Epic 3 Day Atacama Desert Itinerary

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The Atacama Desert in northern Chile is full of vast landscapes and curiosities. Where else can you visit geysers and flamingos by day and have perfect Milky Way views at night? This 3 day Atacama Desert itinerary ensures you see the best of what this otherworldly destination has to offer.

The perfect homebase for this trip is the town of San Pedro de Atacama, which offers stylish hotels and vibrant hostels behind high terracotta walls. Be prepared for the occasional canine companion to accompany you on walks through this relaxed tourist town.

That said, the Atacama Desert isn’t exactly simple to visit and we certainly encountered hiccups while planning our own itinerary. The trouble I had finding good information on traveling to this region online is ultimately what inspired this post. Below, you will find a plethora of helpful tips that I wished I could more easily find beforehand.

With that, are you ready to experience three of the most memorable days of your life? Let’s jump into this exciting Atacama Desert itinerary.

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Perfect 3 Day Atacama Desert Itinerary

Day 1: Laguna Baltinache & Stargazing

Fly to Calama

Surely by now you’ve spotted Chile on a map and noted that it is a very lengthy country – the longest in the world, in fact. Therefore, it follows that driving to San Pedro de Atacama from Santiago’s Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport (SCL) would take you about 18 hours without stops! Rather, the most practical way of making this connection is flying into the nearby city of Calama’s El Loa Airport.

Flights on LATAM (Chile’s national airline and Delta partner) are available all day long, so it’s fairly easy to find a departure time that will work for you. If you fly Delta to Santiago, make sure you book these two flights onto one itinerary so you can get easily rebooked in the event of a delay. We failed to do this and missed our connection, so sadly had to purchase new flights departing the next morning!

Drive to San Pedro de Atacama

The next step is to drive from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama, which will take you about one hour and fifteen minutes. The drive is pretty chill and full of sweeping desertscapes, although you may get stuck behind a slow tourist bus from time to time.

It’s not a requirement to base yourself in San Pedro de Atacama for your high-altitude adventures, as some smaller surrounding villages have lodging options. However, this town offers the best hotel and restaurant choices in this vast, sparsely populated region. Also, most guided tours will only pick you up from hotels and Airbnb’s within San Pedro de Atacama.

Prefer to pick up your car in San Pedro de Atacama? There are plenty of bus shuttles from the airport available to make this connection.

Acclimate to the Altitude

San Pedro de Atacama is located at an altitude of 2,400 meters (over 7,800 feet) above sea level. While it is rare to develop altitude sickness at this elevation, some people may notice a headache or fatigue. Therefore, it could be wise to take it easy on day one – especially since you’ll be seeing sights even higher than this over the next two days.

While acclimating (be sure to hydrate!), feel free to explore the dusty, albeit walkable village of San Pedro de Atacama. I loved the leisurely fifteen-minute strolls my husband and I took into town from our stay at Casa Solcor. Just be prepared to move out of the way of cars, tour vans, and friendly local dogs kicking up clouds of dust on the narrow dirt roads.

The hotel we stayed at was in a peaceful setting just off the main drag, offering simple-yet-stylish rooms and a pretty courtyard. Our room even had a little patio and we slept like a baby in the cozy bed each night. Not having jetlag (no time difference between Ohio and Chile) certainly helped.

Laguna Baltinache

If you’d like to kickstart your adventures right away, take a float in one of the nearby salt lagoons. Basically, the densely salt-filled water causes you to automatically float.

Both Laguna Baltinache and Laguna Cejar are popular choices located within thirty kilometers or so of San Pedro de Atacama. We personally opted for Laguna Baltinache after seeing the stunning blue color of the water in photos online.

While the colors of this lagoon lived up to the photos and the trip is completely worth it, there are a few caveats:

• Your rental car company probably won’t let you drive the awful road to Laguna Baltinache. Instead, you could let a tour make the bumpy one-hour trip (we booked this one).
• Swimming is not allowed in the most stunning aqua pools because the chemicals in our sunscreen and other personal care products damage the color. Two other natural pools are set aside for your floating pleasure, although the water will be ice-cold!
• In addition to the tour cost, you will need to pay the lagoon entrance fee of CL$ 10,000 (about $10 USD).

After 10-to-20-minute float, our tour hosed the salt off of us before providing robes and glasses of pre-made pisco sour. We then enjoyed some delicious light snacks before heading back.

