When it comes to travel, I love exploring places with gorgeous scenery and fewer crowds. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile and the Salt Flats in Uyuni, Bolivia are two places worth exploring for that reason. We spent 7 days in Chile and 3 days in Bolivia (not including travel days).
The Bolivian salt flats are just across the border from Chile and the Atacama desert. There are many tours available from San Pedro de Atacama (3-day and 2-night; or 4-day and 3-night depending on your end destination). I’ll write about our experience in Bolivia separately.Â
If you’re into stargazing, San Pedro de Atacama is one of the best places in the world to see the stars. The Atacama Desert is less populated (compared to other areas) so there is minimal light pollution. The higher altitude (around 2,500 meters) also brings you closer to the sky, making it easier to see more stars and objects. The dry climate and generally fewer clouds certainly helps as well. Atacama is also home to some of the largest and most advanced telescopes in the world (read more about the ALMA observatory; which post-COVID no longer provides tours to the general public).
We spent 7 days in San Pedro de Atacama for two main reasons: (1) we wanted time to acclimate to the high altitude; and (2) we wanted to not feel rushed throughout our stay. With 7 days we could spread out our tours, and have time to decompress.
Jump to:
- Itinerary and tours
- When to travel
- Our itinerary
- Pre-trip to-do list
- Altitude preparation
- Tipping in San Pedro de Atacama
- Where to Stay in San Pedro de Atacama
- Where to Eat in San Pedro de Atacama
Itinerary and tours
There are a lot of things to do in San Pedro de Atacama. What I’ve listed below are the most popular sites that I was able to research, and I also noted what I’d recommend skipping if you’re short on time.
The itinerary is also organized in such a way that enables more acclimation from lower to higher altitudes. Starting in San Pedro de Atacama is a good idea, for that reason.
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
I have read about folks who rented a car for their exploration in Chile, but for us it was so much easier to just go with a tour. Yes, we had less flexibility, but we also didn’t need to figure out directions, hours, parking, entrance fee details, etc.
There are tour companies ALL OVER San Pedro de Atacama so you can go in and speak with each tour operator individually and book directly there. When booking, you can WhatsApp the tour operators to ask questions. Once a tour is booked, (at least for the groups that we booked with- Atacama Magic and Layana Travel) they will add you to a WhatsApp group with others on your tour to communicate. For example as they pick folks up from their hostels/hotels, they might let the group know which location is next to get picked up.
Tours you can research into (* is what I recommend if you’re limited on time!):
- Valley of the Moon* (PM tour)
- Red Stones + Altiplanic Lagoons + Chaxa Lagoon* (AM tour into PM)
- Tatio Geyser* (AM tour)
- Cejar Lagoon + Ojos Salar + Tebenquinche (PM tour)
- Puritama Hot Springs (AM or PM)
- Stargazing tour* (Night time)
Things we did not do but could be worth exploring:
- Baltinache Lagoon (we did not do this as a tour operator we wanted to do it with didn’t offer it for that season)
- Vallecito sunset tour
- Sandboarding tour
- Mountain biking tour
- Horseback riding tour
- Hot air balloon ride
Uyuni, Bolivia
If you are departing from Chile, you will book a 4-day, 3-night tour. If you depart from Bolivia, the tours will be 3 days, 2-night. Most tour itineraries are set and are similar across tour agencies, so you don’t need to necessarily pick and choose based on the sites offered. See an upcoming post for more details on Bolivia and the salt flats.
When to travel
We traveled there in late April/May. My first trip there in 2019 was in late May. This is the Fall season in San Pedro de Atacama.
We liked this because it is less crowded than the Spring (September to November) and Summer seasons (December to February). I will say that compared to my first visit in 2019, there are now a lot more people visiting, so more folks are learning of and traveling to San Pedro de Atacama!
Our itinerary
Day 0: Travel to SCL
We departed in the afternoon and had a stopover in Atlanta first before continuing on to Arturo Merino BenĂtez International Airport (SCL). This was an overnight flight.
