REFERENCE PROGRAM

Salar Tour 3D/2N visiting the salar and lagoons starting from and finishing in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile). This program has been designed for travellers that want to observe the beauty of the Salar de Uyuni without having to travel all the way to Uyuni and being dropped off there. This trip starts and ends in San Pedro de Atacama. A 4 day program is available as well.

Day 1 LAGOONS OF COLORS AND DESERTS (FLORA AND FAUNA EDUARDO AVAROA RESERVE) (San Pedro de Atacama – San Pedro de Quemes)
We will get out of the hotel in San Pedro de Atacama towards Hito Cajones the bolivian border. Once in Bolivia a weird landscape dominated by the Licancabur Volcano and the mirror of the Green Lagoon, one of the jewels of the Eduardo Avaroa Reserve and first stop of our trip on 4X4 with no comparison in the world. We will approximate the Green Lagoon at the feet of the Licancabur Volcano.

After this point, another huge landscape will open itself to our view: The desert ladies valley.

We will continue among the deserted landscapes towards the jewel of the reserve: the Colored Lagoon, which is the main nesting place for the three species of flamingos. The colour of the lagoon, due to the activation by the sun and the wind of particular algae, gives the red and pink colours to the feet and feather of the flamingos. We will go around the lagoon by its east side which normally has a lot of flamingos.

We will continue the trip to Capina Mine, in the direction of Villamar and the Mirador del canon de la cascada, where we will appreciate the nice views around while the open air lunch will be prepared.

During the afternoon, we will continue the trip on the way to the waterspring of Sora Sora, which is a very nice place with all green, llama herds and its sides of huge stones. Then we will arrive to San Augustin, one of the most beautiful village of the region. Then we will continue towards San Juan and finally to San Pedro de Quemes.
We will spend the night in the comfortable Tayka Stone Hotel with private bathroom, hot water and heating (L, D).

Day 2 UNDERSTAND THE SALAR AND THE CHAIN OF LAGOONS (San Pedro de Quemes – Ojo de Perdiz)
After breakfast we will start going to the Galaxy Cave, a cactus sanctuary petrified estromatolites and a Chullpas cemetery (ancient burying) The cave presents a weird sub-aquatic formation from the Michin (300.000 years ago) and Tauca ( 40.000 years ago) lakes.

By the Mala Mala Bay we will enter the salt flat to visit the Incahuasi Island, almost in the centre of the Salar. This Island is formed with volcanic stones and has a lot of giant cactus. Its top is the most beautiful point of view on the Salar with a 360 degrees overview. Then, we will be back at the south to get out of the salar by Puerto Chuvica towards San Juan where we will have lunch.

During the afternoon you will drive to the chain of lagoons Cañapa, Hedionda, Chiarkota, Honda and Ramaditas. In theses lagoons there is a large number of flamingos of the three kinds (Andino, James and Chilean) who share the volcanoes, their eternal snow and green sides (paja brava, yareta and thola) with other species of birds as Andean seagulls and wild ducks. Other colors from the sand and rocks ate by the millenaries winds and from the borax and sulfur.
After the last lagoon, you will enter the huge and great desert area with no roads or ways. These fantastic deserts gather all the colors from browns, reds, oranges, brass, coffee and beige which are successively shown at every curve of the trip. In this area you will find the Tayka Desert Hotel, with private bathroom, hot water and heating (B, L, and D).

Day 3 LAGOONS OF COLOURS AND DESERT LADIES VALLEY (Ojo de Perdiz – San Pedro de Atacama) Eduardo Avaroa Fauna and Flora Reserve.
We will get out early in the morning to visit the Stone Tree which is geological structure in a shape of a tree. Then we will arrive once again at the Red Lagoon but this time by the west side which gives another view of this exceptional creation of the Mother Nature.

After that we will catch the best moment for the activity of the Geysers of Sol de Mañana. At this point we will be at the highest altitude of the trip (5000 meters). The cold is very intense. We will have a walk between the geysers which produce noisy vapor springs and many stewpot where red and grey mud is boiling like water.

The desert and Salar of Chalviri are an another sceneries of big value which combine the white of the snow and from the borax with the red brown of the desert and with the blue of the water. In that place you will have the opportunity to have a bath in the Hot Spring of Polque and then to have a delicious open air breakfast.

Then you will take the way to the Desert Ladies Valley, Chef d’oeuvre of the wind work. The columns of stones sculpted by the wind show fantastic colors. After that you will arrive at the feet of Licancabur volcano to appreciate the green lagoon at the lunch time which is the best moment to observe the change of color from emerald to deeper green.

From this point you will go to the Chilean border. Cross the frontier and arrive to San Pedro de Atacama will last between two and three hours. The driver will let you in the hotel you selected.

Nobody can forget the experience of this trip at the end of the world.

End of our services (B, L)

IMPORTANT! Due to the weather and road conditions the routes and hotel reservations can sometimes be changed without notice, reason why the itinerary is only for reference, and is not to be taken as an exact itinerary of what this tour implies. Rain, snow, ice and strong winds for example can cause that some parts of the route are temporarily impassable and may oblige us to make changes in the itinerary. But notice that if we have to make changes it is for your own safety. The surroundings of Uyuni are one of most isolated areas in the world.

Rainy season: the rainy season is roughly from January to April (subject to change). During this period parts of the Salar may be covered with water. It's still possible to do the trip, to visit the Salar and the beautiful lagoons, the highlights of the trip for most people. However with water on the Salar you cannot cross it for hours like in the dry season and you generally cannot get to Isla Incahuasi / Fish Island. Also the Tayka Salt Hotel in Tahua (valid for the 4 day trip that starts and ends in San Pedro) can often not be reached during the rainy season therefore we will either use a salt hotel called Cristal Samana (see http://www.hotelcristalsamana.com/en/home.php) or the Tayka Stone Hotel instead. Other places that cannot be visited during the rainy season are Cueva de las Galaxias, Momias de Coquesa and Chantani, but notice that those places are considered to be minor attractions in the area. Some photographers specifically want to visit the Salar during the rainy season as when the Salar is covered with a little bit of water it becomes one big mirror which makes for beautiful pictures. With too much water however the mirror-effect is gone. Needless to say we cannot predict whether or not it will rain before or during your trip, it’s up to Mother Nature.


Tours include:
- Overnight stay in comfortable Tayka hotels.
- All meals
- Transport in a 4X4
- Spanish driver/guide

Tours do not include:
- entrance fees
- alcoholic drinks, personal snacks and tips.

Optional:
- Bus tickets to Sucre, Potosi or La Paz
- Hotel reservations in Uyuni after the tour has finished
- Bilingual guides
- Private transport to or from either Calama in Chile, or Sucre, Potosi and La Paz in Bolivia.

Do not forget to bring the following items:

The route to the salt lake is cold, windy and with high solar radiation. Over day is generally sunny and the weather is pleasant. Our recommendations on what to bring with you are:
- Warm clothes.
- Gloves.
- Wool socks.
- Hat covering your ears and to protect you from the sun.
- Boots.
- Towel.
- Swimming suit.
- Lips moisturizer.
- Sun block 30+.
- Sun glasses.
- Lantern.
- Raincoat (From December to March)
- Extra water

Note: Don’t forget to bring a copy of your passport.

Please contact us in advance so we have time to check availability with our operator in Uyuni.

  

Contact us for more information or for making a reservation for Salar de Uyuni.

Check out the reference program for the Uyuni-Uyuni. This page also contains general information on the salt flats.

Check out the reference programs for the San Pedro de Atacama - Uyuni.