Dinner & Stargazing

Head into San Pedro de Atacama for something to eat and maybe a rica-rica pisco sour. Afterwards, book a tour to do some stargazing in the area’s super clear dark skies.

Note: If stargazing is an important activity for you, don’t repeat our mistake. We didn’t check the moon cycle in advance and accidentally booked our desert stay when there was a bright full moon every night. That meant no milky way views for us during the entire trip! Avoid this disappointment by checking the moonrise schedule in advance.

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Day 2: Piedras Rojas, Altiplanic Lagoons, Flamingos

It’s time for the second day of your Atacama Desert itinerary. Today’s agenda requires venturing two hours outside of San Pedro de Atacama to explore red-hued desert landscapes, pristine lagoons, and even flamingos.

Before embarking on these high-altitude adventures, consider whether you’d like to drive yourself or book a tour. There are plenty of tour operators (like this one) that will combine all the below sights into one fun-filled day. Fun fact: along the way, you will pass through the Tropic of Capricorn!

Book Your Full-Day Tour Here

Piedras Rojas

Set out around 7:00am from San Pedro de Atacama in order to reach your first stop, Piedras Rojas, shortly after opening. This will give you a head start to view this colorful landscape before bus tours bombard the place by 10:00am. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• This site is located at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet), so you might feel the effects of the altitude. We were fine, but still took it slow and drank plenty of water.
• The desert is cold in the morning, often with lows between the mid 30’s-40’s° F. Dress in layers, as temps warm up to the 70’s-80’s° F by the afternoon. See what I wore on my Chile packing list here.
• Most sights have at least one half-decent bathroom.
• Wear sunscreen!

Piedras Rojas and your next stop, the Altiplanic Lagoons, need to be booked online in advance here and can be booked together. However, if you are not from Chile, your credit card might not work on any local websites until you are physically in the country. Some sites do not even allow reservations until the night before you plan to visit.

Screenshot your confirmation to bring to check-in at the indigenous town of Socaire, located about one hour outside of San Pedro de Atacama. While we couldn’t find much guidance on this, like…anywhere, we easily spotted the brown booth on the right side of the road just after entering the tiny town. Do not skip this step, as tourists have been turned around at entrances to make the lengthy drive back to Socaire.

Next, drive for one more hour to reach the gorgeous Piedras Rojas, where rust-colored rocks meet a pristine sky-blue lagoon with snow-capped mountains rising up just beyond. Having arrived close to 9am, the setting was so peaceful with maybe two other small groups of people strolling the large loop through the reddish terrain. Keep an eye out for vicuñas grazing nearby.

Altiplanic Lagoons

Next, it’s time to visit the highland lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques, known as the lagunas altiplánicas. They are both part of the National Reserve Los Flamencos (you’ll see the namesake flamingos next) and sit at an altitude of around 4,000 meters (13,123 feet).

Remember – tickets need to be booked in advance online here and check-in is required in Socaire. These steps have already been completed if you booked this alongside Piedras Rojas.

Sadly, access to the lagoons was closed due to weather during our visit. However, if you are more fortunate than us, head back up the road the way you came for just over 45 minutes to reach the turn-off for these adjacent lagoons.

Upon arrival, you can expect to find a silent volcanic landscape with pristine blue waters reflecting the vibrant clear sky above. It might be chilly and windy depending on the time of day, so layer up. Remember to keep a respectful distance from any wildlife you may encounter.

Visit the Flamingos

End your day at Laguna Chaxa to see one of the most charming views all day: flocks of flamingos feeding in a stunning desert landscape. I was surprised to discover that flamingos could thrive outside of the tropics and at 2,300 meters (7,546 feet)!

There is a fee for visiting Laguna Chaxa as well, which can be booked online or right at the gate. That said, timeslots are limited, so it’s best to book ahead to be safe. Remember to screenshot your confirmation, as you might not receive an email (I did not).

We visited around 2:00pm and were happy to find the flamingos active and the place otherwise fairly empty. You can stroll on marked paths to see three different species of flamingos bathing in the blue waters. The biggest flocks gather far from humans, so bring a zoom lens for photos if you have one.

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Day 3: Tatio Geysers & Valle de la Luna

Time for one more day of incredible sightseeing on your Atacama Desert itinerary. Plan for a 4:30am start – trust me, it’s worth it!

