Piedras Rojas, Atacama Salt Flats & Altiplano Lakes Trip

Discover the volcanic landscapes of Piedras Rojas (Red Stones) in the Chilean altiplano. This tour includes visits to the Atacama salt flat and high mountain lagoons above 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).

Piedras Rojas, Atacama Salt Flats & Altiplano Lakes Trip

After hotel pickup, we will travel into the Atacama desert, stopping for breakfast. Our first stop is Toconao, an indigenous village with traditional white adobe buildings, where you will learn about its history and visit the 18th-century Church of San Lucas and its bell tower.

Weather permitting, we'll visit Chaxa Lagoon to see its scenic water mirrors and flamingos. We’ll hike along the Piedras Rojas trail for about an hour to admire the salt flat and the highland lakes of Miscanti and Miñiques, looking out for flora and fauna including vicuñas and foxes.

At noon, we will stop for lunch, either en route or at a restaurant on the return to San Pedro. Lunch en route includes a main course and drink, while the restaurant menu offers two dishes to choose from and a drink. After lunch, we’ll visit Piedras Rojas, known for its surreal scarlet landscape, and the lagoon of Salar de Aguas Calientes. We will return to San Pedro, arriving 12-13 hours later.

Hotel Pickup

This activity includes pickup from hotels within 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) of San Pedro de Atacama. We may also arrange pickups from closer hotels (up to 2 kilometers) or farther ones (up to 5 kilometers), as indicated during reservation. Note that pickups in Ayllus, Solor, Cucuter, and Toconao are not included.

For remote accommodations, we can arrange pickup from an alternative meeting point listed on your reservation voucher.

Itinerary Changes

Please note that the order of visits may change for planning purposes.