What days of the year can I make this excursion?
The tour has confirmed departures all days of the week, the whole year.
If you cancel your reservation up to 24 hours before the start of the activity, we will refund you 100% of the reservation payment. No refunds will be issued on cancellation requests received after the indicated anticipation.
You can reschedule your booking without any additional cost until 24 hours before the beginning of the activiity.
4-day group tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat, beginning and ending in San Pedro de Atacama. It includes transportation, basic accommodations, and meals.
*Service available only the first 3 days of the tour. The fourth day is with a Spanish-speaking driver.
Start: Day 1 at 6:00 am at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
End: Day 4 at 1:00 pm in the bus station or downtown San Pedro de Atacama (this end time could be modified due to weather conditions or force majeure reasons, which is why we recommend you leaving San Pedro de Atacama the day after the end date of the tour).
Day 1: We will pick you up at your hotel and travel in a minibus from San Pedro de Atacama to the border of Bolivia, passing by the border-control stations of Chile and Bolivia. Once we reach the border, we will switch to a 4x4 vehicle for 6 people. On this first day, we will visit places in the Bolivian Altiplano such as the Blanca Lagoon and Verde Lagoon located near the Licancabur Volcano. Next, we will visit the Salvador Dalí Desert, the Polques Hot Springs to take a nice dip, and the Sol de Mañana Geysers, intermittent sources of water that flow at a temperature of 90 °C (194 °F). We will end the day at the Colorada Lagoon, a major nesting site for more than 30,000 flamingos. We will stay overnight at the refugio in Villamar.
Day 2: After breakfast, we will take the route to Tomas Lakha, where you will be able to see the cave paintings from before the Incas. After that, we will visit Italia Perdida, place where the volcanic rock is shaped with what happens to be an abandoned city. Then, we will go to Vinto Lagoon and Catal Lagoon, where you will be able to walk and see the typical fauna of the Bolivian Altiplano. Later, we will visit the Anaconda Canyon and also the Sora Canyon, before going to the Chiguana Salt Flat ang getting to Colcha K where you will stay the second night.
Day 3: We will begin our last day of the tour very early in the morning with a view of the sunrise in the Uyuni Salt Flat. After this we will go to the Incahuasi Island, a limestone formation located in the middle of the salt flat where we will be able to explore and get another perspective of the Salt Flat. We will then continue on to the Salt Museum and the town of Colchani, which are outside of the salt flat. From here we will go to Uyuni, passing by the train cemetery, where we will make a short stop to take pictures. In Uyuni, we will say goodbye to our driver/guide who accompanied us during the previous three days, and then we will have some free time to eat lunch and tour part of the city. Then, we will meet up with the driver who will take us on the return trip, with a stop-over in Villamar to eat dinner and sleep.
Day 4: We will get up very early to continue our return trip and get to the border between Chile and Bolivia. Once here, and after the corresponding procedures, we will switch vehicles to a minibus to go back to San Pedro de Atacama.
*The pickup service included does not operate to nor from accommodations located outside the urban area of San Pedro de Atacama, accommodations located in ayllus near San Pedro de Atacama (Quitor, Yaye, Checar, Sequitor, Solor, and Coyo), nor accomodations in the town of Toconao.
Altiplano winter
From January to April, a weather phenomenon occurs that is known as the Altiplano winter, which is the rainy season in the central Andes. Due to this, the described itinerary may be modified as follows:
Changes due to force majeure
This is a referential itinerary. 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, unforeseen events, and accommodation 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.
The tour has confirmed departures all days of the week, the whole year.
The activity is made on a minibus in Chile and on a 4x4 (Toyota Land Cruiser) in Bolivia in a group of 6 people each.
Each passenger may carry at most one bag or suitcase of 15 kilos and one sleeping bag, which will go above the 4x4. Because they will be outside the vehicle, it is recommended to take a bag rather than a suitcase, as suitcases are fragile and could be exposed to potential damage. If you do choose to bring a suitcase, it must a maximum size of a cabin suitcase (55 x 40 x 20 cm).
Although the accommodations provide blankets, during the colder months (June, July, and August), it is necessary to bring a sleeping bag, which you can rent directly at the San Pedro de Atacama office a day before the tour starts, for a price of CLP$ 10.000. During the rest of the year, a sleeping bag is not needed.
We recommend bringing at least Bs. 500 per person for expenses not included in the tour, such as park entry fees, taxes, access to bathrooms, and water. On Toconao Street in San Pedro de Atacama (intersection with Caracoles), you can find some exchange houses where you can obtain bolivianos to take with you on the tour.
Depending on the nationality of the passenger. Passengers from Chile and the rest of South America, and passengers from Western Europe do not need tourist visa, while passenger that come from United States, Central America, Asia, and Africa do need tourist visa that costs U$ 160. This visa is obtained directly in the border, where along with the payment of the visa in cash, you need to present your passport and other documents. In case you are a foreign person resident in Chile, besides your passport, you need your ID card with you so you can prove your residence with the police authorities in customs.
The vaccine against the yellow fever is demanded for all passengers who don't come back to San Pedro de Atacama and that hace to pay tourism visa in the border (passengers that present a travel document from a country of the group II).
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).
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 mark your preference during the booking process.
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.
We offer the tour in three options, which you can review here.
We do not offer the tour in shared service with accommodation in hostels or hotels.
Yes, but only in English. The English-speaking driver service has an additional cost of US$ 150 per group. You can select it as an optional service during the booking process.