What days of the year can I make this excursion?
The tour has confirmed departures all days of the week, the whole year.
4 days private tour to the Uyuni Salt Flat, beginning and ending in San Pedro de Atacama. It includes transport, accommodation in hotels and all meals.
Start: Day 1 at 7:00 am at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.
End: Day 4 at 6:00 pm in Downtown San Pedro de Atacama or bus station (this end time may be modified due to weather conditions or force majeure reasons, so we recommend leaving San Pedro de Atacama the day after the tour end date.)
Day 1: We will pick you up at your accommodation and you will begin the journey to the border crossing between Chile and Bolivia. There you will complete the customs formalities, and then you will begin the journey through Bolivia, which includes a visit to the Verde and Blanca lagoons, and the Polques Hot Springs. You will then continue towards the Sol de Mañana Geysers and Colorada Lagoon, before arriving at the accommodation.
Day 2: This day has two possible routes, depending on the available accommodation from the night before. If you stay at the Tayka Desierto or Flamencos Altiplano hotels, you will follow the route that goes through the Cachi, Honda, Chiarkota and Cañapa Altiplanic Lagoons. If you stay at the Mallku Cueva Hotel, you will take the Tomás Lakha Route, through Lost Italy, Catal Lagoon and Anaconda Canyon. With either route you will be able to see wonderful landscapes of the Altiplano until you reach your accommodation for this second day.
Day 3: You will start the day mid-morning to visit Salar de Uyuni. You will have access to some points of interest, such as Incahuasi Island, where you can walk along its trails and reach the highest part of the island, from where you will have a 360º view of the endless white of the salt flat. Then you can visit the Salt Museum, the Dakar monument and you will also go a little further away to visit Colchani. You will have the chance to go around Uyuni and see the Train Cemetery, then return to the salt flat to get ready to watch the sunset, a true spectacle. Then, you will go to your accommodation to finish the day.
Day 4: This day you will only be returning from Uyuni, so you will leave very early to begin the journey to the border. There you will complete the corresponding formalities and then continue to San Pedro de Atacama, where the tour ends.
*The pickup service included does not operate to nor from accommodations located outside the urban area of San Pedro de Atacama, accommodations located in ayllus near San Pedro de Atacama (Quitor, Yaye, Checar, Sequitor, Solor, and Coyo), nor accommodations in the town of Toconao.
Altiplano winter
From January to April, a weather phenomenon occurs that is known as Altiplano winter, which is the rainy season in the central Andes. Due to this, the described itinerary may be modified as follows:
Changes due to force majeure
These are referential itineraries. The route to get to the salt flat, the places visited, the indicated order and the end time will always be subject to change according to weather conditions, road conditions, unforeseen events, and accommodations availability. The itinerary is confirmed in the briefing given by the supplier the day before the start of the activity. However, the itinerary still could be modified due to the occurrence of the aforementioned situations once the tour has already begun.
The tour has confirmed departures all days of the week, the whole year.
The activity is made on a H1 or Sprinter in Chile, and on a 4x4 (Toyota Land Cruiser) in Bolivia in a group of 5 people each.
Each passenger may carry at most one bag or suitcase of 15 kilos which will go above the 4x4. Because it will be outside the vehicle, it is recommended to take a bag rather than a suitcase, as suitcases are fragile and could be exposed to potential damage. If you do choose to bring a suitcase, it must a maximum size of a cabin suitcase (55 x 40 x 20 cm).
Although the accommodations provide blankets, during the colder months (June, July, and August), it is necessary to bring a sleeping bag, which you can rent directly at the San Pedro de Atacama office a day before the tour starts, for a price of CLP$ 10.000. During the rest of the year, a sleeping bag is not needed.
We recommend bringing at least Bs. 500 per person for expenses not included in the tour, such as park entry fees, taxes, access to bathrooms, and water. On Toconao Street in San Pedro de Atacama (intersection with Caracoles), you can find some exchange houses where you can obtain bolivianos to take with you on the tour.
Depending on the nationality of the passenger. Passengers from Chile and the rest of South America, and passengers from Western Europe do not need tourist visa, while passenger that come from United States, Central America, Asia, and Africa do need tourist visa that costs U$ 160. This visa is obtained directly in the border, where along with the payment of the visa in cash, you need to present your passport and other documents. In case you are a foreign person resident in Chile, besides your passport, you need your ID card with you so you can prove your residence with the police authorities in customs.
The vaccine against the yellow fever is demanded for all passengers who don't come back to San Pedro de Atacama and that hace to pay tourism visa in the border (passengers that present a travel document from a country of the group II).
The mirror effect occurs when there is water on the salt flat. This happens only in rainy periods (January and February) and after them (March).
The meals are varied, and includes tea, coffee, bread, cookies and fruit for breakfast, and meat, pasta, rice, soup and vegetables for lunch and dinner. In case you need a vegetarian menu, you must mark your preference during the booking process.
The accommodations have sockets type C, compatible with the types E and F. Anyway, our recommendation is that you carry an adapter to avoid any inconvenience.
We offer the tour in three options, which you can review here.
We do not offer the tour in shared service with accommodation in hostels or hotels.
Yes, but only in English. The English-speaking driver service has an additional cost of US$ 320 per group. You can select it as an optional service during the booking process.