Piedras Rojas, Altiplanics Lagoons & Salar Full-Day Tour

About This Experience

This full-day tour from San Pedro de Atacama covers the high lagoons and salt flats south of town. Sold by Ruta Chile and run, according to reviewers, by Atacama Magic, it has a 4.7 rating from 796 reviews. It starts from $86 per person, the price we also found on a real date on 3 October 2026.

Pickup is at about 6:00 to 6:30 am. After an hour on the road you reach the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons at about 4,200 m, where breakfast is served by the water. Next comes the Salar de Talar, better known as Piedras Rojas, for about an hour, then the Atacameño village of Socaire with its farming terraces and church.

The afternoon drops down to the Salar de Atacama, Chile's largest salt flat, and Laguna Chaxa in the national flamingo reserve, home to three species of flamingo. Lunch is included, and the itinerary also lists a stop in Toconao before you are back in San Pedro at about 4:00 pm. Guides speak Spanish, English and Portuguese.

Entry fees of about CLP 29,000 per person are extra. The Socaire-run sites, Miscanti, Miñiques and Piedras Rojas, open day by day depending on the weather; one reviewer could not reach the salar because of snow but still saw the other stops.

Highlights

• Breakfast beside the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons, about 4,200 m up
• About an hour at Piedras Rojas on the Salar de Talar
• Laguna Chaxa and its three flamingo species on the Salar de Atacama
• Free time in Socaire, with its farming terraces and church
• Stop in Toconao on the way back
• Guides in Spanish, English and Portuguese

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup from your accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama
• ✓ Local expert guide
• ✓ Breakfast
• ✓ Lunch
• ✓ Van transport to the lagoons, Piedras Rojas, Chaxa, Socaire and Toconao

Not Included

• Entry fees (about CLP 29,000 per person)
• Tips
• Drop-off in the centre of San Pedro

What to Bring

• Passport or ID card
• Comfortable shoes
• Sunglasses
• Sun hat
• Camera
• Sunscreen
• Water
• Cash

Good to Know & Caveats

• The lagoons are at about 4,100 to 4,200 m; spend a couple of nights in San Pedro first.
• Mornings are cold and windy and afternoons warm; dress in layers and bring water, sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses.
• Bring cash and your passport or ID card, and budget about CLP 29,000 for entry fees.
• Miscanti, Miñiques and Piedras Rojas can close for snow; entry is enabled day by day depending on the weather.
• The listing excludes drop-off in the centre of San Pedro, so confirm where the tour ends.

Meeting Point

Pickup from your accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama at about 6:00 to 6:30 am; the tour returns to San Pedro at about 4:00 pm.