San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni Tour Guide – 3-Day & Roundtrip Tours

We went on an off-road jeep adventure of a lifetime in South America to see the famous mirror effect of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.

In our San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni Tour Guide, we will cover everything you need to know about the San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni 3-day tour as well as the 4-day San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni round trip.

We will go over what to expect on this off-road tour to Bolivia, how to choose an Atacama Salar Uyuni tour and tour operator, how much it costs and what to pack.

We also included our itinerary from the Atacama desert to Uyuni and back with amazing photos of the places we visited along the way.

San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni Tour Guide

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San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni Tours

The Salar de Uyuni tour from the Atacama desert is a truly off-the-beaten-path adventure through the Chilean and Bolivian Andes and Altiplano with lots of amazing things to see along the way.

Our main goal of the San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni tour was to see the Salar de Uyuni and the incredible cloud reflection on the salt flats.

Heads up, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

How To Get To Salar de Uyuni From Chile?

You can take a tour to the Uyuni salt flats from several places/countries. Since we were in Chile, we took a tour to Salar de Uyuni from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

Calama (Atacama) To Uyuni Bus

There is also a bus going from Calama to Uyuni but not through the national park and the bus is not taking the “scenic route”. If you want the adventure and the memories, you gotta take the off-road tour!

San Pedro de Atacama – Salar de Uyuni

Together with Calama, San Pedro de Atacama is the only place to get to Uyuni from Chile with a tour!

Of course, if you have a true off-road 4×4 vehicle and know the Andes well, then you can do it on your own and don’t need a guided tour.

… So, yeah my fellow traveler, a tour it is for us tourists! There is no way around it.

Do you really need a tour?

For a hot second, before we really started our research into this Atacama Salar de Uyuni salt flats trip, we actually thought we may be able to do it on our own by renting a proper off-road car. Like those red mining cars.

Writing this now, the thought of doing it on our own seems absolutely ridiculous in hindsight. We wanted to be on our own schedule and have enough time to take the pictures we wanted. Pretty soon into our research however, we realized, that you can’t really do this off-road drive from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni on your own.

Atacama Uyuni Tour – A Must!

On the actual Uyuni Atacama tour itself, it got confirmed again, that you can’t do this trip on your own as a tourist.

Say goodbye to the pavement!

Once we left Chile behind and drove into Bolivia, it became crystal clear why.

There are no actual roads anymore!

There are maybe tracks in the sand if any, but that’s about it!

Fun fact: The pavement literally ends right at the borderline of Chile to Bolivia. Bam, just like that no more roads!

So our off-road adventure from the Atacama desert in Chile through the Andes to see the amazing Salar de Uyuni began right there!

Choosing An Atacama Desert To Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

Where To Start And End The Atacama Uyuni Tour?

The first thing to decide about which tour to Salar de Uyuni to take is, if you are planning on staying in Bolivia or if you will be returning to Chile.

San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni (3 Day Tour)

If you are doing Atacama – Salar Uyuni and not returning to Chile, the trip will be 3 days/ 2 nights.

San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Round-Trip

If you want to return to Chile you need to look for a San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni round-trip tour.

Your Uyuni trip extends from a 3-day trip to a 4-day tour then. The last day on the 4-day Atacama to Uyuni tour is solely for returning back to Chile.

Uyuni Atacama Tour

You can also do the trip the other way around and do a Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama tour.

The 3-day tour starts in Uyuni, Bolivia and ends in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. Here, you obviously visit the salt flats first and all the other desert sights like the lagoons and hot springs later.

Which Uyuni Tour Operator To Choose?

Once you have decided on your route, you probably wonder which Uyuni tour operators to choose.

There are a ton of different agencies, claiming to offer you different and better tours than their competition. It is pretty overwhelming if you care about the details.

It is hard to find precise information about the exact routes, hotels/hostels, and sights you will see during the trip.

