Red Stones and High Plains Tour from San Pedro
Description
This tour combines unique highland landscapes, Andean fauna, local culture and unforgettable photography. You will travel in small groups, with accredited guide, breakfast and lunch included. You will enjoy a safe, comfortable and enriching experience in one of the most impressive places in northern Chile. Ideal for nature lovers, tranquility and extreme desert contrasts.
Tour Options
Itinerary
At this stop, travelers will visit the impressive Chaxa Lagoon, located inside the Salar de Atacama and part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve (Soncor sector). The accredited guide will accompany you on a tour of the authorized trails, where you can observe up close Andean, Chilean and James flamingos, as well as other highland birds in their natural habitat. They will learn about the ecology of the salt flat, the formation of salt flats and the importance of this lagoon for the conservation of local fauna. They will also have time to take pictures of the unique landscape, with the Andes Mountains as a backdrop.
At this stop, travelers will enjoy a guided walk through the viewpoint of Piedras Rojas, also known as Aguas Calientes III, a natural wonder characterized by its rock formations of intense reddish color, product of oxidized iron, contrasting with the turquoise waters of the lagoon. The guide will explain the geological formation of the place, as well as the altiplanic biodiversity that inhabits the area. Here visitors can take unique photographs of the landscape, one of the most impressive in the Chilean highlands.
During this stop, travelers will explore the majestic Miscanti and Miñiques Lagoons, located more than 4,000 meters above sea level, in the Andean highlands. The guide will lead you along the scenic trail from where you can appreciate these deep blue lagoons, surrounded by the volcanoes that give them their name. Here we will talk about the volcanic formation of the landscape, the native flora and fauna such as vizcachas and taguas, and the importance of this area as part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. The place is ideal for capturing photographs and experiencing the tranquility of the highlands.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Pick up from your respective hotels: 6:00–6:30 a.m. (guide will send your location in real time). IMPORTANT: Pickup is only done to hotels that are inside the village, we will not ayllus that are outside the village.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(39)
It was my first experience coming to Atacama and the guide Carolina was a 10/10, she taught us a lot about the fauna and history of the different places we visited and was super good with the timing, honestly one of the best experiences I have ever had 🔥
Beautiful tour and excellent guide. Carolina was very clear and very kind throughout the entire trip, it is clear that she knows the tour perfectly
Excellent trip, wonderful place, guide a 10, friendly, with a lot of knowledge of the area and very cheerful. Driver very professional.
Wonderful experience!! Everything was very organized, the breakfast was delicious, and the guide Naghel was five stars! Very professional, friendly, pleasant, and approachable. The assistant and driver were very kind!!
I booked the tour directly in their office for the next day. Their credit card machine wasn't working so I had to go to an ATM nearby which charged a processing fee of $8.000 CLP ($9 USD). At the time it didn't seem like a big deal as I was able to book my tour with cash. That night I received a WhatsApp message that my tour for the next morning was cancelled because maintenance needed to be done at the attractions. They then sent me a list of nine tours they do and offered to rebook me on a different one. I looked through the list and found a couple that seemed interesting. I messaged them. I then received a reply that most of the tours on the list they sent me were not actually available. They only had three options. All three were popular tours to places I had already gone. By the time they communicated this, it was too late in the night to book another tour with a different company. So I am now stuck in San Pedro de Atacama without a tour for the day. Even after the refund, I still will lose the $8.000 CLP I spent on the ATM processing fee all to not end up on a tour. I am sure the company will say the cancellation wasn't their fault. Maybe that is true, but they definitely did not need to send me a flier with a bunch of tours that weren't actually available. Had they been more forthright about only having the three tours as options from the very beginning, I might have had time to find one for today with a different operator.
Incredible tour experience with guide David and by Desertour. They were amazing, they supported from start to finish, wonderful breakfast, lunch bike 1000! Service of excellence.
Excellent service! We went with my partner and we enjoyed it from start to finish! We highly recommend the guide David!
Jonathan was an excellent guide. He explained in detail everything we were visiting, making a long excursion pass quickly and be very interesting. Thanks to Jonathan, our adventure was top-notch.
A beautiful tour, very complete in every sense. The landscapes were out of this world, the experience was 10 out of 10, the guide David Dominguez was amazing, very insightful, very clear, and he knew everything we asked him, just like Paula and the van driver. I wish you all the best, and I highly recommend the tour.
We had a tour with my family with guide Caro Coria, and it was an excellent experience, punctual for both departure and arrival, and the buses were in good condition. Highlighting Caro for all her knowledge and passion for her work, which she manages to convey throughout the tour; highly recommended! And congratulations.
