9D/8N Atacama, Bolivia, Colored Lagoon, Uyuni, Surire, Lauca, Chungara

The first day starts with your airport pick-up in Calama, where your visit to the North of Chile begins. Mayuru Tour will take care of your transfer and bring you to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.

Today, our tour starts at 5:00am from the hotel. We will travel into the mountains to experience one of the most fascinating natural spectacles of the Atacama Desert: the Tatio Geysers. This geothermic field stems from volcanic origin and is located at more than 4.000m above sea level. Here, hot water and steam shoot up into the sky, reaching temperatures of about 85 ºC in the morning hours between 6:00 and 7:00am. The field includes more than 40 active geysers that actually represent 8% of all the active geysers in the world. Also, you will find a set of thermal baths and a natural pool. Enjoy your breakfast while watching the geysers erupt over and over again.

Afterward, we are going to visit the small village of Machuca, located at 80km of San Pedro de Atacama. This village consists of about 20 houses. The few inhabitants of the town live off agriculture and cheese production. From here, we will return to San Pedro de Atacama where we arrive at noon.

In the afternoon:

San Pedro de Atacama – Moon Valley – Death Valley – San Pedro de Atacama

In the afternoon, our tour will continue at 4:00pm towards the Cordillera of Salt. This mountain range was formed millions of years ago. Due to a continuous exposure to the rain, the wind and the sun, it has developed into a geological phenomenon full of impressive natural formations. From a viewing point, you can enjoy views over this cliffy and rough landscape made of salt and adobe.

We will move on to one of the most beautiful natural sceneries in the world, the Moon Valley. The valley is located 4km west of San Pedro de Atacama. Discover the enormous sand dunes and the undeniable beauty of this place, surrounded by small mountains and geological formations that have been created by the wind.

After appreciating this exceptional place, we will visit the neighboring Death Valley. This valley is another attraction of the driest desert in the world and its mystical ambience is simply indescribable. We will get to the surprising salt statues known as “Las tres Marias” (“The three Marys”). They were formed out of adobe and salt, and are one of the most symbolic formations of San Pedro. On a short hike of about 30 minutes, we reach the so-called salt caves.

To end the day, we will watch the fascinating desert sunset from the Great Dune in the Moon Valley. The beauty of the rough landscape, the intense colors, the sound of the wind, and the sun setting on the horizon is an unforgettable sight. We will return to San Pedro around 8:00pm.

Our tour starts in San Pedro de Atacama. Our destination are the altiplanic lagoons Miñiques and Miscanti, natural lakes of an intense blue color. To get there, we will take the route via Toconao, a colonial village with an unique architecture. All its buildings are made out of stone from volcanoes, so called Liparitas, including its old colonial church with its impressive bell tower.

On the horizon, we will get to see the great peaks of the cordillera of the Andes at 4.300m above sea level. Spot the silhouette of volcano Lincancabur, the symbol of San Pedro, and enjoy views over the Jere Valley in the surroundings of the village Toconao. The fresh water that flows through this valley helps to grow an extraordinary flora.

We will reach the biggest treasure of the driest desert in the world, the impressive Salt Lake of the Atacama. Without doubt, this enormous lake covered in salt creates a unique and majestic natural ambience. The intense color contrast and the numerous small canyons in this area create a fascinating setting. The salt lake of the Atacama is one of the biggest in Chile, and is partly protected as part of the Flamingo National Reserve.

Next, we stop in the pre-cordilleran village Socaire, where you can enjoy a great view over the white salt lake. The town is known for its handicrafts mainly made out of llama wool. Here, you will have the possibility to taste the typical food of the region. Afterward, explore the fantastic lagoon Chaxa, a place that is home to ducks, alpacas, vicuñas, foxes and ostriches. Also, pink flamingos can be spotted resting at the shore.

Finally, we will reach our destination, the fabulous lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques. The lagoons were formed about a million years ago through the eruption of the volcano Meñiques. They form part of the Flamingo National Reserve and are beautifully located between impressive volcanos. Their blue color contrasts with the brown mountains, creating a truly unique natural setting. Take your time to contemplate the beauty of nature before we make our way back to San Pedro de Atacama.

In the morning, we will make our way to Hito Cajon to enter the country of Bolivia. After all the formalities we continue our expedition through the deserts in the southeast of Bolivia. We will enter the National Reserve of the Andean Fauna Eduardo Abaroa. Here, we will visit the Green Lagoon that is located at the foot of the volcano Lincancabur (5.800m) which forms part of the mountain range that marks the limit between Bolivia and Chile.

We will move on northward and cross the desert Los Lipez, passing the Lagoon Polkes where, depending on the time, you can take a bath in its natural waters (38⁰C). Continuing our trip we will get to the geysers Sol de Mañana (Sun of the Morning) where you can observe impressive geothermic activities. Finally, we reach the Colored Lagoon, containing the most important colony of Andean Flamingos of the National Reserve. Here you will find hundreds if not thousands of flamingos and other species of birds. The night we will spend in the desert Los Lipez.

