San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni – Superior (4 Days, 3 Nights – Roundtrip)

Description

This semi-private experience (max. 4 people traveling together) takes you on an impressive off-road adventure, starting and ending in San Pedro de Atacama or Calama (it’s up to you!). You will experience the natural wonders of this stunning region.

On this journey you’ll experience incredible, other-worldly landscapes juxtaposed to impactful community tourism activities. You’ll also stay in some of the nicest hotels in the region. Each vehicle is equipped with all necessary equipment to ensure that you have an enjoyable and comfortable experience.

Please note that this tour only departs on Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Important

You will be entering Bolivia on this tour and required to comply with their visa requirements on top of any visa requirements you may have to meet for Chile. You can see the latest requirements and cost of the visa for your country at this link. Visas can cost upwards of $160 USD and are not included in the price of this tour, so it is important to consider this in budgeting for your trip. The visa process can also vary in length so you may need to plan your trip including this tour further in advance than usual.

Itinerary

Day 1: San Pedro to Ojo de Perdiz

You’ll be picked up from your lodging in San Pedro between 07:00am – 07:30am and take a group transfer to the Bolivian border at Hito Cajon (we will provide further instructions of this service). Your local Bolivian driver will meet and greet you at the border, and commence the tour of the region. Not far from the border the first highlight – the turquoise shining “Laguna Verde” at the foot of the majestic volcano “Licancabur”. Afterwards you will travel through the Bolivian desert into the Valle de las Damas del Desierto, also known as the “Salvador Dali Desert”, a group of rock formations that has been uniquely shaped by wind and weather over centuries. Following this, a huge plain opens before you and the Salar de Chalviri – a dried-out salt plain – is in front of you. Here, the hot springs of Polques invite you to take a relaxing bath after the hardships of these first kilometers ride through the desert Bolivian hills. After this you will arrive to the geyser “Sol de Mañana”, a spectacle of hissing steam columns, located at almost 5,000 meters above sea level. As you continue northward, you’ll reach “Laguna Colorada” – the absolute highlight of this southern desert region. You’ll finish the day viewing the “Arbol de Piedra”, a stone figure created by erosion at the entrance of the Siloli desert. Overnight stay is in the Hotel Tayka del Desierto. (Meals – L, D).

Day 2: Ojo de Perdiz to Tahua

After a hearty breakfast, you’ll head off to visit the bouquet of colorful highland lagoons: Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarkota, Honda and Ramaditas where you can spot a large number of flamingos or other birds of the region. Here you’ll have the opportunity to take amazing photos. On the shore of these lakes you will enjoy the view of the currently active Ollague volcano, whose peaks are often covered with snow caps in the desert sky. For lunch, you’ll stop in San Pedro de Quemes at the Hotel Tayka de Piedra. You will then shortly pass through the Pueblo Quemado and enter the main attraction of your trip: Salar de Uyuni. You’ll cross the salt lake from north to south, passing the Campanas islands enjoying “white” landscapes with salt crystals that manifest beautiful optical illusions. You will ultimately arrive in Tahua where your overnight stay will be in the Hotel Tayka de Sal. (Meals – B, L, D).

Day 3: Tahua to Salar de Uyuni

Today you’ll have the chance to experience the magical sunrise over the  Salar de Uyuni. After an early morning, you’ll have a chance to return to the hotel to eat a nice breakfast, before continuing to explore the area. You will visit the Incahuasi Island, located in a salt lake, and completely covered by a forest of giant cacti. A short trail takes you across the island where you can admire the centuries-old cactus that rise up to 12 meters into the blue sky. From the peak of the island you have a 360 ° viewpoint of the entire salt flat. On the horizon, the volcano Tunupa hovers above. After an hour drive you will reach Coquesa, where you will climb up the flanks of the Tunupa volcano to explore the cave full of the mummies of Coquesa. After the visit to the museum in Chantani, you’ll head towards the east, where not far from the small salt-processing site of Colchani, you’ll find the salt mounds, which make for a  very interesting landscape for photographs. You will visit one local family that runs a micro-enterprise. Upon your arrival in Uyuni, you will enjoy a short tour to the train cemetery. Afterward, you’ll continue on your journey having now experienced one of the truly amazing wonders of the world. Overnight stay is in Hotel Tambo Aymara in Uyuni.  (Meals – B, L).

