Salar de Atacama
Salar de Atacama
4.5
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This vast salt lake is blanketed by a thick crust of salt and attracts some interesting varieties of birds including several different types of flamingos.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
354 reviews
Excellent
246
Very good
81
Average
24
Poor
3
Terrible
0
Sachin K
New York City, NY6,556 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Salar de Atacama is the largest salt flat in Chile. It is located 55 km south of San Pedro de Atacama. It is surrounded by mountains and has no drainage outlets. In the east it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the west lies a secondary mountain range of the Andes called Cordillera de Domeyko. It is best viewed from a hot air balloon ride especially to appreciate it’s vastness. Certainly would very highly recommend visiting same or viewing it from a hot air balloon ride.
Written 24 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seaside5244
texas1 contribution
We, the Hollands couple took a trip to the atacama desert just two years ago. I loved it, very dry area, not even a cactus but, beatiful colors and so peaceful that you can "hear" the silence, I was also amazed at the inmensity of the land, the huge volcanos and fresh pure air, and let's not forget the envigorating river water after a long day touring at high altitudes.
John and Mirtha :)
John and Mirtha :)
Written 8 March 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nas S
Long Beach, CA2,240 contributions
Jul 2019
A beautiful salar! Many kinds of breeds of birds here and you'll probably get lucky to see flamingos as well. There's also a big lake area. Enjoy the long walks around the salar here. A must visit!
Written 27 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GeoBeetles
United States56 contributions
Jun 2017
These are the vast salt flats of Chile located south of San Pedro de Atacama along the Andes mountain range. There are several volcanoes dominating the landscape, and part of the attraction lies in the rock-like sharp edges of the salt platform, and the stark, bleak landscape of the Atacama. The salt flats are third largest in the world, and cover approximately 3,000 square kilometers, impressive considering Chile is a long stretch of landmass with little breadth.
The knowledge that these jagged edges of the salt landscape could cut through you at the slightest fall did little to dissuade us to lie atop this otherworldly landscape, cautiously ensuring that the weight of your body gets evenly distributed over the outcroppings. The drive from our hotel in Calama took over three hours, but the region that is so often uninviting to others proved to be an absolute feast to my eyes.
The knowledge that these jagged edges of the salt landscape could cut through you at the slightest fall did little to dissuade us to lie atop this otherworldly landscape, cautiously ensuring that the weight of your body gets evenly distributed over the outcroppings. The drive from our hotel in Calama took over three hours, but the region that is so often uninviting to others proved to be an absolute feast to my eyes.
Written 13 March 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarlosCazorla
Singapore, Singapore379 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
Coming from Uyuni I thought I had seen it all. I was very wrong, as the landscape is different and one can enjoy a number of landscapes within a few hours drive at the most.
Written 23 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
92jules
Toowoomba6 contributions
Oct 2011 • Couples
The pink flamingoes were just beautiful. The bathroom facilities are very basic with no water to wash your hands so take your own supplies.
Written 12 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
roj1281
Houston, TX524 contributions
Oct 2018 • Solo
Salar de Atacama is a salt flat in the Atacama desert. You can walk through the salt flats and formations. There is a lake and its a great place to take pictures.
Written 18 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
E M Kimball
Ann Arbor, MI232 contributions
Jul 2019 • Business
Dry salt desert, but it did have a lake with some wildlife: flamingos, avocets, and a red-winged blackbird.
Written 8 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
iljumittajjeb
Lanark, UK423 contributions
Aug 2018 • Couples
Drove ourselves here from San Pedro. Lovely drive here. Despite the popularity of the site, it remains peaceful, with lots of opportunities to birdwatch. The visitor centre is quite good considering its remoteness, with a barn that tells you much about the geology and ecology of the site.
Written 12 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cedar32
Sao Paulo, SP605 contributions
Jan 2017 • Family
Visit before sundown. In January see the flamingos. Have a tea picnic as you watch the sunset, but be sure to look at the mountains on the opposite side. Wear sneakers, shorts, a light jacket, sunglasses, a hat and sunblock.
Written 12 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alguém sabe informar se ir de ônibus de Antofagasta até San Pedro de Atacama para depois fazer este passeio, é seguro?
Written 5 July 2019
biofaber
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Buenas tardes. Estas excursiones están publicitadas como lo que se puede hacer en Antofagasta. Ahora bien, en todos los casos se sale de San Pedro de Atacama. Entonces, dada la distancia entre las 2 ciudades, ¿debo entender que se debe llegar a San Pedro la noche anterior a la excursión? Perdonen la pregunta tal vez ingenua pero no encuentro otra respuesta. Muchas gracias.
Fabian Berenstein
Written 1 April 2018
La segunda región de Chile se llama Antofagasta y su ciudad capital es y se llama Antofagasta.. Antofagasta está en la costa de Chile ahí hay aeropuerto.. A 4 horas en bus de Antofagasta al norte esta Calama ahí también hay aeropuerto y esta a 1 hora y 15 minutos de San Pedro de Atacama.. San Pedro de Atacama es un pueblo donde duermes y de ahí salen todos los días tours mañana y tarde.. Y si duermes en san pedro..
Saludos
AlexAllTracks
Written 6 April 2018
Boka Kenmare
Kenmare, Ireland
2 contributions
Hi there! We've rented a pick up truck when we get to Atacama, is this a place where we can drive down ourselves, or do you think we should book it through a tour company?
Written 28 December 2015
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