Ruta de los Salares Full-Day Salt Flats Tour
A 7-hour full-day route east of San Pedro de Atacama with Puka Rumi Travel Agency: a Licancabur viewpoint, the Pacana Monks rock formation, and the salt flats of Pujsa, Quisquiro and Aguas Calientes. Breakfast and lunch are included, and no stop on the route charges admission.
The Ruta de los Salares is the salt-flat tour that costs less than the famous one and charges nothing to get in. It runs east from San Pedro de Atacama up onto the altiplano, past a viewpoint on Licancabur, the Monjes de la Pacana — a stack of eroded rock the locals read as hooded figures — and then along three high salt flats in turn: Pujsa, where flamingos feed; Quisquiro; and Aguas Calientes. Seven hours, breakfast and lunch in the price, and, unusually in a desert where nearly every landscape has a ticket booth, not one entrance fee on the whole route. Set against the Atacama lagoon and salt flat tours that charge 29,000 CLP or more in park fees, that is the entire argument for this one. It is one of 26 tours in our Atacama Desert tours catalog.
- Three high salt flats: Pujsa, Quisquiro and Aguas Calientes
- The Monjes de la Pacana rock formation
- A viewpoint on Licancabur volcano
- Breakfast and lunch included
- No entrance fee at any stop on the route
Ruta de los Salares: Quick Facts
Read from the tour's Viator listing on 6 August 2026. Fields the listing does not state are marked unconfirmed.
- Starting price
- $71 per person
- Duration
- 7 hours
- Departure
- 7:00 AM, fixed departure
- Hotel pickup
- Pickup offered; otherwise meet at Plaza Touristur at the time sent by WhatsApp the night before
- Meeting point
- Plazoleta La Apacheta, San Pedro de Atacama
- Languages
- English, Spanish
- Group size
- Maximum 18 travelers
- Physical difficulty
- Moderate — a long day at altitude; the operator excludes back, heart, respiratory and blood-pressure conditions
- Entrance fees
- None — every stop on this route is free to enter
- Food and drinks
- Breakfast and lunch included
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time; If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Minimum age
- Infant seats available; not recommended for pregnant travellers
- Operator
- Puka Rumi Travel Agency
- Booked through
- Viator
- Stops
- Licancabur viewpoint, Monjes de la Pacana, Salar de Pujsa, Salar de Quisquiro, Salar de Aguas Calientes
- Maximum altitude
- Not confirmed — the operator does not publish a figure, though the route crosses the altiplano
- Wheelchair access
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Health limits
- Not recommended with back, heart, respiratory or blood-pressure conditions, or when pregnant
- Recommended by
- 95% of travelers who reviewed it on Viator
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout. How we source these fields: editorial methodology.
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Why Choose the Ruta de los Salares
It is the only full day here with no entrance fee
Every stop on this route is free to enter. That is rare enough in the Atacama to be the headline: the Piedras Rojas full-day tour carries about 29,000 CLP of park fees, Valle de la Luna charges 10,800 CLP, El Tatio 15,000 CLP.
So the comparison is not $71 against $85 or $112. It is $71 all-in against those prices plus their fees — and with breakfast and lunch already included, this is close to the cheapest full day at altitude you can book from San Pedro.
Salt flats, not lagoons
Worth being clear about what you are seeing. These are salares — crusted salt pans on the altiplano, wide and white and mostly empty, with flamingos feeding at Pujsa. They are not the turquoise mineral lagoons of Miscanti and Miñiques, and they are not the red rock of Piedras Rojas.
If you want colour and drama, take the Piedras Rojas tour. If you want space, silence and the altiplano as it actually is, this route delivers more of it and charges less.
The health limits are the longest on any tour we list
The operator excludes travellers with back problems, heart conditions, respiratory problems and blood-pressure problems, and does not recommend it for pregnant travellers. That list is longer than most tours here publish, and it is the operator telling you plainly that this is a long day on rough altiplano roads at height.
It does offer infant seats, which is unusual, but the rest of the list should be read as written.
How the 7 Hours Break Down
The operator's own stop list and dwell times; the order and timings are subject to change.
-
7:00 AM
Fixed departure from San Pedro
Pickup is offered. Otherwise the meeting point is Plaza Touristur, at the time the operator sends by WhatsApp the night before.
-
About 1 hour
Volcán Licancabur viewpoint
The cone that stands over San Pedro, seen from the road east. Free to visit.
-
About 1 hour
Monjes de la Pacana
A stack of eroded volcanic rock read locally as a line of hooded monks.
-
About 1 hour
Salar de Pujsa
A high salt flat with shallow brine pools where flamingos feed.
-
About 1 hour
Salar de Quisquiro
Open salt crust on the altiplano, with the Andes on the horizon.
-
About 1 hour
Salar de Aguas Calientes
The last of the three salt flats before the return leg.
-
About 2 hours
Return to San Pedro de Atacama
Back to Plazoleta La Apacheta; all tours end at Plaza Touristur.
Who This Tour Suits
Good fit
Travellers watching the budget who still want a full altiplano day, photographers who want emptiness, and anyone who has already done the Piedras Rojas circuit.
- You want a full day at altitude without adding park fees on top
- Both meals included matters to you
- You have already seen the altiplano lagoons and want somewhere different
- You want flamingos without the Chaxa crowd
Look elsewhere if
It is a long day on rough roads, and the operator's exclusion list is broad.
