Geysers, flamingos, colored mountains, llamas, and salt lagoons are just the start of what you can see in San Pedro de Atacama. Located in northern Chile, this town is a hub of tourism in the Atacama Desert, with tour agencies lining the streets waiting to take tourists to all of the incredible sights in the region. You’d need several days to see everything, but I put together this itinerary for 3 days in San Pedro de Atacama. It’s based off my own experience and allows you to see a lot of variety in this region.
Rental Car versus Guided Tours
Before we get too far into this itinerary, let’s first talk about whether or not you need a guided tour. Tours are how most travelers experience the Atacama Desert, but that’s not your only option. There are several agencies in town that will offer rental cars if you prefer to travel on your own.
If you’re traveling in a small group, a rental car will likely make more sense financially. With tours averaging about 30,000 Chilean Pesos (CLP) per half day tour, the price can quickly add up. Meanwhile, my hostel offered a rental car for 60,000 CLP per day (2 days minimum), so if you’re a small group (or even a couple), it might be more economical to rent a car.
The only warning I’d give with renting a car is that not all roads are paved. The main highway is paved, but some of the other roads leading to the top sights are gravel, mountain roads. In fact, when I took my tour to the Tatio Geyser, I’m convinced that we were off roading for at least half of the journey.
In the end, it’s your choice, but as a solo traveler, the guided tours made more sense for me.
3 Day San Pedro de Atacama Itinerary
This three day itinerary is based off my own experience in San Pedro de Atacama. I came into town with one idea of what my time would look like and then scrapped it after getting some advice from tour agencies (more on this later).
So, this is itinerary I put together for 3 days in San Pedro de Atacama. It’s perfect for people who are passing through on their way to Bolivia through the Uyuni Salt Flats, but can also be used by people who are staying in Chile (though I’ll give you some alternatives at the end of this post).
Day 1 – Geyser Tatio and Baltinache Lagoons
Your first day in San Pedro de Atacama starts early. Normally, when I say that, it means getting up at 7:00, but for the Tatio Geysers, you’ll be picked up at 5:00 am. Not a wake up call at 5:00 am, but the tour company will be at your hotel at 5:00 am ready to pick you up.
Why so early? Because the geysers are more active when it’s cold and at sunrise (at a very high elevation), it’s very cold. The good news is that it’s dark out and there’s nothing to see until you reach the geysers, so once you get picked up, feel free to go back to sleep (though it’s a very bumpy ride).
Around sunrise, you’ll reach Tatio and your guide will lead you on a walk through the geyser fields and explain the geology of this area. Is it cool? Yes, but f you’ve visited geysers in Yellowstone or Iceland, it might be a little disappointing. You’ll be told that these is the fourth largest geyser in the world, but that doesn’t mean that it shoots water very high in the air. The largest geyser only shoots about two meters into the air. That’s not to say don’t do the tour, but rather you need to set your expectations appropriately (because mine definitely weren’t).
After the geyser fields, you’ll be taken to an area where breakfast will be prepared. There’s scrambled eggs, avocado, bread, cheese, cake, and fruit. Don’t worry, there’s also coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to help warm you up. Despite it getting quite warm late in the day, mornings (especially at a high elevation) are downright freezing.
On your way back to San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll make a few stops. The first is a viewpoint for the Putana River, which is beautiful. The town of Machuca is tiny and I think the only reason they stop is to try to get the tourists to pay to try the llama meat (since I already tried it in Salta, Argentina, I passed). Lastly, there’s a quick stop where you can see some flamingos going about their day (aka, eating since that’s literally what they are doing all day).
Back in town, grab some lunch before your next activity.
In the afternoon, head to Baltinache, a lagoon with such a high salt content that you’ll float. Pick up for this activity is typically between 2:00 and 2:30 (if you do the afternoon tour, which I highly recommend—don’t go in the morning, it’s too cold). You’ll then drive to Baltinache and take a short walk past six other lagoons. Are these other lagoons nice? I guess, but the real reason you’re here it to float in Baltinache Lagoon. That said, take a look at the scenery. All of the salt reminded me of Devil’s Golf Course at Death Valley National Park.
