Atacama Salt Flats Tours

The Atacama salt flats split into two kinds of trip from San Pedro de Atacama: the low lagoons on the Salar de Atacama (Chaxa for flamingos, Cejar and Piedra for floating, Tebinquiche for sunset, Baltinache for swimming) and the high salars of the altiplano, at up to about 4,800 m. When we checked on 3 October 2026, Pukarumi’s high salt flats day trip started from $101 per person.

The low lagoons on the Salar de Atacama

These sit close to San Pedro’s own altitude, which makes them the right trips for your first day or two before you go higher.

Laguna Chaxa is the flamingo lagoon, run by the Toconao community inside the Los Flamencos National Reserve. Tickets are sold online only on its official ticket site, by card and with ID, at CLP 13,714 for a foreign adult and CLP 10,285 for a Chilean adult. It opens 08:00 to 20:00 with the gate closing at 19:00. Most visitors reach it at the end of a Piedras Rojas and altiplanic lagoons tour: both the Ruta Chile full-day tour and the Layana triple tour stop there in the afternoon.

Laguna Cejar is about 20 km south of San Pedro and run by the Solor community. You cannot swim in Cejar itself, which you see from viewpoints; the floating happens in Laguna Piedra on the same site, where the salt keeps you up. Entry is CLP 15,000 for adults, CLP 10,000 for seniors and CLP 5,000 for children up to 12, the same for foreigners and Chileans. Book a date and time online at lagunacejar.cl and arrive 15 minutes early. The site is closed on Tuesdays, keeps the mornings (09:00 to 13:00) for independent visitors and the afternoons (14:00 to 19:00) for tour agencies, and allows a maximum stay of one hour.

Ojos del Salar and Laguna Tebinquiche usually follow Cejar on the same afternoon, with sunset over the white salt at Tebinquiche. Neither allows swimming. Their combined fee is reported at about CLP 6,000, paid in cash, though one source gives CLP 5,000.

Baltinache: the swimming lagoons

The Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache lie about 60 km southwest of San Pedro, on a track where a 4x4 is recommended. There are seven lagoons, but only two are open for bathing at any time; they rotate every six months and the other five are protected. Showers on site let you rinse off the salt. Entry is CLP 12,000 for adults and CLP 6,000 for ages 10 to 18.

The high salars: Pukarumi’s day trip

The Pukarumi Atacama Desert and Salt Flats Day Trip goes somewhere the lagoon tours do not. You are picked up between about 8:00 and 8:40 am for breakfast facing Licancabur volcano, then the Quepiaco River and the Pacana Monks, giant volcanic rock formations out in the open desert. The afternoon covers the Aguas Calientes and Quisquiro salt flats, where you may see vicuñas and flamingos, with lunch outdoors, and ends at Laguna Cristal and Laguna Negra.

Two things to know before you book. The route reaches about 4,800 m, so do it after a few nights in San Pedro, and the listing says it is not suitable for people with heart or breathing problems, under 8s or over 70s. Pickup covers central San Pedro only, not accommodation in the ayllus of Quitor, Yaye, Checar, Sequitor, Solor and Coyo or in Toconao, and the tour ends at Plaza Touristour in town between about 2:30 and 3:00 pm. Our breakdown of the Pukarumi tour has the details.

Tours that combine the lagoons

If you want Cejar and Tebinquiche handled for you, the Ruta Chile 4-Day Magic Desert Tour ($310 per person when we checked) includes an afternoon at Laguna Cejar, the Ojos del Salar and sunset at Tebinquiche, after El Tatio that morning. It also covers your transfer from Calama Airport, Moon Valley and the Piedras Rojas day; entry fees and accommodation are extra.

For Baltinache, 3 Perfect Days in Atacama + Airport Transfer ($280 per person when we checked) includes a morning there along with stargazing, Moon Valley, El Tatio and shared transfers to and from Calama Airport. Entry fees are paid separately in Chilean pesos. Compare both on our tours with airport transfer page.

Practical tips

• Check the day: Laguna Cejar is closed every Tuesday.
• Bring a swimsuit, towel and sandals for Piedra or Baltinache; the salt stings in cuts and eyes.
• Carry cash for Tebinquiche and a card for Chaxa and Cejar, which sell online.
• Pack sunscreen, sunglasses and water. There is almost no shade on the salt.
• For the high salars, bring gloves and warm layers; the listing asks for them.
• Do not expect the Uyuni salt flat here. That trip crosses into Bolivia; see our Uyuni tours page.

Quick recommendations

• If you want flamingos with the red rocks and altiplanic lagoons → book the Layana triple tour or the Ruta Chile full-day tour.
• If you want the high salars and the Pacana Monks → book the Pukarumi salt flats day trip.
• If floating in a salt lagoon is the goal → plan a Wednesday-to-Monday visit to Cejar and Laguna Piedra, or a morning at Baltinache.
• If you are arriving at Calama and want the lagoons built into a package → compare the 4-Day Magic Desert Tour and 3 Perfect Days, then see things to do in San Pedro for the rest.