Tatio Geysers

Kick off your last day in the Atacama Desert with a visit to the Tatio Geysers. This giant stretch of steamy earth is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere, containing over 80 active geysers. Once again, you’ll need to layer up because temperatures can be below freezing in the early morning.

The early rise is necessary to arrive at Tatio before sunrise when the geysers are most active. Plus, the gentle light and cool air provides a majestic setting for viewing the amazing scenery around you. Definitely make the effort, otherwise dragging your car one hour and 45 minutes up the miserably bumpy road in the dark might not seem worth it.

Prefer to let a guide do the navigating? You can easily book a tour to see the Tatio Geysers – just know that most operators still have 5:00am pick-up times.

Book Your Tatio Geysers Tour Here!

We saved this experience for the last day of our trip since it was at the highest altitude, around 4,270 meters (14,000 feet). I hoped we’d be well-acclimated by that point so as to not risk any altitude-related symptoms. We were fine, but there is an on-site clinic in case you do feel any symptoms like nausea or lightheadedness.

We bought our tickets at the gate and found restrooms near the entrance. There are two parking areas to stop at, each with a loop to stroll past geysers of varying sizes. Scalding-hot steam is blowing up all around you at any given moment, so be sure to stay inside marked paths for safety.

Otherwise, all that’s left to do is enjoy this natural spectacle among the surrounding mountains, which are colored by the early dawn glow. Even with dozens of buses constantly unloading groups of sleepy tourists, this sprawling geothermal field never felt crowded and the quiet morning serenity remained unspoiled.

The ride back down from the geysers is much easier in daylight and without the urgency of arriving before dawn. You will encounter stops at scenic overlooks along the way, including a free roadside lagoon where flamingos hang out.

Optional: Soak in a Hot Spring

If you’d like to take a soak in the steamy geothermal waters, pack a swimsuit and visit the Puritama Hot Springs on your way back to San Pedro de Atacama. We opted to not do this, as we were tired from our early start and had recently experienced amazing hot springs in other awesome destinations like Iceland and Costa Rica.

Valle de la Luna

After a break for some lunch and maybe a siesta, it’s time to see one of the coolest sites located right outside San Pedro de Atacama – Valle de la Luna. With dramatic reddish rock formations for miles, you might think you’re on Mars. In fact, it’s no coincidence that NASA has been testing its Mars rovers in the Atacama Desert since 1997.

This visit could also be done on the morning of Day 1 of this itinerary if you arrive into the Atacama Desert the night before. A morning visit would avoid the sweltering 3pm heat we experienced, as well as buses filled with tourists all stopping at the same spots and striking the same poses for the same photos.

The impressive geology within this vast site was formed over millions of years. Some points of interest can be seen by simply driving through this immense park and making stops at a handful of marked areas (a map is provided upon entry). However, there are also hikes to several viewpoints, which are completely exposed to the blazing sun and range from 15 minutes to over an hour.

For the most comfortable hiking experience, an earlier start in the cool morning air is best (sunscreen and a hat are still a must). You do not have to book your ticket in advance; simply purchase them at machines on arrival. We could not get any of our cards to work when we tried booking in advance on the Valle de la Luna website (but you’re welcome to try).

Even upon arrival, we still had trouble using our credit cards, as the machine wanted a PIN. Ultimately, we had to use our bank card as a debit (try inserting it, as tapping didn’t work for us).

Watch the Sunset

Your Valle de la Luna ticket includes entry to Mirador de Kari – Piedra del Coyote, which is a spectacular sunset viewing spot. Even though it’s definitely popular, do not pass this up, as watching the golden light fading over the valley is like watching a sunset on Mars.

Although there are plenty of places to sit or stand, I recommend arriving about forty-five minutes before sunset to get a good spot (bring your Valle de la Luna ticket).

We even got a bonus treat from the full moon that had obstructed the stars during our stay. I immediately forgave it when we were treated to the dreamiest moonrise immediately after the sunrise, thus giving us an unexpected two-for-one show.

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That concludes an exhilarating 3 days frolicking around Chile’s Atacama Desert. I can honestly say a destination hadn’t wowed me and left me in complete awe quite like this since our first visit to Iceland. From dark stargazing skies to flamingos to an ethereal geyser field, you’ll have completed a surreal experience unlike any other on earth.