When you reach Baltinache, you’ll get 20-30 minutes to swim in the lagoon. Float, enjoy the warmth of the sun (remembering how cold you were this morning), and get to know your group members. I would recommend getting out five minutes before you have to leave so you have a chance at drying off. Don’t use your towel yet and dry off in the sun.
The most awkward part is that you have to walk back to the van still wet. Don’t put your clothes back on or wipe down with a towel. As you dry, you’ll notice how much salt is on you (it’s a lot). At the van, they’ll have a hose where you can rinse off most of the salt (though you’ll still need a shower that night to get everything off). Now, you can use your towel and put your clothes back on.
Before heading back to town, you’ll get a snack. It’s a table just like breakfast with a variety of foods (though it’s mostly what I would consider a large charcuterie board) and even some alcohol and juice.
Back in town, relax, get dinner, and prepare for another day of exploring tomorrow.
Day 2 – Rainbow Valley, Moon Valley, and Astronomical Tour
It’s another early morning, but thankfully it’s less intense than yesterday. For Rainbow Valley, expect a pick up around 7:00 am.
You’ll have another drive before you reach your first stop, which is not actually Rainbow Valley, but rather some ancient petroglyphs. If you’re read any of my US National Park posts, you may know that petroglyphs aren’t super interesting to me. That said, my guide did her absolute best to get the group excited for the small carvings that we saw. I still don’t have a huge interest in petroglyphs but I will say that my guide got me the closest to interested that I’ve ever been.
Like yesterday, you’ll get a breakfast prepared by your guides. Enjoy and make friends with the other people in your group.
Now, it’s time for the real reason that you came on this tour: Rainbow Valley. The views are incredible and the walk through the valley just gives better views with every step. Take your camera and snap as many photos as you can. Your guide will also tell you about the area. How this area was formed, what minerals are found here, and what may happen to this area in the future (it’s rich in lithium and with the demand for electronics and electric vehicles, no one knows what this area might look like in a few decades).
Back in town, you have time for lunch and a little bit of relaxing before your next tour. If you can, I recommend taking a nap because it’s going to be a late night.
The most popular tour in San Pedro de Atacama is the Moon Valley tour (followed closely by the astronomical tour). You’ve probably driven by Moon Valley by now, but on this tour, you’ll get to go inside and walk up close to these formations. Plus you’ll stay long enough to watch the sunset before returning to town.
Then, go to an astronomical tour where you’ll drive out of town, away from the light pollution to stargaze. Your guide will explain bits of astronomy and point out various constellations and planets in the sky before you can use the large telescopes to see these stars up close. Like with any tour in San Pedro de Atacama, there’s food and drinks involved (yes, even at 10:30 at night).
I will fully admit that I didn’t do the traditional Moon Valley tour (though I did do the astronomical tour). Instead, I booked a tour with my hostel (EcoExplor) where we went and watched sunset over Moon Valley (though not from inside Moon Valley). While everyone else left shortly after sunset, we stuck around for another hour to watch the stars come out.
It was a great alternative and technically I think you could get away with doing this instead of a Moon Valley and Astronomical tour (it would definitely save money). That said, I’m still glad that I did the astronomical tour. There’s such minimal light pollution that stargazing out in the desert is incredible.
Day 3 – Devil’s Throat and Traveler’s Choice
The first two days of this San Pedro de Atacama itinerary were pretty full of guided tours. If you’re anything like me, you enjoy exploring on your own, so that’s what we’re doing today (for at least part of the day).
As I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, many of the top things to do in San Pedro de Atacama are located a bit of a drive from San Pedro de Atacama. However, there are some places nearby that can be visited by just a rental bike. So that’s what I recommend you do in this morning. Head into town, pick up a rental bike, and head off on your own.
