from 5,518 reviews
3 Days, 2 Nights
Daily Tour
6 people
Espanol
Limited budget, small window of time, big list of Must Sees? This San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Salt Flats 3-day rainy season group tour will do the trick. Make your way through vast deserts, walk along colored lagoons, watch flamingo, vicuñas among other Andean wildlife & explore dramatic landscapes including the flooded Salar de Uyuni known as the ‘Mirror of the Sky’. If you know a better way to discover Bolivia from San Pedro in just 3 days, we need to hear about it!
Is this trip for you?
This itinerary is valid for the rainy season months of December through March (months may vary, you will always be informed of current conditions)
Ideal tour if you want to see the ‘Mirror of the Sky’ reflection caused by a flooded Uyuni Salt Flats
Roads and dirt tracks may be more challenging so budget more buffer time in case of delays (flight or bus at the end)
This is a group tour with up to six people in the vehicle
Accommodation is very basic (day 1) and basic (day 2) in dormitory style room (day 1) and private room if available (day 2)
Your high-altitude heart-pounding (literally) adventure kicks off today. After meeting at our office in central San Pedro de Atacama, climb aboard our van for a short 1.5 hrs. drive to Hito Cajones - the Bolivian border outpost. Transfer onto our 4WD after clearing migration formalities and drive into Eduardo Avaroa Reserve. Not long after we find ourselves looking at mesmerizing Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde after which we visit the Dali Desert and spend some time relaxing at the Polques Hot Springs. Continue our adventure to the highest point of the trip at 4900m, Sol de Mañana geyser field. Today’s grand finale is Laguna Colorada, a nesting site for thousands of pink flamingos that get their color from the red-hue algae abundant in this lagoon.
Meals: Lunch, Dinner (L, D)
Accommodation: Very basic desert lodge. Shared room with shared bathroom (mixed-gender)
With a full day to loiter, expect an entire photo album of dramatic landscapes such as the Siloli Desert and its surreal Arbol de Piedra (stone tree) and idyllic Andean lagoons; not to mention plenty of Andean wildlife! We'll explore our first taste of salt flats today at Chiguana Salt Flats. The night is yours to enjoy mingling with your fellow travelers or enjoying your rest at our comfortable ‘salt lodge’.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B, L, D)
Accommodation: Twin or triple room with shared bathroom (lodge is made of salt)
Unlike our itinerary in the dry season, we will not be visiting Incahuasi Island today. Instead, we will drive to the southeastern edge of the Salt Flats and carefully enter the surreal ‘mirror of the sky’ driving slowly through a few inches of brine that flood the entire surface of the salt flats every year during the rainy season (December - March). We will be able to walk on the few inches of water for the best reflection photos which is something difficult to be forgotten. After spending as much time as possible in the salt flats, we exit once again headed for the town of Uyuni where the tour ends around 3 PM.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (B, L)
Accommodation: Not provided
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch (B, L)
Accommodation: Not provided
Days 1 and 2 are almost identical with slight variations that are insignificant. Day 3 is different in that we cannot visit Incahuasi Island nor can we drive for long distances on the salt flats. Being flooded (and prohibited by law, for safety), it is not possible to drive through more than a few KMs of water during the rainy season but the latter yields great opportunities for reflection photos/views which are not possible during the dry season.
It starts in San Pedro de Atacama and ends in the town of Uyuni
No, this trip includes a Spanish speaking driver who works as a guide in his language (it is recommended you have a basic command of Spanish though it is not necessary as this is a trip of seeing rather than doing).
From Calama and its Airport it is a short 1.5 hr. drive in northern Chile
Year-round, although the itinerary will be slightly modified on day 3 during the rainy season months of December to March
On day 2 we sleep in a rural lodge made of salt. This is not considered a hotel but basic lodging with the amenities needed for a good night’s rest
You will be accommodated in shared rooms, dormitory style with your companions or when possible, with other travelers of your same sex
You can arrange it through us as the lodges we use offer this option at an extra cost. Please add it at the moment of booking (it is an extra).
If you wish to return to San Pedro, it is recommended you take our 4-day tour instead. We do not recommend staying in Uyuni and attempt to drive back to San Pedro as it may be very costly
Yes, both are possible. Airport dropoff does not have extra cost (if it is on the way to Uyuni around 3 PM, otherwise extra cost applies) but drop off in Colchani has an extra cost of USD 60 per vehicle
Yes, you will see several species of Andean wildlife such as flamingo, vicuña, viscacha, llama, and with some luck the Andean fox
It is highly recommended you spend at least a couple of days in San Pedro prior to the trip. Anyway, you will feel the effects of high altitude, especially on day 1 when we reach 4900m. You can ask your doctor if he/she recommends taking altitude medication which many people do.
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