- You have back, heart, respiratory or blood-pressure problems — the operator advises against it
- You want the postcard colours — take Piedras Rojas
- You want to swim — the salt lagoons near town are the ones you float in
- You arrived yesterday — acclimatise first
Who Runs and Sells This Tour
- Operated by
- Puka Rumi Travel Agency
- Booking handled by
- Viator
- Payment taken by
- Viator
- Cancellation terms set by
- The operator, through Viator
Puka Rumi runs several tours we list, including the Piedras Rojas full-day trip and the Rainbow Valley morning. Across its listings the reviews are strong, with a recurring note about mixed-language groups. We have not travelled with the operator or verified any registration beyond what it publishes.
One thing to know about this link: the product code behind it previously sold the Baltinache hidden lagoons tour, and the operator has since reassigned it. What you book today is the salt-flat route described on this page. For Baltinache, see the Baltinache lagoons tour.
We do not sell this tour, take payment for it, or set its terms. We list it, check its published details, and link to the platform that handles the booking. If you book through that link we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Traveler Rating and Our Editorial View
Traveler rating
4.9/5
from 124 Viator reviews · checked 2026-08-06
4.9 from 124 Viator reviews, with 95% of reviewers recommending it. Viator's captured review sample for this listing was empty at the time of checking, so we have no individual reviews to quote here — only the aggregate the platform publishes.
- Value for money10/10$71 for seven hours, two meals and no entrance fee anywhere on the route.
- Itinerary quality7/10Five stops of roughly an hour each — steady, but no single long stop.
- Operator transparency7/10Health limits and inclusions are spelled out; no maximum altitude is published.
- Cancellation flexibility9/10Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
- Included services9/10Breakfast, lunch and every admission.
- Group size5/10Up to 18 travelers.
- Uniqueness8/10The only route we list that covers Pujsa, Quisquiro and Aguas Calientes.
What to Bring
A cold start and a hard sun, in the same day
Altiplano mornings are freezing and the midday sun at height is punishing. Dress for both.
- Layers: thermal, fleece and a windproof shell for the morning; a T-shirt for later
- SPF 50+, UV sunglasses and a wide-brim hat
- Two litres of water per person
- Closed shoes — the salt crust is sharp and uneven
- Cash for anything you buy in Socaire or Toconao; the route itself charges nothing
Similar Lagoon & Salt Flat Tours
The other altiplano days from San Pedro, and how their fees compare.
Piedras Rojas & Altiplanic Lagoons Full-Day
The tour Atacama veterans call their favorite: Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons at 4,200 m, the red rocks of Salar de Talar and flamingos at Laguna Chaxa.
- Category
- Landscape & Nature Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Ruta Chile
- Booked via
- GetYourGuide
“We got to see different natural areas of the Atacama, and the team prepared a delicious breakfast and lunch. The guide gave very interesting explanations about the places we visited.” — Sofiia
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by GetYourGuide. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Piedras Rojas, Altiplanic Lagoons & Chaxa Full-Day Tour
Ten hours across the altiplano to Piedras Rojas, the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons and the flamingos of Laguna Chaxa, with both entrance tickets and two meals…
- Category
- Landscape & Nature Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Puka Rumi Travel Agency
- Booked via
- Viator
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by Viator. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Baltinache Lagoons Magic Bus Tour
Seven hidden salt lagoons in the Cordillera de la Sal aboard a retro “magic bus” — float in Dead Sea-level salinity far from the crowds.
- Category
- Landscape & Nature Tours
- Pickup
- Hotel pickup
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation 24h
- Operator
- Owner Experience 🟣
- Booked via
- GetYourGuide
“Excellent day and trip all day. Alex was excellent, very knowledgeable, great secret spots, awesome food and even better taste in music!!” — Ricardo
Booking, payment and cancellation are handled by GetYourGuide. Price checked 2026-08-06.
Questions About the Ruta de los Salares
Are there entrance fees on the Ruta de los Salares?
No. Every stop on this route — the Licancabur viewpoint, the Pacana Monks, and the Pujsa, Quisquiro and Aguas Calientes salt flats — is free to enter. That is the main way it differs from the other full-day altiplano tours, which carry between 10,800 and 29,000 CLP in park fees. The comparison table shows the fee line for each.
How is this different from the Piedras Rojas tour?
Different landscape and different price. Piedras Rojas is red rock and turquoise mineral lagoons at 4,200 m, ten hours, with about 29,000 CLP of fees included in a higher fare. This is seven hours across three white salt flats with flamingos, at $71 and no fees at all. Many travellers do both; if you only do one, pick by whether you want colour or space.
Will I see flamingos?
Salar de Pujsa is a feeding ground for them, so it is likely rather than guaranteed — flamingo numbers move with the season and the water level. No operator can promise wildlife, and any that does is overselling.
How high does this tour go?
The operator does not publish a maximum altitude, which is why our quick facts say "Not confirmed". The route crosses the altiplano east of San Pedro, so expect real height and treat it as an altitude day: no alcohol the night before, drink more water than feels necessary, and acclimatise for a couple of nights first.
Is lunch really included?
Yes — breakfast and lunch are both listed among the inclusions, which is why the $71 fare compares better than it first looks against tours that feed you once or not at all.
Page last reviewed 2026-08-06. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on 2026-08-06. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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