This is a tour that lets you experience the desert with your whole body – literally.
Less walking, more presence. An itinerary combining water, salt, silence and light, revealing a gentler, more sensory and contemplative side of the Salar de Atacama.
We leave San Pedro de Atacama in the afternoon and head toward Chile’s largest salt flat. Gradually, the village disappears behind us and the landscape opens into a vast, white and silent horizon, where time seems to slow down.
Along the way, the guide explains how the Salar de Atacama was formed and how the combination of altitude, extreme evaporation and salt concentration created this unique ecosystem. You will also learn about its environmental and cultural importance.
Because it takes place at a lower altitude and follows a relaxed pace, this tour is ideal for the first days of your Atacama itinerary or for anyone looking for a peaceful late afternoon without missing out on memorable landscapes.
Our first stop is Laguna Cejar.
Here, the experience is immediate. And unforgettable.
The high concentration of salt allows your body to float naturally, without any effort. Simply enter the water and let yourself drift. The sensation is one of absolute lightness, similar to floating in the Dead Sea, but in a completely different setting: surrounded by the desert and the volcanoes of the Atacama.
More than swimming, this is an opportunity to experience the desert in an unexpected way.
We then continue to Ojos del Salar, two freshwater lagoons that create a surprising contrast against the intense white of the salt flat. Surrounded by vegetation and open skies, they reveal the presence of fresh water where it seems almost impossible.
It is a place to observe, take photographs and discover how life finds a way, even under the most extreme conditions.
We end the tour at Laguna Tebenquiche, one of the most silent and impressive landscapes in the Atacama.
With its shallow and exceptionally calm waters, the lagoon becomes a natural mirror. The sky, mountains and volcanoes are reflected with almost unreal precision.
And then, the light changes.
As the afternoon draws to a close, the colors transform, the wind subsides and the desert enters an even deeper state of silence.
During this moment, we prepare an outdoor cocktail with snacks and drinks, creating an opportunity to slow down, contemplate and simply be present.
Here, the experience is not about seeing more, but about feeling more deeply.
If you are looking for a more sensory experience, with a pace defined by the surroundings rather than the itinerary, this is the tour where that difference becomes clear.
We return to San Pedro de Atacama in the late afternoon with a feeling unlike that of other desert experiences—less intensity, more connection.
TOUR PRICE: CLP 50,000 per person
SCHEDULE: 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
MAXIMUM ALTITUDE: 2,500 meters
ENTRANCE FEE: CLP 21,000 per person
WHAT’S INCLUDED: Transportation, certified guide and picnic with wine
RECOMMENDED FOR: The first days of your Atacama itinerary