Day 4: Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama or Calama

Option 1 (Bus Transfer)

At 4am you’ll be transferred from the hotel in Uyuni to the bus station. The bus leaves at 5am and arrives in San Pedro at 4:30pm (Calama 6pm). These times are estimates, as there can periodically be delays of up to 2 hours at the border crossing. It is likely that you will arrive earlier, but we recommend setting your expectations to the above times.

Option 2 (Semi-Private Tour/Transfer)

You’ll be picked up from your hotel at 8 am in the morning to start your tour in the town of San Cristobal, located 2 hours from Uyuni. Here, you’ll visit a local church that is considered one of the oldest in the Bolivian Highlands. You’ll then pass through the village of Alota and visit the Katar lagoon, where you can enjoy a beautiful landscape and take your first pictures of the flamencos on this route. We will arrive at the Ciudad de Piedra where you can enjoy the thousands of geometric forms that the erosion of the wind has formed in this valley of rocks and we will head towards the town of Villamar. Passing through the beautiful landscapes of the Quetena bofedales we will reach the beautiful highland lagoons of Kalina and Collpa. Next we’ll pass through the salar of Chalviri where you’ll experience the unbelievable Green Lagoon. From this imposing landscape we head to the Bolivian border with Chile at Hito Cajón to take our private transfer to San Pedro de Atacama. Arrival at San Pedro de Atacama is at approx. 4:00PM. (Meals – B, L).

Map of the Area and Attractions

(Note that the tour generally follows the black lines, the blue route that goes through Ollague is only for when the Hito Cajon border is closed. This tour does not include drop-off in Calama.)

What’s Included

• Pickup at your hotel or hostel in San Pedro de Atacama
• Driver/Guide (Spanish) – If you would like an English speaking guide, there is an additional cost of $480 for the group (max. 4 passengers). If you are a group of less than 4 travelers, and would like to add an English speaking guide, please email us at info@keteka.com to verify pricing for your group.
• All meals listed (please note that they generally do not have food in Uyuni that accommodates gluten-free diets)
  • Water and juice is provided with some meals
• Luxury Lodging (private double/twin room with a private bathroom): Tayka Hotel
  • Luna Salada if you depart on a Wednesday
• Semi-private Transportation in 4WD (max. 4 passengers per car), equipped with satellite communication
• Local Taxes
• Logistical support and on call emergency services are available 24hs
• Entrance fees

What’s Not Included

• Visa (prices vary, please check the cost for your country at this link)
• English speaking guide (extra cost of $120 per day)
• 5 liters of water

What to Bring on the San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Tour

• Your passport!
  • Also be sure to have the small white paper the Immigration gave you when you entered Chile
• Cash – at least $160 USD for the Bolivia reciprocity fee (if you are from the United States), plus some extra for souvenirs, snacks, etc. There are no ATMs available during the trip, so bring crisp, new US dollars or Chilean pesos to change at casas de cambio (which are in San Pedro and Uyuni) or at restaurants (they don’t accept old, damaged bills). It’s better to bring small bills.
• You should also bring a passport photo for the border crossing
• 7 liters of water per person – this may sound like a lot, but remember you’re in the driest place on Earth, may suffer from altitude sickness, and you cannot buy water on the way. Water (6 liters) can be easily found and purchased in San Pedro de Atacama before the start of your tour, crossing into Bolivia.
• Swimsuit
• Towel
• Sunscreen
• Closed-toed shoes or boots
• Sunglasses
• Toilet paper – none will be provided in the bathrooms
• Hand sanitiser
• Warm clothing
• Bolivian pesos (at least 350 Bolivian pesos for entrances to hot springs and national parks, plus some extra personal expenses)

A Note on Money

You can change money into Bolivian bolivianos in San Pedro de Atacama or in Uyuni on the trip. It is highly recommended that you change all the money you will need to use either in San Pedro or before you leave your country of departure. You cannot change money at the airport in Calama, and please note that in Santiago some ‘casas de cambio’ or money exchange places may not stock bolivianos.

In San Pedro, go to the street Toconao, south of Caracoles and you will find numerous casas de cambio which all have competitive exchange rates.