There are two main areas that I recommend you focus your time: Death Valley and Devil’s Throat. Both can be visited by bike, but I recommend Devil’s Throat. Yes, it’s the area that I biked to, but I think it also offers a bit more variety. It’s also worth noting that you will have passed by Death Valley on some of your drives to the other activities on this itinerary.
So what is Devil’s Throat? It’s a canyon, located not too far from town, where you can take your bike through. This is not a normal biking path with paved roads and you’ll instead be biking along windy, gravel roads. It’s a fun bike ride (once you get there) and you’ll finish with a short hike up a mountain for incredible views of the landscape. If you aren’t quite ready to return to San Pedro de Atacama, you can bike a little further to reach a small chapel before you head back to town.
When I did this, I paid 8000 CLP for a bike rental for six hours, though I only needed the bike for about four hours. I logged about 16 miles (26 kilometers) on my route from the bike rental shop to Devil’s Throat to the chapel and back to the bike rental shop. While there’s a few hills here and there, in general, it’s a pretty flat route with about 500 feet of total ascent.
If you’re like me, you’ll be back in town in time for lunch. Grab something to eat. You’ve earned it.
The rest of the afternoon is travelers’ choice. Take another tour, continue biking (if you haven’t had your fill already), or take some time to just relax. It’s been a pretty busy view days.
A Note About This Itinerary
This itinerary assumes that you arrive to San Pedro de Atacama the day before and arrange all of your tours. Or, reach out to your hotel and ask them to help you arrange things prior to your arrival. If you don’t have things organized before getting to town, I’d swap your days around. You’ll have to spend the morning of day one getting all of your tours arranged. Here’s what I recommend in that scenario.
Day 1 – Organization, Moon Valley, and Astronomical Tour
Day 2 – Rainbow Valley and Baltinache Lagoons
Day 3 – Geyser Taito and Traveler’s Choice (I’d rent a bike in the late afternoon and go to Devil’s Throat)
Is 3 Days in San Pedro de Atacama Enough?
I think that three days in San Pedro de Atacama is the perfect amount of time. You can see a lot, without getting burned out. But, if you have more or less time, this is what I’d recommend.
With Less Time
If you only have two days in San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll obviously have to cut some activities. Firstly, if you only have two days, I recommend taking care of all of your bookings before you get to San Pedro de Atacama. You don’t want to waste precious time trying to get things organized.
As far as an itinerary, I’d recommend the following
Day 1: Geyser Tatio and Baltinache Lagoons
Day 2: Rainbow Valley, Moon Valley, and the Astronomical Tour
If you only have one day, it’s completely up to you. Your choices are definitely limited, so be deliberate with your planning. My vote would be Rainbow Valley, Moon Valley, and the Astronomical Tour.
With More Time
I had four days in San Pedro de Atacama, so I spent my first day getting organized. That meant meeting with tour operators and planning out my next three days. That said, you could always squeeze in one or two additional activities if you have a fourth day in town.
Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend more than four days in San Pedro de Atacama. Could you fill those days with activities? Absolutely! But I don’t think it’s necessary to do absolutely every activity that is offered. There’s so many other great places to see in Chile (or the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia or Salta, Argentina) that I’d recommend heading to something else entirely different.
Alternative Activities in San Pedro de Atacama
The itinerary that I’ve provided is based on my own itinerary for San Pedro de Atacama. However, I realize that everyone has different tastes and may want to do different activities. Here’s the other popular tours that you’ll find offered in San Pedro de Atacama.
Vallecito – This is an afternoon only activity and involves visiting the dunes in the salt mountains and visiting the valley of the abandoned bus.
Purilibre – This is a half day tour and involves hiking to hot springs.
Laguna Cejar – For another lagoon option, Laguna Cejar can be visited in the afternoon as a half day tour.
Ruta Salares – This is a full day tour (though you may be able to still get back early enough to do a traditional Moon Valley Tour) that takes you to a viewpoint of the Licancabur Volcano, various lagoons, and the salt flats.
Termas de Puritana – This is a half day excursion, operating both in the morning and the afternoon and you’ll visit a hot springs.