The San Pedro de Atacama / Salar de Uyuni tours are all slightly different from one another while on the other hand still being mostly the same.

With some exceptions, the main stops are pretty much the same, which we will show you below.

What’s different are the accommodations you will be staying at along the way. Each operator has its own hostels/ hotels that they reach at the end of the days.

Best Atacama Salar de Uyuni Tour Operator

We chose Cruz Andina for our 4-day Uyuni salt flats tour from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile and were pretty happy with it.

Other Uyuni tour companies with good reviews are Sol Andino Expediciones, World White Travel, and Salar Andino Expediciones.

In San Pedro de Atacama you will find many tour companies along the main street called Caracoles. You can book there directly or reserve in advance to be on the safe side.

We booked in advance because we were not flexible on dates, and wanted to make sure we have a spot on the tour.

Private Atacama Uyuni Salt Flats Tour Or Group Tour?

Group Tour San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni

The 4×4 cars fit 6 people plus the driver. This will get very tight on the long trip, especially if you get one of the older cars, which are a bit smaller in the back.

On a regular Atacama and Uyuni tour you will share the car with other travelers. We were super lucky and only had two more travelers with us on the trip.

Private Tour From Atacama To Uyuni

It’s also possible to take a private tour from Atacama to Uyuni. However, tour prices are significantly more expensive.

We were debating for a long time if we should get a private Atacama Uyuni tour or squeeze in with 4 other people. (As mentioned before, we wanted to have more liberty when it came to making stops, taking photos, or leaving out sights/stops we didn’t care for.)

In the end, the high price for the private Atacama desert to Salar de Uyuni tour made us decide against it. We had the suspicion that the private tour just means your own car and not your own route on your own timeline. It turned out we would be right.

Contrary to how we imagined a tour to be like, you are not alone out there. You actually follow lots of other cars through the Bolivian Altiplano. Which, in the end, we were thankful for.

It is good to have other people around in a rugged place like that where there is literally nothing and no one else around. Thinking of flat tires and cars breaking down, which is not that unlikely going over rough terrain like this.

The Verdict: Group Or Private Tour?

Choosing a group or private San Pedro de Atacama Salar Uyuni tour is a personal decision that you have to make for yourself.

Firstly, you have to be able to afford the very pricey private tours. That’s probably the biggest deciding factor. Secondly, you gotta decide if you want to spend the money and be more comfortable on your Uyuni Atacama tour or if want to save money.

If you have the money and want to spend it, definitely go for your own private car. Having a car and more space to yourself is much more comfortable. However, this comes at a price!

Staying In A Hotel Or Hostel?

In general, the group tours spend the nights in basic hostels. Some tours from Atacama to Uyuni offer “hotels” as well. However, don’t expect a fancy accommodation.

The accommodations are pretty basic, especially the hostels, but ok to deal with for this short trip. Keep in mind you are in the Andes, far away from everything. After all, this is an off-road adventure in the Bolivian altiplano!

Off-The-Grid

Everything is also off the grid. That means energy and water are precious. Most likely the electricity will be turned off during the night (especially in the hostels).

Night Temperatures

It might get a bit cold as well at night, especially during the southern hemisphere’s wintertime.

We didn’t have any problems with the temperatures but we know that others were a bit cold during the night. Therefore, if you want to be on the safe side, you should bring a sleeping bag. This is especially recommended during the wintertime.

Summary: Choosing The Right Atacama To Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

To sum it up which Atacama Salar de Uyuni salt flats tour to choose, you need to decide three things:

1. Where to start and end your Uyuni tour?
2. Private tour or group tour?
3. Hotel or hostel?

Booking A Tour San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni

Find tours starting in San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni here.

Or if you are in Bolivia already, check out tours from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama here.

What To Expect On A Atacama Uyuni Salt Flats Excursion?

An Atacama to Uyuni salt flats tour is going to be an adventurous, off-the-beaten-path excursion through the beautiful and otherworldly Bolivian Altiplano.