Day 1: Travel from SCL to CJC
When we arrived in Santiago around 7am, we exited immigration and then re-entered to get to the domestic flight terminal. We booked a separate flight to El Loa Airport (in Calama, Chile). The domestic terminal is separate from the international terminal (but you can easily walk there). El Loa Airport is the airport in Calama, Chile, which is about an hour away from San Pedro de Atacama.
Don’t lose the PDI slip
As part of Chilean immigration, they will hand you a “PDI” slip of paper. DO NOT LOSE THIS. Some hotels will ask to see this, and you will also need it to exit the country. There is a process for if you do lose it, but I am not sure what that entails.
The “PDI slip” in Chile is the Tarjeta de Turismo, a small paper slip issued by the PolicĂa de Investigaciones de Chile (PDI) (Chilean Investigative Police) upon entry into the country for tourists. It serves as proof of legal entry and allows you to stay in Chile for up to 90 days.
Take out Chilean pesos at an ATM
We had some time before our flight to Calama, so we stopped at an ATM (“cajero”) to take out chilean pesos. The limit per transaction is generally 200,000 CLP. We took out 500,000 CLP in 3 transactions . This amount was more than enough for us (since we used credit card most places); we probably could have taken out 450,000 CLP. Many of the tour agencies will ask for cash to purchase entrance fees.
I read that it is better to take money out from Santiago as it is more likely that the ATMs will have enough money in them. There is also less of a chance of fake bills (though I don’t know how often that really happens in Calama).
Note that some very eager airport workers may try to help you in exchange for a tip. Be aware of this. They are not necessarily just being overly nice.
Getting from Calama (CJC) to San Pedro de Atacama
Ahead of our arrival, we booked a transfer with Transfer Pampa (which is about $15 or $20 per person). We paid online ahead of time and when we arrived in CJC, someone was waiting with the Transfer Pampa sign and we gave them our name for the reservation. We got onto a shuttle bus with a bunch of other passengers and they dropped us off at our hotels/hostels. The ride is about an hour and 15 minutes to San Pedro de Atacama.
Relax and acclimate
We got situated into our hotel room and walked around the town and grabbed dinner at La Casona.
Day 2: Acclimate and stargaze
Our day 1 was meant to still take it easy, so we planned to wander around town to run some errands and get settled.
Exchange larger CLP for smaller bills at Casas de Cambio
People don’t often have change for large bills, so getting smaller bills is better for everyday transactions. You can exchange for smaller bills at “Casas de Cambio” (money exchange locations). They often won’t change ALL your bills into smaller bills, but you can go from door to door at different locations if needed.
Starting from Plaza San Pedro, when you cross Calle Caracoles, you only have to walk a few meters along Toconao to see signs for casas de cambio or currency exchange. In these locations you can easily exchange money. Later you can also exchange CLP for Bolivian pesos. The exchange rate was actually much better than at banks at the exchange we went to for converting CLP to BS surprisingly! May also be helpful to note that there was no Western Union in San Pedro de Atacama when we were there (2025).
Stargazing tour
Since stargazing is a relatively low effort activity, I would recommend a stargazing tour on this day. We did it on a different day and were exhausted due to an 11.5 hour tour that same day and then having to wake up early. Make sure to not book on any night that is a full moon as the stars will be less visible. Also do your best to not book on a night before an early morning tour the next day because you will be exhausted.
These stargazing tours provide interesting information about the stars, and often include souvenir photos with the stars as part of their offering. Many tour companies offer stargazing.
- I used this company in 2019 and would recommend: https://www.atacamadesertstargazing.com/
- This most recent trip we used https://www.spaceobs.com/en/Services/Star-Tours, but I would probably prefer Atacama Desert Stargazing if I had to do it again
If the company doesn’t pick you up directly from your accommodations, they may ask you to meet at a specific meeting point (like the school) to bus over as a group.