Piedras Rojas and Lagunas Altiplanicas – This is a full day tour to red rocks, various lagoons, and the Tropic of Capricorn. I talked to someone who did this tour and while he enjoyed it, he said it was just ok.
If You’re Also Visiting Uyuni, Bolivia, Skip These Tours
I know I just got done listing numerous additional tour options, but I want to take a minute to pass on some advice since the list of tour options can feel overwhelming.
When I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama, I had one idea in my head of which tours I wanted. I happened to meet with the IntiPara Travel Agency first and the woman working that day (Liz) gave me some great advice. I mentioned that I’d be going to Uyuni after San Pedro de Atacama and she immediately said “Ok, let’s talk about what tours you should skip”. She pulled out the paper with all of the tours listed and crossed out about half of the tour options. Here’s what she crossed off:
- Vallecito
- Laguna Cejar
- Ruta Salares
- Termas de Puritama
- Piedras Rojas and Lagunas Altiplanicas
To be clear, it’s not that any of these tours are bad, but rather there’s a lot of duplication between these tours and what you’ll get on the 3 day/2 night tour to Uyuni. So, since you will likely have limited time (and limited money), I recommend focusing on the tours I’ve included in my San Pedro de Atacama itinerary.
Just as a note, I spoke with a few other travelers on my tours and they were amazed that I was able to get that kind of information. They said none of the tour operators they talked to gave them any advice like that. So, I feel no guilt passing this information on to you.
How to Book Your Tours for San Pedro de Atacama
If you look on sites like GetYourGuide and Viator, you’ll be able to find the basics of every tour that is operated in San Pedro de Atacama. While you can book through these sites, I’d wait and book directly with the company. I found it to be a bit cheaper to work with the company directly and since you’re likely to get a better deal if you purchase multiple tours, it seems silly not to.
That said, if you’re someone who likes to have things planned out before you leave, you can message tour companies directly through WhatsApp or talk to your hotel who will almost surely be able to help you get things arranged.
Lastly, when you see the price of the tours, please realize that that’s typically not the final price. Most of the places you’ll visit have additional entrance fees. Since there’s different prices for foreigners and Chileans, these prices are typically excluded from the advertised price, but they can have a huge impact on your final total.
How to Get to San Pedro de Atacama
No matter where you’re coming from, you’ll have a bit of a journey to get to San Pedro de Atacama. There is no airport in town, so you’ll be taking a bus or private transfer of some kind (assuming you don’t have a rental car).
The nearest airport is Calama (code CJC). Buses from Calama take about three hours to reach San Pedro de Atacama. From the San Pedro de Atacama bus station, you’ll also be able to reach other destinations in Chile (though you may be looking at some long bus rides).
If you’re coming from Bolivia, the most popular way to do so is via the 3 day/2 night tour from Uyuni. It’s the reverse of the “Salar de Uyuni” tours that are operated from San Pedro de Atacama.
Lastly, I came from Argentina. Specifically, I started in Salta. It’s an 11 hour bus ride between Salta and San Pedro de Atacama, but it’s significantly cheaper and faster than flying between the two cities. PullmanBus is comfortable and operates the route from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays leaving at 6:00 am. AndesMar departs daily but leaves Salta at 1:00 am.
Final Thoughts
I’m thrilled that I finally got to come back to Chile and experience the Atacama Desert. My 3 days in San Pedro de Atacama (four days if you count my first day of getting organized) were a perfect taste of the region. The variety is great, the scenery is incredible, and I still haven’t done everything here.
Continue Your Adventure
Santiago, Chile: Spend one day in Santiago, exploring the capital of Chile. Nearby, you can visit Valparaíso and Viña del Mar or take a day trip to Cajon del Maipo.
Puerto Varas, Chile: Further south, you can reach Puerto Varas, a charming town that makes a great base for day trips. My favorites are the Osorno Volcano and Petrohué Falls and the island of Chiloé.
Chile Travel Guide: Check out my Chile Travel Guide for everything you need to start planning your trip, including itineraries, city guides, travel tips, and a detailed budget.
