While many of the day trips from San Pedro de Atacama focus on great scenery and include multiple stops, a tour to the Baltinache Lagoons can feel different. The highlight, of course, is floating in the salt heavy lagoons, but that’s really all you’ll be doing on your trip. Don’t get me wrong, I think a visit to the Baltinache Lagoons can still worth it, but I think it’s important to note that it’s not as busy as some of the other day trips (though that may be a good thing depending on your itinerary).
Here’s what to expect on a visit to the Baltinache Lagoons.
Day Trip to Baltinache Lagoons
This is all based on my experience. While there are several companies that offer a tour to Baltinache Lagoons, nearly every tour follows the exact same itinerary. They’ll make the same stops, typically in the exact same order, so it’s not unusual to see several identical looking tour vans at each stop. That said, there seemed to be fewer vans at Baltinache Lagoons than I saw during other tours in San Pedro de Atacama.
Pick Up
Like with all tours around San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll get picked up at your hotel. If you take a morning tour (which I recommend that you don’t), you’ll be picked up early in the day. If you take an afternoon tour, pick up will likely be sometime between 2:00 and 2:30, meaning you will have time to get lunch after your morning tour.
Once everyone is picked up, you’ll start your drive to Baltinache Lagoons. Compared to other day trips from San Pedro de Atacama, the day trip to Baltinache doesn’t have as long of a drive, which is very nice.
Sendero at Baltinache Lagoons
When you arrive at Baltinache Lagoons, you’ll have a bit of a walk. However, first, your guide will make sure that everyone is changed and doesn’t need a bathroom. Your tour company should tell you to come prepared so you don’t have to stop at the changing rooms, but not everyone listens to the advice from tour companies. Thankfully, everyone listened on my group and we were able to start our walk along the lagoons right away.
From where the van drops you off, it’s a 20 minute walk to the main lagoon. Along the way, you’ll pass other lagoons (though you can’t swim in them). Your guide will likely give you some background information on the geology of this area, but I couldn’t tell you much.
Despite signing up for a bilingual tour and the guide telling me that he would do everything in Spanish and then in English, he only spoke Spanish. I understood maybe one third to one half of what he was saying, but it was so scattered that I couldn’t string together enough to follow everything. That was a disappointment of the tour for me. I still enjoyed the tour, but it definitely put a damper on my mood.
What I can say is that the scenery is unique and reminded me of Devil’s Golf Course at Death Valley National Park in the United States.
I logged 0.6 miles from the starting point to the Baltinache Lagoon. It took us 20 minutes and it’s a pretty easy walk.
Floating at Baltinache Lagoons
Now it’s time to finally float in the lagoons. Find a place to put your things, strip down to your bathing suit and get in the water. Even in the afternoon, it can be a little cool at first, but you’ll adjust to the water quickly. Float and enjoy the warm sun. The water has such a high concentration of salt that you’ll float without any effort. It’s a very strange feeling if you’re not used to it.
This is why you want an afternoon tour. For some reason, tour companies will run tours to the Baltinache Lagoons in the morning, but floating in the lagoon is going to feel very cold. Go in the afternoon when it’s warmer to fully enjoy the experience.
You’ll get about 20 minutes to float in the lagoon before it’s time to get out. I recommend getting out about five minutes before you need to leave, just to have a little time to dry off. Don’t use your towel. As you dry in the sun, you’ll notice that you are absolutely covered in salt. If you dry off with your towel at this point, you’re going to ruin your towel.
Instead, follow your guide and walk back to the parking lot. It’s a short 5-10 minute walk to the van (since the van moves to a different location after dropping you off). The only awkward thing is trying to carry any bags and not get them wet and covered in salt in the process.
Back at the van, your guides will have some non-salt water that you can rinse off in. Then you can dry off with your towel. Just don’t be surprised if you don’t get all of the salt off. A shower back at your hotel after your tour will feel lovely.
An Afternoon Snack
Every tour in San Pedro de Atacama includes food. Remember than when you look at some of the prices for tours. Morning tours come with breakfast while the afternoon tours are a table of what I’d consider to be hors d’oeuvres. There were crackers, fruit, cheese, cookies, chips, and a few other small snacks. Plus, they had juice and pisco sour.
While the afternoon tour is more snack type foods (and the morning tours can feel more like a proper meal), it’s still a nice snack in the late afternoon. Since I had only had an empanada between my morning tour of Rainbow Valley and my afternoon tour of Baltinache, it was a perfect way to keep me satisfied.
Back to San Pedro de Atacama
Your tour is over and you’ll be driven back to San Pedro de Atacama. Rather than dropping everyone back at their hotels, the van makes one stop in the city center (near Caracoles street) and everyone gets out here.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Should You Visit the Baltinache Lagoons?
If a tour company tries to convince you to take the morning tour, don’t do it. Mornings are cold in San Pedro de Atacama and the highlight of a tour to Baltinache Lagoons is floating in the lagoon. Do you really want to do that in the cooler morning weather?
How Long is a Day Trip to Baltinache Lagoons from San Pedro de Atacama?
A day trip to the Baltinache Lagoons is a half day, meaning you can pair it with another half day tour. I took an afternoon tour (and highly recommend that you do the same). I was picked up at about 2:00 and returned to San Pedro de Atacama around 6:00 pm.
Reminder, since all tour companies offer virtually the same tours (and they want to sell as many tours as possible), they have everything timed so you can typically pair two half day tours together to fill up your time.
How Do You Book a Trip to Baltinache?
You can find tour agencies on websites like GetYourGuide or Viator, but I’d be hesitant to use these sites. It’s definitely easy to do this, especially if you want to have everything booked before you arrive in San Pedro de Atacama, but I think it’s better to wait until you’re in town. If you meet with the tour agency in person, you’re likely to be able to work out a deal where you’ll get a discount if you book multiple tours (and if you’re taking one tour, it’s likely you’re going to take multiple).
Also keep in mind that the price you see advertised (either in town or online) is typically not the final price. Most of the sites include entrance fees that vary between Chilean nationals and everyone else. Therefore the entrance fees are excluded from the advertised price and added on at the end. I bring this up because these entrance fees can really add up in the end.
Do You Need to Take a Tour to Baltinache Lagoons?
No. You can visit Baltinache Lagoons on your own, if you have your own vehicle. Compared to some of the other tours, I think Baltinache Lagoons would be one of the easier places to visit on your own as it requires the least amount of mountain driving.
Still, for solo travelers, a tour to Baltinache Lagoons can make a lot more financial sense than trying to visit independently.
Final Thoughts
I took several tours when I was in San Pedro de Atacama, and while my tour to Baltinache Lagoons was shorter than most, it still felt unique. The highlight is floating in the salt lagoon and your time goes by fast, but it still can be a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Continue Your Adventure
San Pedro de Atacama: I recommend three days in San Pedro de Atacama to see the highlights. The Tatio Geysers are some of the largest in the world. For some of my favorite scenery, visit Rainbow Valley. To explore on your own, rent a bike and visit the Devil’s Throat. Continue your adventure by departing on a tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia.
Chile: Start planning your trip with my Chile Travel Guide. Get my best budget travel tips and a 9 day Chile itinerary.
