girl with open arms observing the starry sky
telescope on the astronomical tour
sunset in the valley of the moon
fumerolas geyser del tatio tour
fumerolas and group on the geyser del tatio tour
howlanders girl on her back in the moon valley
cejar lagoon
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3 Day Atacama Desert Tour

Package of 4 tours to reach the Atacama Desert in 3 days

(1 reviews)
San Pedro de Atacama
3 days
Spanish and English
Starts: From San Pedro de Atacama. The schedule may vary up to half an hour depending on the month.
Ends: To San Pedro de Atacama
Free cancellation!

Briefing

With the San Pedro de Atacama 3 Days Tour you will enjoy the must-do excursions in San Pedro de Atacama: the astronomical tour, the Moon Valley, the Tatio Geyser and the Cejar Lagoon.

 Take advantage of this package to acclimatize to the altitude of the area before visiting the famous Salar de Uyuni and avoid altitude sickness.

 Here are all the details:

Tour details

Included

  • Stargazing Tour
  • Moon Valley tour
  • Geysers del Tatio tour
  • Cejar Lagoon Tour
  • Shared transportation
  • Professional guide (Spanish-English)
  • Individual photo (Stargazing Tour)
  • Snack, juice and pisco sour (Moon Valley tour and Cejar Lagoon Tour)
  • Entrance fee (Moon Valley tour)
  • Breakfast (Geysers del Tatio tour)

Not included

  • Access to the Tatio Geyser (15.000 CLP) - (Geysers del Tatio tour)
  • Cejar Lagoon Entrance (Cejar Lagoon Tour)
  • Tebenquinche Lagoon Entrance (Cejar Lagoon Tour)
  • Lodging
  • Meals

Important information

The itinerary of this package is indicative and the order of the tours may vary. Once your reservation is confirmed you will be informed which days each tour will take place.

Keep in mind that during the first hours of the morning the weather is very cold, so we recommend that you bring all the warm clothes you consider necessary.

 For the Cejar Lagoon tour, please note that during the months of October to March the departure is at 3:30 P.M. and during the months of April to September the departure is at 3:00 P.M.

During full moon days the astronomical tour does not take place. That is why we changed this tour for the Rainbow Valley tour.

Cancellation policy

Free cancellation! If you cancel at least 48 hours before the tour starts, you will receive 100% of the amount paid. After this time, or in case of no-show, no refunds will be given.

Tour itinerary

DAY 1 Atacama Desert Stargazing Tour

📍 Start of the tour: San Pedro de Atacama office (first shift) and lodging (second shift)

🚐 End of tour: at your accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama

🕗 Time: 7:50 P.M. or 10:00 P.M.

⌛ Duration: 2.5 hours

Atacama Desert Stargazing Tour

With this tour you will move away from the center to avoid light pollution. The guide will give you an astronomical talk and will provide you with a lot of technical information about the practice of astronomy, as well as the observation of the sky. You will also take the telescope and observe planets, stars, open and globular clusters, among others. The starry night awaits you!

 Finally, the guide will take pictures of you and your group with the night sky in the background for you to keep as a souvenir. Two and a half hours later, you will return to your lodging in San Pedro de Atacama.

boy with arm raised against the backdrop of the starry sky

DAY 2 Moon Valley tour Atacama

📍 Start of tour: San Pedro de Atacama office

🚐 End of the tour: at your accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama

🕗 Time: 3:30 P.M.

⌛ Duration: 5 hours

Moon Valley tour Atacama

This tour takes place in the afternoon, the guide will pick you up at your accommodation. Once in the minibus, you will visit the Duna Mayor, Mina Victoria and the Tres Marías. The guide will explain everything about the Moon Valley, the geological formations, its origin and some of its curiosities.

After getting to know these geological formations, you will finish the visit with a view of the Ckari Viewpoint. Get ready to enjoy one of the best and most beautiful sunsets in the great Cordillera de la Sal. Afterwards, you will return to the municipal parking lot of San Pedro de Atacama.

Moon Valley

DAY 3 Geysers del Tatio tour and Cejar Lagoon San Pedro de Atacama

Geysers del Tatio tour

📍 Start of the tour: from your accommodation in San Pedro de Atacama

🚐 End of tour: downtown San Pedro de Atacama

🕗 Time: 5:00 a.m.

⌛ Duration: 7 hours

Cejar Lagoon Atacama Tour

📍 Tour start: from San Pedro de Atacama office

🚐 End of tour: at the municipal parking lot of San Pedro de Atacama

🕗 Time: 14:20

⌛ Duration: 5 hours

Geysers del Tatio tour

This is one of the must-see places in San Pedro de Atacama and you will observe one of the most impressive sunrises you can find. The Tatio Geysers is one of the most important geothermal fields in the world, and the largest in South America.

You will walk among the different geysers while your guide explains the science of this natural phenomenon. You will take the minibus again to visit another area of the geyser field and get to know another type of geysers, you will wait with your group the eruptions of some of them and you will see the streams that form others, because each geyser is different.

Later in the afternoon you will replenish your strength with a full breakfast with bread, avocado, hot coffee, sweets, everything you need to recover from the cold and the early start. On your way back to San Pedro, you will make your last stop at Vado de Putana to observe hundreds of pink flamingos and Andean camelids. You will be back in the center at 12:30 noon.

tatio geyser

Cejar Lagoon Atacama Tour

In the afternoon, you will visit the Salar de Atacama to enjoy its spectacular lagoons. The first will be the Cejar Lagoon, a lake even saltier than the Dead Sea! The next stop will be Laguna Piedra, where you will enjoy a swim experiencing the floating effect, similar to the Dead Sea.

 Next, you will visit the Ojos del Salar, two deep fresh water wells that look like penetrating eyes of intense blue and are an oasis in the heart of one of the driest deserts in the world. The last stop will be the Tebenquiche Lagoon and you will appreciate how the sky merges with the desert and the whiteness of the salt. Before returning to San Pedro de Atacama you will have a pisco sour with your group and you will be back around 19:30 at the municipal parking lot of San Pedro de Atacama.

people bathing in the cejar lagoon

What to bring to 3 Day Atacama Desert Tour

  • Trekking shoes
  • Sunglasses
  • Comfortable and warm clothing
  • Sunscreen
  • Water
  • Small backpack
  • Towel (Cejar Lagoon Tour)
  • Swimsuit (Cejar Lagoon Tour)

Where does the tour 3 Day Atacama Desert Tour start

The tour starts in San Pedro de Atacama and most travelers arrive from 3 zones: 

●    From Santiago de Chile: the best option is to fly directly to Calama. Upon arrival you can take a transfer that will take you to San Pedro de Atacama. We recommend the company Transfer Pampa for being the most reliable.

●    From Peru: most probably you will arrive directly from Cuzco or Arequipa. In this case we recommend you to take a bus that crosses the Arica-Tacna border and then takes you to San Pedro de Atacama, although it is a somewhat complex combination, since it is necessary to combine several buses.

●    From Salta (Argentina): there is a direct bus that takes approximately 11 hours.

Questions & Answers

3 Day Atacama Desert Tour tour reviews with Howlanders

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