San Pedro de Atacama is in the heart of the Atacama Desert and it’s a top tourist destination in South America. Chile is already one of the more expensive South American countries to visit and the Atacama Desert is not any friendlier on the budget.
While I don’t think it’s possible to make San Pedro de Atacama a true budget destination, there are things you can do to travel San Pedro de Atacama on a budget.
About San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a hub for visiting the Atacama Desert. It’s the largest town in the area and it seems to be almost designed for tourists. There are tour agencies lining the streets, ready to help you visit some of the great sites of this region.
From you can visit the Tatio Geysers at sunrise or spend your afternoon floating at the Baltinache Lagoons. You’ll see stunning scenery at both Moon Valley and Rainbow Valley. At night, take an astronomical tour to get away from all of the light pollution and really see the stars.
Tips for Visiting San Pedro de Atacama on a Budget
After spending five days in San Pedro de Atacama, these are the things I would recommend doing if you’re trying to travel on a budget. I will be skipping the traditional advice of “using hostel dorm beds” and focusing on the unique budget tips for San Pedro de Atacama.
Book Your Tours in Person
If you don’t have your own vehicle, you’ll be looking at guided tours to experience the best of the region. There are tour agencies lining the streets (particularly Caracoles Street) and several have an online presence.
It can be tempting to book your tours online in advance, especially if you’re taking a short trip to Chile, but I recommend booking your tours in person. Why? Like with most tours in South America, I got better prices by booking directly with tour agencies.
So, look online to see what tours are available, but talk to a tour agent when you arrive in San Pedro de Atacama.
If you don’t have a lot of time in San Pedro de Atacama and can’t spare the hour or so to get everything organized in person, you have two options. First, message your accommodation and ask if they have any tour agencies that they would recommend. If you can’t message your accommodation, you can message an agency through WhatsApp. I booked all of my tours with IntiPara Travel and would recommend them.
Basically, don’t use the online sites like Viator and GetYourGuide if you are traveling on a budget. You’ll be paying an unnecessary premium.
More Tours With the Same Company Typically Gives a Discount
Continuing on from booking tours in person, it’s also best to book all of your tours at once. Every tour agency wants to make money and they do that by selling their tours. So, in order to incentivize you to buy more tours, they’ll likely give you a discount on the overall price.
Don’t expect a huge discount (mine was only about 15,000 CLP or about $15 USD), but any little bit of money you save helps to balance out your travel budget.
Nearly Every Company Offers the Same Tours
There are a few exceptions, but in general, every tour company offers the same tours, so it doesn’t matter which tour agency you book with. In fact, it’s not uncommon to book your tour with one agency but have another agency pick you up.
The tour agencies pool tourists together to make the most efficient use of everyone’s time. Rather than five companies running tours for two people each, it’s so much more efficient to run one tour for ten people.
Tell Your Tour Agency if You Need an English Tour
If you need an English (bilingual) tour, make sure your tour agency knows so they can get you on the right tour. Nearly every single guide in San Pedro de Atacama is bilingual (though that’s not a guarantee for the tour agents working at the agencies), so it shouldn’t be an issue. However, I still would recommend saying something during the booking just so they know you need an English tour guide. This shouldn’t be a problem to organize.
Lastly, there are some variations. My hostel offered a few tours that I didn’t see anywhere else in town. There are a few unique tours in town, but the main tour agencies all sell the most popular tours.
Don’t Forget to Account for Entrance Fees
As you walk through San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll see loads of tours being advertised. There’s always some specials going on, but it’s very important to note that the tour price that is advertised is not the final price.
All of the tours exclude the cost of entrance fees (and nearly every tour requires an entrance fee of some kind). While it would make it easier for tourists to see the final price, there’s plenty of Chilean tourists on these tours. Chileans have a different (and cheaper) entrance fee than everyone else.
So entrance fees are excluded from the advertised tour price and can really add up. Across three of my tours (Rainbow Valley, Tatio Geysers, and Baltinache Lagoons), my entrance fees totaled 37,000 CLP (over $30 USD). Make sure you’re ready for those extra fees.
Hostels May Offer Unique and Cheaper Tours
While almost every tour company offers the same tours, it’s still a good idea to shop around. You never know what your hostel or hotel might offer.