Bumpy Off-Road Car Ride

You will be sitting in a car with 5 more travelers and a driver for most of the day. The ride through the Bolivian Altiplano is going to be very, very bumpy. There won’t be any paved streets whatsoever.

At the end of the travel days, you will be very happy to get out of the car. If you get car sick easily, a tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni may not be for you.

High Altitude

Tour operators advise that you need to be in good health, for the above-mentioned reasons and due to the fact that most of the trip will be at 4,000 meters above sea level.

At the highest point of the San Pedro de Atacama Salar de Uyuni tour, you will even be over 5,000 meters above sea level.

If you are prone to altitude sickness, you should bring medicine to help you with that.

Basic Accommodations

The accommodations you will be staying at between the Atacama desert and the Salar de Uyuni tour are very basic. Remember, you are in the Bolivian Andes and far away from everything.

Some tours offer better accommodations than others. If the price is very cheap, the accommodations are usually very basic hostels. For a little more money, you get to stay in a simple hotel that offers a little more comfort.

Meals On Tour

The food was surprisingly good and plenty during our road trip. However, I and another person got sick with the stomach flu during the tour. (Pretty bad timing when you are spending most of the day in a car in one of the most remote places on earth).

We don’t know exactly how and where we got it from, but this can happen when traveling to adventurous places. Therefore, bring some medicine for those kinds of things, even if you don’t get sick easily. Bolivia can knock out even the toughest travelers!

Uyuni Bolivia Salt Flats Tours & Guide

How Much Does A Atacama – Uyuni Salt Flats Tour Cost?

San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni 4-Day Tour

The cost of a 4-day Atacama To Uyuni trip is about 250 USD, depending on the tour company you choose and the type of accommodation you select.

Our Uyuni salt flats tour from Chile with Cruz Andina cost 250 USD. This is without the fees for immigration, entrance fees, and souvenirs.

(It is recommended to bring about 400 Bolivianos (60 USD) in cash to Bolivia for these expenses.)

If you choose a (private) room with a private bathroom, costs can go up to 300 USD per person. But, if you are lucky you will get a private room anyway.

Private 4-Day Atacama Salar de Uyuni Tours

Private San Pedro de Atacama tours to Uyuni, where you have the car all for yourself, are much more expensive. You are basically paying the price for the entire car (6 people times the regular tour price per person).

This can rack up to over 1,250 USD (divided by the number of travelers). Some Uyuni tour companies offer “luxury tours”, which are even more expensive.

San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni 3-Day Tour

The 3-day San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni tours are one-way tours either from Atacama to Uyuni or Uyuni to Atacama.

Oneway Uyuni tours are a bit cheaper, as they are a day shorter and don’t have the transfer back to Chile.

Expect to pay a little over 200 USD for the 3-day Atacama to Uyuni salt flats tour.

San Pedro To Uyuni Tour Price

How much a San Pedro to Uyuni salt flats tour costs depends on the following three things:

1. Roundtrip or one-way tour to Uyuni
2. Group or private Atacama Uyuni tour
3. Type of accommodation during the trip

4-Day Atacama Uyuni Tour Itinerary

San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni Roundtrip Tour

As mentioned, we took the 3 nights / 4 days Atacama Uyuni tour, starting and ending in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

We chose tour provider Cruz Andina Travel as they fit best with our needs and budget. The tour provider had pretty good reviews as well.

Itinerary Map Atacama Uyuni Roundtrip

Day 1
Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa

On the first day, you will be picked up by a shuttle van at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama along with other travelers. It will be very early in the morning.

You will be brought to the border of Chile and Bolivia (Hito Cajón) to do the exit of Chile and then the immigration process for Bolivia. Afterward, you switch to 4×4 off-road cars in which you will do the off-road trip to the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.

Desierto Salvador Dalí

After a little breakfast provided by the tour company, we made our way through the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa of the Bolivian Altiplano and the Salvador Dalí desert.

