Which tour to book, and what it covers
Atacama desert tours: which to book
Which Atacama tours to book from San Pedro, what each covers, whether park entry is included, and how to order them around the altitude.
See Atacama tours on GetYourGuide ↗Quick answer
A common plan combines three day trips: the full-day lagoons route, El Tatio at dawn and Valle de la Luna, plus a stargazing night. Put the lower trips first and keep El Tatio and the high lagoons for later, once you have adjusted to the altitude. Check each tour's entry-fee line, because some tours include park entry and the Valle de la Luna tour does not.
Three day trips compared
| Lagoons full day | El Tatio at dawn | Valle de la Luna | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | About 10 hours | Around 6 hours | About 4 hours |
| Park entry | Listed as included | Listed as included | Not included |
| Highest point | About 4,200 m | About 4,300 m | Under 2,700 m |
| Pickup | Hotel pickup in town | Hotel pickup in town | Meet at the agency |
| Best for | Lagoons and flamingos | Steam at sunrise | A gentler first day |
Which Atacama tour first?
Most stays are built from three day trips and one night tour. The full-day lagoons route covers high lagoons, Piedras Rojas, a village and the salt flat. El Tatio is the geyser field at dawn. Valle de la Luna is a half-day that ends at sunset. A stargazing night completes the set. They differ most in altitude. Valle de la Luna and the stargazing night stay near San Pedro and its lower elevation, while the lagoons and El Tatio climb above 4,000 metres. So put the gentle trips first and the high ones later. The El Tatio tour itself is recommended for late in an itinerary, after your body has had time to adjust.
The full-day lagoons tour
The lagoons route is the longest of the classic trips, about ten hours, with hotel pickup in San Pedro and a drop-off in the town centre. The group is limited to 14 people. Breakfast and lunch are included, and so are the entry fees. The first stop is the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons, where breakfast is served. Next come Piedras Rojas and the village of Socaire, with its farming terraces and church. After that you reach the Salar de Atacama and Laguna Chaxa, where lunch is by the flamingo reserve. If you book through GetYourGuide, cancellation is free up to 24 hours before, and you can reserve now and pay later.
What the route actually covers
Miscanti and Miñiques are two lagoons separated by an old lava flow from the Miñiques volcano, at about 4,100 to 4,350 metres. Laguna Chaxa lies far lower, on the Salar de Atacama, Chile's largest salt flat, at about 2,300 metres. Chaxa is where you look for flamingos. Three species nest in Chile, the Andean, the Chilean and James's flamingo, and the tour describes Chaxa as home to all three. Wildlife is never scripted, so no tour can promise a particular bird on your day. The reserve is also home to vicuñas and foxes, so keep your eyes on the roadside as well.
Park entry: included or not?
Check this line on every tour, because the answers differ. The lagoons tour and the El Tatio tour list entry fees as included, and the El Tatio operator asks you to prepay the fee in cash at its agency. The Valle de la Luna tour does not include the reserve ticket, so you buy it yourself before the tour. The reserve's managers, CONAF, say valley tickets are bought online at least a day ahead, and the ticket is valid only for the date and time you choose. At Miscanti, visits are booked through the Socaire community's system, and foreign visitors pay a different rate from Chileans. Fees and hours change, so use the booking page and the official sites for current figures.
El Tatio at dawn
El Tatio lies at 4,320 metres, about 80 to 90 kilometres north of San Pedro. It is the third-largest geyser field in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Tours leave well before dawn, because the steam is most visible in cold air. They include hotel pickup, breakfast and a guide in Spanish and English. Pickup covers accommodation in San Pedro's town area, not the nearby ayllus or Toconao. Set your expectations: the fountains average only about 75 centimetres high, so you come for many steaming vents against the mountains, not tall jets. Local Atacameño communities administer the site. The ground near vents is hot and fragile, so stay on the paths.
Read next: El Tatio geysers: why the visit starts before dawn
Valle de la Luna and the stargazing night
Valle de la Luna is about 13 kilometres west of San Pedro, in the Cordillera de la Sal, and it became a nature sanctuary in 1982. The shared tour takes about four hours and stops at Duna Mayor, the Tres Marías formation and an amphitheatre viewpoint, then watches the sunset. You cannot enter the valley on foot, only by vehicle or bicycle, and CONAF says its trails sometimes close for sandstorms in winter or rain in summer. The stargazing tour takes about two and a half hours, with a drive of around 15 minutes from town. It includes a guide, a telescope, drinks, a snack and blankets, in English, Spanish, Italian or German.
Read next: Valle de la Luna: inside the Atacama's Valley of the Moon
Tour, Uyuni crossing or your own car?
You can also explore independently. CONAF notes public transport from Calama to San Pedro, car hire and fuel in San Pedro, but also that each sector has its own access and booking rules and that it is easy to get lost. Chile's tourism board advises hiring only services registered with Sernatur. A longer option is the four-day crossing to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia. It is a small-group tour limited to six people, with a Spanish-speaking guide, and it reaches nearly 5,000 metres on the first day and crosses a border. Treat it as a different trip from a day tour, not a longer version of one.
Booking here or in San Pedro
Tour agencies sit in San Pedro itself, and at least one El Tatio operator takes a cash deposit at its agency. Booking through GetYourGuide suits you if you want to reserve ahead, see the language options for each date and cancel free up to 24 hours before. Many options also let you reserve now and pay later. Booking in town suits you if you would rather wait and see how you feel at altitude, though summer demand is high and Chile's tourism board advises booking ahead then. Either way, read what each tour includes, because entry fees, meals and pickup differ.
Who this isn't for
The high tours aren't for everyone. The full-day lagoons tour lists children under 8, pregnant women, people with back problems, mobility impairments, heart problems or high blood pressure, wheelchair users and people over 70 as not suitable. The El Tatio tour excludes people with heart problems, altitude sickness or high blood pressure, people over 60 and children under 9. If any of that applies, ask a doctor, and consider Valle de la Luna or a stargazing night instead. If you dislike long drives, the full-day route is ten hours, so pick one shorter trip.
Frequently asked questions
Which Atacama tour should I book first?
Start with the lower trips, Valle de la Luna or a stargazing night, and keep El Tatio and the high lagoons for later. The El Tatio tour is recommended for the end of an itinerary, after other low-altitude tours, so your body can adjust first.
Are park entry fees included in Atacama tours?
Not always. The full-day lagoons tour and the El Tatio tour list entry fees as included, but the Valle de la Luna tour does not, and you buy that ticket yourself in advance. Check the includes line on each tour, because fees and rules change.
Is hotel pickup included?
On the lagoons and El Tatio tours, yes, for accommodation in San Pedro's town area. The El Tatio tour does not collect from the nearby ayllus or Toconao. The Valle de la Luna tour starts at the operator's agency in town, so confirm your meeting point.
Which languages do the guides speak?
It depends on the tour. The lagoons day offers Spanish, English and Portuguese, El Tatio and Valle de la Luna list Spanish and English, and stargazing adds Italian and German. None listed French or Dutch when checked. You choose the language when you pick your date.
Can children join Atacama tours?
Age limits differ by tour. The El Tatio tour excludes children under 9, because the park does not admit them, the Valle de la Luna tour excludes under 8, and the stargazing tour excludes under 4. Read the not-suitable line before you book.
Can I cancel a tour?
Through GetYourGuide, the tours covered here offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure for a full refund, and many let you reserve now and pay later. If you book directly with an operator, its own cancellation terms apply, so read them first.
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