DRESS WARMLY. While the days are warm, it will be cold when you are sitting outside at night for a long period of time
Day 3: Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna)
- Altitude: 2,624 meters
- Tour length: ~4 hours
- PM tour
[đź‘ŤMust do] The Valley of the Moon (Valle de la Luna) was stunning and highly recommended.
It is a unique ecosystem with unique rock formations and an incredible sunset. The tour starts first with a brief hike to see the unique landscape, and then you’re taken to some other incredible views and later the best views of sunset. Dress in layers because it gets hot during the walk in the sun and cools down at sunset.
This is 2,624 meters above sea level (one of the lower altitude trips). We used Layana Travel for this trip and were very happy with it (Manu was a fantastic guide!)
- Pickup is in the afternoon for us was around 3-3:30 pm and the tour ended around 7 pm
- Things to bring:
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat
- Windbreaker or coat for sunset
- At least 1 liter of water per person
Day 4: Cejar Lagoon + Ojos Salar + Tebenquinche
- Altitude: 2,400 m
- Tour length: ~4.5 hours
- PM tour
[Can skip if short on time] This was a relaxing and scenic half-day tour. It starts with a visit to the Cejar Lagoon, and you can float in the nearby Piedra Lagoon (think salt float like in the Dead Sea!).
Cejar Lagoon
You can wear your bathing suit underneath your clothes for this trip. The first stop is the Cejar Lagoon. On arrival you can go into the changing area to change into whatever you need to float in the salt lagoon. Note that there are no lockers so you will have to bring everything with you. Then you’ll walk around to view Cejar Lagoon and admire its beauty. From there, you’ll reach the Piedra Lagoon which is where you can float.
The lagoons were beautiful and unique. We have never floated in any place like the dead sea or anything like that, so it was really cool to be able to float in the water due to the high salt content. Piedra Lagoon (Laguna de Piedras) is the only lagoon where you are allowed to float. You must go in barefoot (e.g., no water shoes). You will also see little brine shrimp in the lagoon, which is what the flamingos eat!
After the float, you head back to the changing area where you can rinse off under the showers. You push the button at the shower once and then you have 15 seconds to rinse off your body. No soap or shampoo allowed. There is someone patrolling the showers to ensure you don’t press the button more than once. It makes sense, as water is scarce in that area. Afterwards, you can dry off and change in the changing rooms.
Ojos Salar
The “Ojos del Salar” (or “Eyes of the Salt Flat”) refers to a pair of small, freshwater lagoons in the Salar de Atacama (a salt flat). They are known for their unique, eye-like appearance, and you often will be able to get the “mirror effect” when being photographed with these lagoons.
Tebenquinche Lagoon
We then did a quick walk around the Tebenquinche Lagoon (Laguna Tebinquinche), where we stopped to have snacks and some pisco sours. Tebenquinche is a salt lake known for stunning sunsets and the views of the Andes Mountains in the background
We also used Layana Travel for this tour.
- Pickup at the hotel was around 2:15 pm and the tour ended around 6:30 pm
- Things to bring:
- Comfortable walking shoes (I had hiking shoes with me but I really wore my Tevas the whole time)
- Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat
- Bathing suit, towel and sandals (you can wear your bathing suit there)
- Windbreaker or sweatshirt
- At least 1 liter of water per person
Day 5: Red Stones + Altiplanic Lagoons + Chaxa Lagoon
- Altitude: 4300 meters
- Tour length: ~11.5 hours
- AM into PM tour
[👍 Must do] I did this tour in 2019 and remember it being really beautiful. On this tour you get to see the stunning scenery of red rock formations, still blue lagoons, and Altiplanic Lagoons (Miscanti and Miñiques), and of course, flamingos feeding in mirror-like water. It was really quiet and peaceful. You will see the flamingos first in the morning and then have some breakfast before continuing on.