Pretty soon after you leave the Chilean-Bolivian border behind, you will find yourself in the midst of a Dalí still life painting. The so called Desierto Dalí.

The landscapes of the Dalí Valley resemble surrealist paintings from Salvador Dalí.

Termas de Polques Hot Springs

We made our first actual stop at Termas de Polques where we could take a dip in the hot springs with an amazing view of the Salar de Chalviri salt flats.

Termas de Polques hot springs are located in the heart of the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve overlooking the picturesque pastel landscape of Salar de Chalviri. The hot springs are located at an elevation of approximately 14,400 ft (4,400 m).

Check out our post about Termas de Polques if you want to find out more about these amazing hot springs in the Bolivian Altiplano.

Termas Polques – Dreamy Hot Springs In The Bolivian Andes

Laguna Blanca

Later on, we got to see three different lagoons: Laguna Verde (green lagoon), Laguna Colorada (red lagoon), and Laguna Blanca (white lagoon).

Laguna Blanca, the white lagoon, is a salt lake near the Licancabur volcano. The white color of Laguna Blanca is due to its high mineral content in the water.

The lagoon is also located within the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve.

Laguna Colorada

Laguna Colorada, the (Red Lagoon), is also a salt lake in the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in the Bolivian Altiplano.

The shallow lake got its name from the red colors that make the lagoon so special.

In addition, you will find many Andean and Chilean flamingos there.

Seeing so many flamingos reminded us of the Flamingo Reserve at the Atacama desert in Chile which was even more amazing.

Atacama – Exploring the Driest Desert on Earth

Geysers Sol de Mañana

Our last stop of the first day was at the Sol de Mañana geysers.

Sol de Mañana, the morning sun, is a geyser field located almost 5,000 meters above sea level. The area has high volcanic activity, with steam shooting out of the ground and mud lakes with boiling mud.

This is the highest altitude of the Atacama tour to Salar de Uyuni.

Mallku Villamar

We got to the village of Mallku Villamar in the evening. Here we had dinner and spent the night at a hostel in town.

Mallku Villamar is a small village in the middle of nowhere in the Bolivian Altiplano. Everything is off-grid. Electricity is scarce and is shut off at night, as it comes from a generator and solar panels only.

Day 2
Andean Flora & Fauna

On the second day, we got up early and made our way further through the bumpy highlands of Bolivia.

Italia Perdida

We went to see Ciudad Italia Perdida, a rock “city”, the rock formations Copa del Mundo and El Camello.

Laguna Negra

Furthermore, we made stops at a little green oasis called Laguna Negra.

On our way through the impressive Inca canyon Cañon del Inca, we saw the amazing flora and fauna of the Bolivian Altiplano and passed Andean villages.

We also got to see how Quinoa is grown, which was pretty interesting.

Our final stop of the day was at Estación de Trenes, a small railroad town. Here we tried different kinds of beer made from Quinoa and the coca plant.

We spent the night at Cruz Andina’s own salt hotel Hotel de Sal Villa Martin.

Day 3
Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats

On day three of our Atacama to Salar de Uyuni tour, we got up even earlier than the days before. At 5 am you start heading to see the sunrise at the Uyuni salt flats. Finally! This is what we have been waiting for!

Unfortunately, it rained the entire night before and therefore the sky was all cloud-covered in the morning and no sunrise was to be seen. What a bummer!

This is a risk you have to take when visiting Salar de Uyuni during the rainy season.

The sky cleared up later in the morning and we drove half a day through the endless and surreal mirror-like salt flats of Bolivia.

Salar de Uyuni – Bolivia Salt Flats

Finally, we made it to the Uyuni salt flats, the very reason of our tour to Uyuni.

Check out our post on Salar de Uyuni with amazing reflection photos and more info on the biggest mirror in the world.

