4-Day Uyuni Salt Flat Tour from San Pedro de Atacama

Four days in the salt flat, geysers and colored lagoons of the Bolivian highlands

A 4-day private tour from San Pedro de Atacama into the Salar de Uyuni and the Bolivian highlands, traveling by 4x4 with a guide, staying in hotels with private bathrooms and eating all meals included. The route crosses the world's largest salt flat, visits lagoons filled with flamingos, stops at geysers and hot springs, and ends with sunrise and sunset views across the salt. A guide speaks Spanish or Portuguese. Pickup from your San Pedro accommodation is included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Southern Lagoons and Dali Desert

• Pick up in San Pedro de Atacama
• Transfer to Hito Cajon border
• Border crossing and 4x4 tour start
• Visit Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde
• Explore Dalí Desert and Polques Hot Springs
• Picnic lunch en route
• Tour Morning Sun Geysers and Laguna Colorada
• See Stone Tree and Siloli Desert formations
• Arrive and stay at Hotel Palacio de Sal

Day 2: The Great Salt Flat of Uyuni

• Breakfast at hotel
• Depart to Salar de Uyuni
• Visit Colchani salt community
• Tour salt sculptures and Flag Square
• Lunch in the salt flat living room
• Visit Hotel de Sal Museum Playa Blanca
• Watch sunset with cocktails and snacks
• Stay at Sal Hotel Palace

Day 3: Andean Culture and Desert Landscapes

• Breakfast and depart southwest
• Rest stop in San Cristobal village
• Visit Cemetery of Trains and Valley of the Rocks
• Visit Villamar community
• Traditional lunch at Doña Nancy's house
• Tour Dalí Desert and Capina Lagoon
• Arrive and stay at Malku Cave Hotel

Day 4: Return to San Pedro

• Early breakfast
• Depart to Hito Cajon border
• Border crossing and transfer to San Pedro
• Arrive in San Pedro between 12:00 and 13:30

The experience

You start in San Pedro de Atacama and travel by private 4x4 to the Bolivian border at Hito Cajon, crossing into the highlands on day one. The route takes you to Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde, then through the Dalí Desert and Polques Hot Springs where you can swim if you choose. By afternoon you reach Laguna Colorada to watch flamingos, the Stone Tree and the Siloli Desert formations before arriving at Hotel Palacio de Sal for the night.

Day two is built around the Salar de Uyuni itself. After breakfast you drive onto the salt flat to visit Colchani, a community that processes salt by hand using traditional methods. You see giant salt sculptures and Flag Square, then lunch arrives at a table set up in the middle of the living salt flat with shade and full service. The afternoon includes the Hotel de Sal Museum at Playa Blanca, and the day ends with sunset cocktails and snacks spread across the white expanse.

Day three heads southwest to the Cemetery of Trains, a graveyard of rusted locomotives abandoned in the desert, then the Valley of the Rocks and the village of Villamar. Lunch is a traditional meal at a local house in Alota. The afternoon loops through the Dalí Desert and Capina Lagoon before you settle into Malku Cave Hotel. On day four you cross back to the border at Hito Cajon and return to San Pedro de Atacama, arriving between noon and 1:30 p.m. All park entrance fees are included. You bring only yourself and your camera.

What’s included

• All meals from day one breakfast through day four departure.
• private 4x4 transport with pickup from San Pedro and return at the end.
• private rooms with en-suite bathrooms at three hotels.
• all entrance fees to Bolivian parks and reserves.
• a guide in Spanish or Portuguese.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 06:00

Book up to4h before

GroupPrivate

Live guideSpanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 47 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Molantur

Is this one for you?The four days and long daily driving mean early starts and hours in the vehicle, so book this if you have the time and want to see the salt flat, geysers and lagoons as a complete landscape rather than a rushed day trip. The private 4x4 and accommodation with bathrooms make the pace manageable, and all meals are provided so you don't hunt for food in remote areas.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in Spanish and Portuguese.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. No refund if you cancel.

What's the Salar de Uyuni like when you actually stand on it?

The Salar de Uyuni is a flat expanse of white salt crust stretching to the horizon in every direction, broken only by the giant salt sculptures and the Flag Square monument. On this tour you spend a full day on it, including lunch served at a table set up in the middle of the flat, and you see it twice, once at sunset on day two and again at sunrise, when the light changes the entire landscape.

Do I need to be fit for four days of driving and altitude?

The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, poor cardiovascular health, or pregnancy, and it involves long days in a 4x4 at high altitude. It is suitable for all other fitness levels. Most of each day is spent traveling and stopping to walk short distances at viewpoints. You are not hiking or climbing.

Are the hot springs and flamingo lagoons included, or do I pay extra?

The Polques Hot Springs (where you can swim), Laguna Colorada with flamingos, and all other park sites are included in the tour price. All entrance fees to the Bolivian parks are covered.

What happens if I arrive in San Pedro late in the day?

Pickup is included from your accommodation in San Pedro, so the tour departs when you are ready on day one. If you arrive the day before, you can spend the afternoon and evening in San Pedro. The tour begins the next morning.