There is a little bit of walking, so be prepared for that in the high altitude. It is cold outside (in April/May), but can also be warm in the sun.
We used Atacama Magic for this tour. Similar to the previous tours, bring sunscreen, a hat, water, and dress in layers because it will get cold but also warm up as the day progresses. Bring snacks as well if you want since it is a long tour. Hotel pickup was around 6am for us.
Day 6: Puritama Hot Springs and Laundry
- Altitude: 3,475 meters
- Tour length: ~5 hours
- Can choose AM or PM
Puritama Hot Springs
[Can skip if short on time] The Puritama Hot Springs (Termas Baños de Puritama) is a series of eight large pools of geothermal spring water. There’s no guided tour as part of this. When you book with tour companies, you are essentially paying for transport to the hot springs and transport back. You can book on your own with a taxi driver, but it may be more expensive to hire a private driver.
We unfortunately in the morning decided to skip out on this tour even though we had booked it because we were so exhausted, but the photos look awesome.
When you book with the tour operator, they’ll also purchase your hot springs ticket (and will take cash payments for this). Alternatively, if you want to pay using credit card, you can purchase your ticket online and then provide them the confirmation of ticket purchase instead. You can choose to purchase a ticket for the morning session or afternoon session. We did the latter with Atacama Magic.
Many tourists plan for tours in the morning and then the hot springs in the afternoon, so our tour operator suggested that we book in the morning. “Cold may sell out later”. We booked through Atacama Magic.
Laundry
Instead of the tour, we slept in and decided to do some laundry. We found a spot called “Laundry Express” (off Caracoles) where we paid 5,000 CLP per kilogram for same-day service (laundry was done in about 3 hours). You give them the laundry, they weigh it, give you a slip of paper with the time to come back. When you come back it will be folded and in a bag for you. We luckily did get everything back but to be on the safe side I wouldn’t give them anything you’re worried about ruining or going missing (e.g., don’t share anything that requires washing on a cold setting, line dry only, etc). Next-day service was about 4,000 CLP.
We saw another sign for laundry at a hostel, however I recommend looking closely at reviews. Reviews we saw for this hostel were terrible about missing items or items being ruined.
Day 7: Tatio Geyser
- Altitude: 4,320 meters
- Tour length: ~5.5 hours
- AM tour
[👍 Must do] To be fair, I wasn’t excited about this tour initially because I had seen Old Faithful at Yellowstone and thought it would be similar. Boy was I wrong! The Tatio geysers felt like being on a movie set (or another planet) with all the steam around us and geysers shooting into the freezing morning air. It was really cool to see.
It’s an early morning start (pickup can be around 5am if not earlier) and it is COLD, so bundle up. I wore leggings under sweatpants, but also brought pretty much everything I owned to wear.
After our tour we spent the rest of the day browsing shops for souvenirs and taking in the hustle and bustle of San Pedro before getting ready to head to Bolivia the next day.
This post is way longer than I expected it to be, so I’ll leave the Bolivia part of the itinerary for another post! Day 8 was when we depart for bolivia.
Pre-trip to-do list
- Book flights (we flew into Calama and flew out of Uyuni)
- Got a Bolivian visa ahead of time (it helps save time)
- Purchase travel insurance (we used World Nomads)
- Get Diamox altitude meds (from primary care doc)
- Reserve transfer with Transfer Pampa to take a shuttle from the Calama airport to San Pedro de Atacama (hotels can arrange transfers, but it is much more expensive)
- Make copies of your passport(s) to keep in a safe area
- Contact your banks to let them know of travel, if relevant
- Purchase the right adapters for Chile
- Booked the tour to Bolivia (if you don’t book in person)
- Reserve any tours in San Pedro in case you don’t want to purchase them in town (though very easy to do once you’re there); maybe book ahead for the first day
- Start increasing your water intake weeks before the trip
Altitude preparation
Elevation
The altitude is no joke. When I first traveled to Uyuni, Bolivia in 2019 I got altitude sickness in the middle of the night. I woke up feeling lightheaded and like I couldn’t breathe. I planned to make my way to the hospital in the middle of the night before I found out from the front desk that they could offer oxygen to guests. San Pedro de Atacama sits at around 2400 meters (about 8000 feet) above sea level. Many of the excursions are well above 4000 meters (12000 feet).
