Valley of the Moon & Hidden Lagoons tour: Sunset in Atacama

Cross the Atacama's most colorful landscape in a single afternoon

A four-hour guided tour from San Pedro de Atacama through the Valley of the Moon and the Hidden Lagoons of Baltinache, with hotel pickup included. You cross the Cordillera de la Sal's rock formations in the morning, float in salt lagoons at midday, and watch the desert change color at sunset from a natural viewpoint. The tour includes a pisco sour, air-conditioned vehicle, and a live guide in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

Step-by-step itinerary

Valley of the Moon and Hidden Lagoons Tour

• Leave hotel towards Cordillera de la Sal
• Visit Valley of the Moon rock formations
• Enjoy sunset from natural viewpoint
• Travel southeast from San Pedro de Atacama
• Arrive at Hidden Lagoons entrance, use bathrooms
• Walk through seven lagoons
• Swim in first and last lagoons
• Return, use showers to remove salt
• Watch sunset in desert
• Return to San Pedro de Atacama center

The experience

The tour leaves your hotel heading southeast into the Cordillera de la Sal, the driest place on earth. You'll cross the Valley of the Moon on a route that passes its famous rock formations: salt mantles and erosion-carved shapes that make the landscape feel like another planet. The drive takes you through the valley's most picturesque points, with large volcanoes visible on the horizon as you move deeper into the desert.

After the Valley of the Moon, you travel for an hour toward the Hidden Lagoons of Baltinache. The route passes through changing desert colors before you arrive at the entrance, where bathrooms are available. You then walk through seven lagoons, of which the first and last are open for swimming. The salt content is high enough that you float without effort, similar to the Dead Sea. Showers are available at the entrance facilities on the way back so you can rinse off the salt before the return drive.

The tour ends with sunset watched from the desert before you return to San Pedro de Atacama. A glass of pisco sour is included, and the air-conditioned vehicle keeps you comfortable during the four hours of travel and walking.

What’s included

• Air-conditioned vehicle.
• hotel pickup.
• a glass of pisco sour.
• live guide in your chosen language.
• access to bathrooms and showers at the lagoon entrance facilities.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 14:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (15 to 65 years) · Under 15: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 10

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 30 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Agencia GuiasTours

Is this one for you?Hotel pickup means you don't need a car or arrange transport from San Pedro de Atacama. The tour collects you and handles the full day, which matters if you're staying in town without a rental.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

What exactly is the Valley of the Moon, and what will I see there?

The Valley of the Moon is part of the Cordillera de la Sal in the Atacama Desert, named for its otherworldly landscape of rock formations shaped by erosion and salt mantles. You'll cross it on foot, viewing the formations up close and finishing at a natural viewpoint where the desert's colors shift dramatically at sunset, with volcanoes framing the horizon.

Can I swim in the Hidden Lagoons, and what's it like?

You can swim in the first and last of the seven lagoons at Baltinache. The salt content is so high that you float naturally, like in the Dead Sea. Showers are available at the entrance facilities afterward to remove the salt from your skin and hair.

How long is the drive from San Pedro de Atacama, and what's the pickup like?

Hotel pickup is included, and the drive to the Hidden Lagoons takes about an hour. You'll travel in an air-conditioned vehicle, and the tour lasts four hours total, including time at both the Valley of the Moon and the lagoons.