °C as a minimum, to 23 °C maximum. In winter (June to September) the temperature ranges from about -20 °C as a minimum, to 16 °C maximum. - How much money should I bring to the tour?
We recommend to bring 300 bolivianos per person for expenses not included in the tour, as entrances to parks (186 bolivianos per person), border tax (15 bolivianos per person) access to toilets and buying of souvenirs. -
Where can I exchange money to bolivianos?
In Toconao Street, in San Pedro de Atacama (intersection with Caracoles Street), you will be able to find some exchange offices where you can obtain bolivianos to take for the tour. - How likely is suffer "puna" or altitude sickness during the tour?
Most of the tour is made above 13,123 ft. of altitude so it is quite likely to suffer from altitude sickness specially the first day of the tour. To avoid or reduce the general feeling of discomfort, we recommend acclimate to the altitude one or two days above 8,202 ft., drink lots of water before and during the tour, eat light meals (avoid meat) the previous days, and do not drink alcohol the night before the beginning of the tour. - What is it about the meals?
The meals are varied, and includes tea, coffee, bread, cookies and fruit for breakfast, and meat, pasta, rice, soup and vegetables for lunch and dinner. In case you need a vegetarian menu, you must ask for it writing at reservas@denomades.com at the moment you make the online booking. - What about the tour in case it rains?
In case of rain, the order of the places visited, the possibility to see the sunrise and the accommodation places are subject to change, because some of the roads might be closed. Added to the previous information, water in the Uyuni Salt Flat is an important obstacle and the Incahuasi Island (located in the center of the salt flat) remains closed. This means the Incahuasi Island cannot be visited and we enter to the salt flat only for a certain distance, so the passengers are safe. - When is it possible to see the mirror effect on the Uyuni Salt Flat?
The mirror effect occurs when there is water on the salt flat. This happens only in rainy periods (January and February) and after them (March). -
Why all the restrictions to make the tour?
The tour is made in the Altiplano area, at an altitude above 9,842.5 ft. Just with this, our body is submitted to an abnormal stress, which can cause discomfort and risk in people with the conditions mentioned in the restriction’s section. Moreover, the tour does not have health insurance and there are not health centers to treat this kind of situations in a proper manner on the route. - Is it possible to do the tour with a guide in another language?
Yes. The English-speaking guide service for the whole tour, has an additional cost of US$ 315 per group and it is subject to availability at the moment of the booking.