Uyuni, Bolivia sits at 3,700 meters (12,139 feet) above sea level with one location in Bolivia (Sol de Mañana) at 4,900 metres (16,100 ft).
Since Uyuni is so much higher than San Pedro de Atacama, it’s recommended to start your trip in Chile first to help with acclimation.
Side effects of high altitude
Headaches can be common, and you might feel tingling in your extremities as well (I sure did!). This all happens when the body struggles to adapt to lower oxygen levels at higher altitudes.
Sunburns are more common at higher altitudes because the atmosphere is thinner, allowing more of the sun’s UV rays to reach the surface.
How to prepare and adjust for high altitude
- Bring altitude medicine (Diamox) to help prevent and treat altitude-related symptoms
- Have enough so that you have meds for your full stay, including 1-2 days before arrival
- I had asked the doctor to prescribe 10 days of meds, but I really should have asked for 12 days (we ended up rationing the meds)
- Drink lots of water in the weeks leading up to the trip to help the body adjust to the lower oxygen levels at higher elevations and prevent dehydration; and then continue drinking a lot of water for the remainder of the trip
- At higher altitudes, the air is thinner, meaning there’s less oxygen available for your body to breathe. The body needs to work harder to extract the necessary oxygen, which can lead to dehydration if you don’t drink enough water
- At higher altitudes, the air is thinner, meaning there’s less oxygen available for your body to breathe. The body needs to work harder to extract the necessary oxygen, which can lead to dehydration if you don’t drink enough water
- Be weary of coffee or alcohol: If you don’t consistently drink coffee (or alcohol), don’t start. Coffee and alcohol can contribute to dehydration (as they are diuretics) and aggravate the symptoms of altitude sickness. However if you’re already drinking coffee consistently everyday, stopping coffee will give you headaches
- Try to avoid red meat: Red meat and fatty foods can require more oxygen for digestion, and therefore can strain the body at high altitudes where oxygen is already less available
- Avoid strenuous activity your first day and rest so you can acclimate better
Tipping in San Pedro de Atacama
Tipping isn’t always expected, but it’s appreciated. Here’s what we found helpful to keep in mind:
- Restaurants: Most will ask before charging you if you’d like to include a suggested 10% tip (“propina”) on your bill. You can adjust it to be more or less, but you should always say yes. Wait staff are generally poorly paid, so if you got exceptional service, an extra “under-the-table” could really make their day
- Tours: For shared tours, we tipped around 5,000 CLP per person to the guides for full-day trips, and the drivers 1,000 CLP. For a private full-day tour, consider 10,000 to 15,000 CLP
- Taxi Drivers: Not expected, but typical to let them keep the change
- Transfer Drivers: Also generally not expected, but if you did appreciate the service then 1,000-2,000 CLP is a nice gesture
- Hotel staff: 500-1,000 CLP for bellhops or cleaning staff is appreciated but not expected
Note: Always tip in local currency. If you have to use USD, bills should be crisp and unmarked. Most places won’t accept worn or damaged bills.