For your trip, here is a breakdown of expenses:

• Park entrance fee (required): 150 bolivianos
• Hot springs entrance fee: 30 bolivianos
• Showers in all refugios/hostels: 10 bolivianos each
• Toilets: cost between 2-8 bolivianos per stop, most do not include toilet paper or soap
• Re-entrance fee to Chile (required): 15 bolivianos or 1,500 CLP.

Uyuni is a very small town and is the last stop so do not to rely on changing money there because if you run out beforehand you will be very stuck. Additionally, you may need extra money for souvenirs or purchases on the road if you wish. You will be taken to a market just after the salt flats on the last day – it’s much better to buy souvenirs here than in Uyuni, as there is more variety and Uyuni does not have the same type of gifts.

In total, we recommend 350 Bolivianos per person, to allow for all the required fees plus some spending money.

Other Important Notes About the San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Tour

• This tour departs on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
  • If you depart on Wednesday, one of your nights of lodging will be in Hotel Luna Salada, instead of one of the Tayka Hotels
• The 12:00 (noon) drop off time in San Pedro on the third day is assuming there are no delays during the drive and no delays at the border. Neither the operator nor Keteka have any ability to control what happens at the border, and there are sometimes delays, for many different reasons, so we highly recommend not scheduling an afternoon flight from San Pedro the same day you return.
• There will be a maximum of 6 passengers in each vehicle
• The exact itinerary is subject to change with weather – the weather around the salt flats is mostly pretty consistent, but when it rains or snows, it can dramatically change what is available during the trip
  • This is especially true during the months of February and March – the rainy season. The rain cuts off access to several parts of the itinerary, including (often) the salt hostel and Isla Incahuasi, among other parts of the trip. When this happens, the guide will do everything in their power to get you in a hostel of equivalent quality, but please note that all of the hostels around the salt flats are quite basic.
  • If you book the trip in for February or March, please expect changes in the itinerary – that is the norm, not the exception at that time of year. It is impossible to predict ahead of time exactly how the itinerary will be affected, but expect that it will change.
• Please note that they generally do not have food in Uyuni that accommodates gluten-free diets
• The road conditions around the flats are quite bad, but the tour uses 4W trucks that can handle it; the trucks are not new but they are kept in good shape and consistently maintained
• We highly recommend you get travel insurance before this trip – between crossing an international border and the weather, there are lots of unpredictable factors that could affect the trip
  • We can highly recommend World Nomads Travel Insurance
• Average weather conditions throughout the year:
  • Winter (May – August): chances of snow, with overnight temperatures reaching about -25° C (-13° F)
  • Rest of the year (September – April): temperatures reaching about 5° C (41° F) at night

It is recommended that you bring winter clothing and comfortable trekking shoes. Due to the high altitude and desert climate at night in San Pedro de Atacama, it can get rather cold and you will want to layer up. Accommodations do not have heat and mornings and nights could be brutal without proper clothing. As for trekking shoes, much of the ground is uneven, so it is best to have enclosed, stable footwear with good traction. While sneakers are sufficient, boots or more hiking-oriented shoes will help keep you from skidding on certain surfaces and provide you better protection overall. Terrain is quite varied, so your ankles will be quite thankful for the extra protection.

Altitude: Please note that parts of this excursion takes you to about 4,000 meters (over 13,000 feet) above sea level, so it will be important to remain hydrated, both leading up to the tour and throughout the tour. Water is not very easy to come by once on the tour, so be sure to pack plenty. It is also recommended to avoid alcoholic drinks the night before this trip, as well as the nights during the tour.

Symptoms of altitude sickness can include headaches, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, trouble sleeping, and drowsiness. None of these symptoms are very ideal when you want to be enjoying an awesome trip to Uyuni, so warnings about hydration and avoiding alcohol should be heeded closely to help mitigate the risk. It is also more difficult to breathe at higher altitudes. This tour is not physically demanding so you should not be affected for the most part, but this is still important to take note of.

If you commonly suffer from altitude sickness, we recommend taking this tour after spending a few days in Atacama in order to acclimate if that can be worked into your personal itinerary. This excursion is not recommended for people who suffer from high blood pressure or heart disease. Pregnant women and children younger than 4 years old should not take this tour.