Salar de Uyuni – The World’s Biggest Mirror

It was pretty amazing, especially with the reflection of the clouds everywhere.

Wherever you look, you feel like you are in an empty space with no end in sight.

We are still amazed by how the tour drivers maneuver through the Salar without getting lost with no compass, Google maps, or anything else.

Isla Incahuasi – The Cactus Island

While on the Uyuni salt flats, we got to visit the cactus island Isla Incahuasi and see the Salar from above.

Isla Incahuasi is a rocky outcrop of land at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats. Isla Incahuasi used to be an actual island when the salt flats were a lake many thousand years ago.

What makes the island special is that it is covered by a ton of cacti in the middle of an otherwise dead and all-white landscape. Some also call it the cactus island.

Isla Incahuasi is mostly accessible during the summer months when there is no rain and hence no water on the ground. If you are lucky and the water level allows, you may be able to go even during the rainy season.

Rally Dakar Monument In Uyuni

The last stops on the Salar de Uyuni salt flat were at the salt museum and the Rally Dakar Monument.

Parts of the Dakar Rally have been going through the salt flats of Bolivia in the past, hence the monument in Uyuni.

Thinking back, this whole off-road Atacama Uyuni trip through the Andes from Chile to Bolivia felt like our own little Rally Dakar.

After a late lunch in the town of Uyuni, we went to see the Colchani Train Cemetry before heading back to Mallku Villamar where we did spend the first night.

Day 4
Uyuni To San Pedro de Atacama

Day four is solely for driving back from Bolivia to Chile. You will have to get up very early in the morning again.

After having breakfast close to the Chilean border, you will go through immigration at Hito Cajón again. Then you will switch from the 4×4 offroad vehicles to the shuttle vans again and head back to Chile.

If everything goes to plan, you will be back in San Pedro de Atacama before noon.

Atacama Salar Uyuni Packing List

What To Pack For The Atacama Uyuni Salt Flats Tour?

Here is a list of useful things to pack for the Atacama to Uyuni off-road trip:

Luggage To Bring

Aside from the essentials that you need to bring on the trip, keep in mind that all your luggage will be transported on top of the car. That means you shouldn’t bring more than a big and a small backpack per person. Or one suitcase if you share it with your partner.

Best Time To Take A Chile To Uyuni Salt Flats Tour

Taking a Salar de Uyuni salt flats tour is amazing all year round, but you may have different experiences and will be taking different kinds of photos of the Uyuni salt flats depending on the season you are visiting Bolivia.

Uyuni Salt Flats Tour Between December And March

The best time to see the Salar de Uyuni mirror effect is during the rainy season.

When it rains, a shallow layer of water collects on the surface of the salt flat. This calm layer of water creates a mirror-like effect.

You will be able to see the cloud reflection effect when you take a tour of the Uyuni salt flats between the months of November and March.

Salar de Uyuni Tour Between April And October

The months between April and October are considered the dry season in the Bolivian Altiplano.

When taking a Salar de Uyuni tour during this time you will most likely not get any reflection photos. You will have to look very hard to find a remaining spot with water.

On the bright side, the chances of a cloudless and amazing sunrise are a lot higher when you take the Salar de Uyuni tour during April and October.

Amazing Salt Hotels In Uyuni

If you only do the 3-day Atacama to Uyuni tour you get to stay in Uyuni and can stay at one of those amazing hotels made from salt.

San Pedro de Atacama To Uyuni Tour

We hope you found our San Pedro de Atacama Uyuni Tour Guide helpful and got some good inspiration for your own trip from Chile to Bolivia.

Driving to the Uyuni salt flats from the Atacama desert in Chile was a trip of a lifetime that we will never forget!

Check out our post Visiting Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats In Bolivia – The World’s Biggest Mirror for more amazing reflections photos and info on the Bolivian salt flats.

Visiting Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats In Bolivia – The World’s Biggest Mirror

Follow our adventures on Instagram! @piscoandbier

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