This is the tip table we used to organize our tip amounts in envelopes (these amounts are for 2):
| Activity | Guide Tip | Driver Tip | Total (CLP) |
| Bellhop (arrival) | – | – | 1,000 |
| 5-hr Valley of the Moon | 4,000 | 2,000 | 6,000 |
| 8.5-hr Full-Day Tatio Geyser | 10,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 11.5-hr Full-Day Red Stones, Altiplanic Lagoon, Chaxa Lagoon | 10,000 | 5,000 | 15,000 |
| 2.5-hr AstroTour | 6,000 | 2,000 | 8,000 |
| 5-hr Cejar Lagoon + Ojos Salar + Tebenquinche | 4,000 | 2,000 | 6,000 |
| Puritama Hot Springs | – | 2,000 | 6,000 |
| Hotel Breakfast Staff + housekeeping 6 days | – | – | 12,000 |
| Total | 69,000 |
Where to Stay in San Pedro de Atacama
We stayed at Terrantai Lodge Hotel, one of the pricier options in town. I chose it because I wanted something comfortable and walkable, and it delivered. It’s right in the center of town near the main plaza and church, but still quiet at night, which was important to me.
The Wi-Fi worked fine most of the time, though it could get spotty when lots of guests were online. We booked the smallest room. While it was definitely small, it was cozy enough and doable for the stay.
They offer complimentary breakfast in the mornings, and in the afternoons there are snacks and a small wine tasting. If you’re heading out early for a tour, let the staff know. They will give you a snack bag to take with you.
In 2019, I stayed at Casa Solcor Boutique Bed & Breakfast, which was also beautiful and spacious. The only downside was the distance. It’s a bit of a walk from downtown, and this time I wanted more convenience.
Hotel Desertica was actually my first choice for this trip, but it was fully booked by the time I went to reserve. So book early if you’re interested! (Same for Terrantai, and I’m sure other lodging in Atacama).
Side note: In Chile, you can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet. Most places have bins next to the toilet for disposal.
Where to Eat in San Pedro de Atacama
There are so many good spots to eat in San Pedro, I’ve shared a few highlights below. I will say that we ate SO much that towards the end of the trip I was a little exhausted from eating. At times when we weren’t so hungry we shared empanadas from La Sazón del Pueblo (they are a pretty good size).
People often talk about how Chilean alfajores (a sweet sandwich cookie with dulce de leche) are better than in Argentina, but just know that in San Pedro I did not see anywhere to purchase alfajores. If they did sell them, they might be in Cafe Andino.
- Franchuteria: a popular french bakery with outdoor seating. You can do takeout or dine-in. For dine-in, find a seat and someone will bring you a menu. Their baguettes are great
- Cafe Andino: a cute spot for coffee and pastries. They have Bolivian Salteña here! Which is the Bolivian version of an empanada, which I LOVE. This is the only place I could find that sells them in San Pedro.
- La Casona: this was the first spot we went to for dinner. It’s one of the more popular spots in town. It’s got a varied menu (we got the corn pie!) and there are fire pits and live music at night
- Adobe: we dined here twice, we loved it so much. There is sometimes live music. The calamares a la milanesa (essentially fried calamari) was SO good we ordered it both times. My husband first got Salmon with fries (the salmon was cooked perfectly), and I ordered ceviche. Another night I ordered the camarones al pil pil (shrimp cooked in an olive oil sauce with garlic and chili peppers) and it was SO good. Pil pil is that sauce, and it is a spanish tapas style dish
- JardĂn Meraki: it’s got a cool vibe like you’re dining in a garden. It looks like it can turn up at night because there’s a DJ booth set up. I loved the ceviche here
- Roots Cafe: a space with a chill vibe with vegetarian and vegan options
- La SazĂłn del Pueblo
Restaurants that I would not have dined at again are Las Delicias de Carmen. The quality of food and service left something to be desired at least from our experience.
Additional side note on grocery store snacks- if you see the Jamon Serrano Lays chips, those are GOOD (we found one market that sold it but otherwise we only saw it in the airport in Santiago), and same for pizza-flavored Doritos. Trencito is also a really good milk chocolate from Chile. Costa Coco Galletas are good Chilean coconut cookies (not too sweet), as well as Costa Frac chocolate-filled cookies. Super 8 is also a chocolate bar popular in Chile that is not too sweet.
See Part 2 Bolivia here.