The second day in Bolivia will take us further north to the Stone Tree (Árbol de Piedra), a famous rock formation shaped as a tree. We will cross the region of the lagoons, discovering the lagoon Charkota, Hedionda y Cañapa where we can observe the precious fauna. In the afternoon, we are going to arrive in the village of San Juan, passing the Salt Lake Chiguana, a native site in the desert Los Lipez. Night in San Juan.

On day six, you will get to know the salt lake Uyuni, the biggest salt deposit in the world with an extension of more than 12.000 Km². This salt lake is of an enormous mineralogical richness, for example it contains 50% of the world lithium reserve, a highly valued metal. Also, we will be visiting the islands Incahuasi and Lomo de Pescado, both full of giant cactuses that have been growing here for more than thousand years. On a small walk we reach the highest point of the islands to enjoy fascinating view over the idyllic landscape of the salt lake and the surrounding mountains. Finally, we will move on to the volcano Thunupa. We will spend the night at the foot of the volcano in Jirira or Tahua.

On our last day in Bolivia, we will visit the Salinas of Garci Mendoza and the salt lake Coipasa. On the route you can learn more about the life in the highlands, until we get to the border Pisiga – Colchane in the afternoon. After crossing the border, we will bring you to the village Colchane.

Leaving Colchane in the morning we will be visiting the altiplanic communes of Enquelga and Isluga. They are located in the middle of a bofedal where Llamas and Alpacas graze. Also, the churches are very beautiful to see. They are made out of adobe and date back to the 17th century.

We will continue the tour to the Nationl Park Vulcano Isluga, located more than 4.000m above sea level, crossing the paths of the highlands, the desert and the pampa. The diversity is impressive and allows you to appreciate different landscapes within the park, such as the lagoon Arabilla, surrounded by small bofedales (wetlands) and forests of Queñua (typical tree of the highlands). Arriving at the hot springs of Polloquere, you can enjoy a picnic lunch while observing flamingos in the highland sceneries.

The journey continues, reaching the most captivating destination of this tour, the salt lake Surire. It is located at 4,200 m above sea level. Surire was declared national monument and is a truly magical place. The intensely white salt deposits contrast with the pure blue of the water of the lagoons, without doubt a delight to your eyes. The salt lake of Surire also preserves the existence of valuable species such as the ostrich (ñandu), flamingo, vicuña, alpaca and the llama, among others. And also the precious flamingos find their habitat in this extraordinary ecosystem: three out of the six existing flamingo species are regularly seen around the salt lake.

From here, the route takes us to the towns of Ancuta, consisting of just 5 houses, and Guallatire, located at 83 km of Putre at the foot of the volcano Guallatiri. We cross the National Reserve of the Vicuñas which, as its name implies, was created to preserve the vicuña. The flora and fauna of this place are very attractive as they include a great variety of species. In the National Reserve Las Vicuñas, you can discover majestic sceneries that are typical for the Chilean Highlands.

Finally, after enjoying captivating landscapes and an rich flora and fauna we will arrive in the village of Putre, where the eigth day of our tour ends.

The day starts in the morning in Putre. Our destination is the National Park Lauca with an expanse of 137.883 hectares, a biosphere reserve that covers the foothills and the highlands in the northeastern region of Arica and Parinacota. We start our day with a short hike through the sector of the caves. In this district, you can get to know the paradisiacal landscapes of the highlands, 4.300m above sea level, and you can observe the so-called Vizcachas. What makes this hike special is the mystical ambience that surrounds the region. It is believed that there are men living in this area who are over 9000 years old, and sometimes they are still seen, walking the paths of the highlands. They are said to be the very first visitors who appreciated the beauty of the landscapes.

Our journey continues to the viewing point of Chucuyo, which is located in the center of the National Park Lauca. Take some time to observe and learn about a unique ecosystem and an extraordinary flora and fauna. From here, we continue to the Lagoons of Cotacotani. This lagoon consists of different lakes and volcanic islands, providing evidence of the high volcanic activity of this zone. The viewing point lies in the middle of the wetlands and is the perfect spot to observe the great variety of plants and animals, such as the parinas, ducks, vicuñas, vizcachas and taguas.

We will be moving on to one of the most beautiful attraction of the National Park Lauca, the Lake Chungara, which is located over 4.500 meters over sea level and is one of the highest lakes in the world. It’s magical beauty and the marvelous reflection of the volcano Parinacota amaze thousands of tourists every year. On the other side of the lake, you can see the famous volcanoes Payachata (twin volcanos), about which many legends are told due to their mystical appearance. For example, people say that they house an old treasure of the Inca, and others say that they are a couple in love.

On our way back, we will visit the village of Parinacota which was declared national monument. Here, you can discover the ancient architecture of the highlands. The old houses are all made of adobe and have a great historical value, for they contain relicts of the time of colonialism and are symbols of the Aymara-culture. At the end of our excursion we enjoy a bath in the thermal springs of Jurasi, located in the middle of a small canyon. They are well known for its medical purposes, for example, they are recommended in case of rheumatism.

After enjoying all these different landscapes and regaining our strength with a warm thermal bath, we will finally arrive in Arica, the city of the eternal spring.