This is not a tour built around isolated stops.
The Salt Flats Route, known locally as the Ruta de los Salares, is a journey across the Andean Altiplano, where the road is just as important as the destinations. It is a full day crossing vast, remote, and sparsely inhabited landscapes, where the desert reveals its deepest sense of scale and silence.
We leave San Pedro de Atacama in the morning and head toward the Andes, leaving the oasis behind as we gradually enter a higher-altitude territory.
Little by little, the landscape opens up.
Volcanoes, plains, meltwater streams, and salt flats unfold one after another at a pace that invites contemplation. It is along this journey that the desert begins to reveal itself.
The tour unfolds at a relaxed pace, with carefully planned stops and constant guidance. The altitude increases gradually, allowing the body to adjust naturally to the conditions of the Altiplano.
Our first major stop is the viewpoint overlooking Licancabur Volcano, an icon of Atacama and the symbol of our agency.
There, we prepare a complete outdoor breakfast while you take in one of the desert’s most emblematic landscapes. Volcano, plain, and open sky in perfect harmony.
We then continue along the international highway toward Argentina through Jama Pass, also traveling through the area around Hito Cajón, near the Bolivian border.
Before our next stop, we can see some of the ALMA Observatory antennas in the distance. They are installed on the Chajnantor Plateau, one of the world’s most important locations for astronomy.
Our next stop is Bofedal de Quepiaco, a true high-altitude wetland.
Fed by meltwater and groundwater, this ecosystem supports rich biodiversity. When conditions are favorable, Andean birds can be seen using the lagoon as a feeding area, creating a striking contrast with the arid landscape around them.
Farther along the route, we reach the Monjes de la Pacana area.
Towering rock formations rise from the Altiplano like natural sculptures. The landscape is vast, open, and striking, reinforcing the feeling of crossing a territory where human intervention remains limited.
This is where we encounter the Indio de la Pacana, one of the most iconic sights on the tour.
Throughout the Salt Flats Route, we cross different salt flats, high-altitude wetlands, and extensive plains that heighten the sense of isolation and immensity.
Yet life is still present.
Vicuñas, Andean birds, and occasionally flamingos appear along the way, perfectly adapted to this extreme environment.
Once inside the Salar de Tara Reserve, the landscape changes once again.
Lagoons with vivid colors emerge from the pale ground, shaped by the combination of minerals, volcanic activity, and extreme evaporation. We walk at a relaxed pace to observe these formations up close and, with the guide’s explanations, understand the natural processes that created this remarkable landscape.
The final stop on the route is Salar de Quisquiro.
Here, the feeling of being on another planet becomes even stronger. NASA studies indicate that this region has characteristics similar to landscapes that may have existed on Mars billions of years ago, before the planet lost its surface water.
And then the return journey begins.
Little by little, the desert changes once again. The air becomes denser, the altitude decreases, and signs of life from the oasis begin to reappear.
What remains is the feeling of having crossed one of the vastest and quietest landscapes in Atacama.
More than visiting a series of places, this tour is about crossing the desert with time, presence, and depth.
If you want to experience Atacama as a journey rather than simply a sequence of stops, this is the tour where that difference becomes clear.
Because it covers long distances and reaches high altitudes, this tour is recommended for the final days of your itinerary, allowing for better acclimatization and greater comfort throughout the experience.
TOUR PRICE: CLP 65,000 per person
TIME: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 4,500 meters
ENTRANCE FEE: No entrance fees
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Transportation, certified guide, breakfast, and lunch
RECOMMENDED FOR: The final days of your stay in Atacama