Atacama and Altiplano

The briefing

The San Pedro de Atacama to Salar de Uyuni corridor is one of the world's great desert journeys - a three-day traverse of the Bolivian altiplano through a landscape of coloured lagoons, volcanic summits, and geothermal fields that changes character every hour and ends on the world's largest salt flat. The Atacama around San Pedro is the accessible gateway: Valle de la Luna at sunset, El Tatio geyser field erupting in the pre-dawn cold at 4,300 metres, the Salar de Atacama flamingo lagoons at midday. Each is worth the stop. Most travelers fly LPB and keep the first night close to the action.

The Atacama around San Pedro is the accessible gateway: Valle de la Luna at sunset, El Tatio geyser field erupting in the pre-dawn cold at 4,300 metres, the Salar de Atacama flamingo lagoons at midday. Each is worth the stop. What the Atacama does that few desert destinations manage is combine the geological drama with excellent small-town infrastructure - San Pedro is a well-run base with good food and consistently clear skies for stargazing.

The Laguna Route north to Uyuni is the deeper chapter: three days in a 4WD jeep through the Bolivian altiplano's coloured lakes - Laguna Colorada red with algae, Laguna Verde green from copper minerals - past sulphur-steaming volcanic peaks and remote hot spring pools. It ends at Salar de Uyuni, 10,000 square kilometres of white salt flat where, in the wet season, a thin layer of water turns the surface into a perfect mirror of the sky.

How to get there

Gateway airports: LPB, CJC. Build the rest of the trip around the arrival.

Book first

Flights - LPB, CJC → Stay close to the trailheads, not an hour of extra desert driving in Atacama and Altiplano → Operator - 4WD, permit, or canyon outfitter after the stay