Safety

It should be noted that considering you will be traveling in two different countries, safety standards will vary. Bolivia is considered to be less safe than Chile, meaning you should take extra precautions. Being on a tour with others may help to mitigate some potential risks, but overall you should still maintain a higher degree of caution. You are unlikely to be a victim of violent crime in either country, but certainly be aware of your belongings as pickpocketing is common. Being out of major cities also reduces your chances of having any problems. The area isn’t wildly popular for Bolivians to live in, so you will likely be around as many travelers as locals. For more information on safety in Chile and Bolivia, please refer to our safety directory.

Another safety concern for some people traveling to Uyuni is the drivers on these tours, as there have been some horror stories about the drivers for tours to Uyuni that involved lack of safety equipment in cars and even drunk driving. We work closely with a tour operator we trust, and we have had our own staff on their tours with no such issues.

Weather

The time of year that you go to Uyuni won’t make necessarily make or break your trip, it’ll just depend on what you would like to see. The Altiplano region of Bolivia where Uyuni is located tends to have more of a wet season and a dry season as opposed to four strict seasons. Most people look for the more ideal traveling conditions overall, which are in the dry season between July and October. However, there are a good number of people who specifically seek out a visit to Uyuni in its wet season in hopes of seeing the stunning mirror effect of the water on the salt flat.

The wet season is also colder, but nights during the dry season aren’t particularly warm. During the dry season, Uyuni’s climate takes after that of the San Pedro de Atacama Desert in the sense that the days can be hot and sunny but the temperature can drop drastically with the sun. In either season, layers will be necessary. And in the case of the wet season, you’ll want those outer layers to be waterproof.

A Little Bit About Some of the Places You’ll Be Seeing on the San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Tour

• White Lagoon: This salt lake is part of the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve and is named for the white-tinted color of its water.
• Green Lagoon: Right next door to the White Lagoon, this body of water is part of the same is reserve and named for its green-tinted water.
• The Dalí Desert: The barren area got its name for its surreal landscapes that are reminiscent of paintings by Salvador Dalí.
• Morning Sun Geyser: This “geyser basin” is actually primarily made up of mud pots, but their similar appearance leads to this misnomer.
• Colorada Lagoon: This lagoon is characterized by the white strips of land that rise out of reddish water, flamingos dotting the landscape.
• High Altitude Lagoons: More lagoons means more incredible views of volcanoes beyond reflective bodies of water, and more flamingos.
• Ollague Volcano: Formed over a million years ago, this volcano has no recorded history of an eruption, but is considered an incredibly active volcano for its intense fumarolic activity.
• Chiguana Salt Flat: Though not nearly as popular as Uyuni’s salt flat, this area has a great view of the Ollague Volcano and long-forgotten railroads tracks embedded in the ground.
• Incahuasi Island: This rocky outcrop is a unique sight to see jutting out of the ground and hosting an abundance of tall cacti.
• Train Cemetery: Uyuni is an important point of transportation in South America, and at one point there were plans to put in a more advanced train network. The trains near Uyuni were abandoned along with that idea, and the way the salt of the desert has eroded them has made them an even more interesting sight to be seen.
• Rock Valley: This area is full of interesting rock formations, and sometimes climbers even come here to scale them.
• Black Lagoon: One last lagoon on this tour. The water of the Black Lagoon may not be black, but the shimmering water is a sight to be had, not to mention the rock formations scattered around the lagoon add to the effect.

San Pedro de Atacama Desert

This San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Tour leaves from San Pedro de Atacama and ends in Uyuni. However, the majority of this tour is spent seeing sights throughout Bolivia, not those of the San Pedro de Atacama Desert in Chile. The Atacama Desert is an absolute wonder to be seen though. If you are booking this tour, you are likely already planning to spend several days exploring there as well. If you haven’t considered such a plan, you really should look into the area and reconsider.

From stargazing in Moon Valley to sandboarding in Death Valley to a variety of wondrous landscapes including even more lagoons and salt flats, you will not want to miss out on such an amazing opportunity to discover the driest non-polar desert in the world. To find out some more information about San Pedro de Atacama and to see our tour options to experience it, click here.