For example, the two most popular tours in San Pedro de Atacama are the sunset tour to Moon Valley and an Astronomical Tour. Together, these total 50,000 CLP, not including your entrance fee for Moon Valley.
My hostel offered a similar tour for just 20,000 CLP. We went and watched sunset near Moon Valley (though not inside Moon Valley) and stayed long enough to do a bit of stargazing. It’s not quite as in depth as the traditional tours, but it was significantly cheaper and I feel like I had a good experience.
Don’t book the first tour you find. Ask around at the smaller agencies and at your accommodation.
Pay for Tours and Hotels in Cash
Bring plenty of cash when you come to San Pedro de Atacama. My hostel charged an extra 6% to pay by card and most tour agencies charge 5-6% as well. If you pay with cash, that fee goes away. So, bring cash or get cash out of the ATM when you arrive.
Note that I only experienced this extra charge at tourist agencies and my hostel. For those small fees at grocery stores and restaurants, they had no problem taking my card.
I never quite figured out why some businesses were fine with credit cards and others weren’t, but be prepared to pay for your big ticket items with cash instead of card.
If You’re Traveling in a Group, Rent a Car
I traveled San Pedro de Atacama solo, so for me, the best option was to join group tours. If you’re traveling as a small group, or even as a couple, it may be better to rent a car and explore by yourself.
Renting a car comes with new fees like the cost of the rental car and fuel, but split across a small group, it could be a big savings. Remember, you’ll still have those entrance fees, but you can skip the other tour fees.
There’s no guarantee that a rental car is the best option, but it’s definitely worth pricing out for those traveling as a group.
Note that you won’t find the big retnal car agencies like Hertz or Avis, but plenty of hotels and tour agencies will be able to rent you a car right from San Pedro de Atacama. Outside of the city, you may have to go as far as Calama to find one of those bigger rental car companies.
Bike Rentals Can be an Affordable Option
The guided tours are great since they bring you right to the best locations in the Atacama Desert, but sometimes those tours get to be a bit much. For a chance to explore on your own, and do so on a budget, look into renting a bike.
There are several bike rentals in San Pedro de Atacama and the fees can be very reasonable. I rented a bike for a few hours to visit the nearby Devil’s Throat. My bike rental (and entrance fee) was a half the cost as a tour.
Most Paid Tours Come With a Meal
The tours in San Pedro de Atacama can be expensive, but they have one huge benefit. Every tour comes with a meal. If you take a morning tour, you’ll have breakfast. Afternoon tours come with a table of snacks. Even my astronomical tour that departed at 10:00 pm included snacks.
What’s great about this is that it helps to keep your food budget down. In fact, if you plan to take tours while in San Pedro de Atacama, I wouldn’t stress about finding a hotel that includes breakfast. It’s not worth paying extra for it because you will likely not be there to enjoy it most days.
Cook Your Own Food or Look for Menu del Dias
Cooking your food is always a great budget option while traveling and you’ll find a few grocery stores and convenience stores in town. However, I didn’t want to cook every day, so I looked for lunch specials. Menu del Dias exist all over South America and they are a great way to get a good and filling meal for a cheap price.
Now, I will say that the menu del dias in Chile were more expensive than I experienced elsewhere in South America, but there are some good deals to be found. I was able to find a restaurant with great food that had a menu del dia for just 8,000 CLP. That included a juice, appetizer, main course, and small dessert. I made that my main meal of the day (if I was eating out) and it kept me satisfied for a most of the day. I supplemented the rest of my day with snacks from guided tours and grocery store snacks.
Food can be expensive in San Pedro de Atacama, but put in the effort to look around and you’ll find some budget options.
Final Thoughts
San Pedro de Atacama is a wonderful destination with so many things to do. However, if you aren’t careful, you’ll easily blow your travel budget and the Atacama Desert will be much more expensive than you expected. Just know, though, that it is possible to travel to San Pedro de Atacama on a budget (even if it’s slightly more than you’d spend elsewhere in South America).
Continue Your Adventure
San Pedro de Atacama: I recommend three days in San Pedro de Atacama to see the highlights. Moon Valley is often paired with an astronomical tour and is the most popular tour combination. The Tatio Geysers are some of the largest in the world. For some of my favorite scenery, visit Rainbow Valley. For something different, visit the Baltinache Lagoons to float in the lakes. 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.
