Uyuni Salt Flats tours from San Pedro de Atacama: the 3 options, which one actually departs from San Pedro and what time you get back (2026)
Two tours depart from San Pedro de Atacama and bring you back there; the third one starts in Uyuni town. Price for each, what is included, how much cash you need for park fees and what time you get back on the last day.
Seasonal promotional prices in Chilean pesos: checkout is the source of truth. Everything in this guide comes from each tour's own listing.
There are three Uyuni Salt Flats tours here and only two of them depart from San Pedro de Atacama: the 4-day one costs CLP 270,000 and the 6-day one, which adds the Tatio Geysers and Valle de la Luna on the Chilean side, costs CLP 345,000. The third, a CLP 50,990 full day, does not leave from San Pedro: it starts and ends in the town of Uyuni.
That difference in departure point is what gets lost when you see the three prices in a single list. Here is each one straight from its listing, kept apart: where it starts, what it includes, what you pay separately in cash and what time you are back on the last day.
The first thing to check is not the price. It is where the tour begins and where it ends.
From San Pedro: 4 days, CLP 270,000
Four days across the Bolivian altiplano, departing from and returning to San Pedro de Atacama.
Day 1 starts with hotel pickup at 06:30 and a border transfer at 09:00, heading into the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve: Blanca and Verde lagoons with Licancabur volcano behind them, Dalí Desert, Polques hot springs, Sol de Mañana geysers and Laguna Colorada. Day 2 crosses the Siloli Desert and the Stone Tree, with the Cañapa, Hedionda and Honda lagoons. Day 3 is sunrise over the salt flat, breakfast on Incahuasi Island and the full crossing of the salt mirror, closing through the villages of San Cristóbal, Culpina, Villa Alota and Villamar.
Day 4 leaves before dawn towards the Hito Cajón border and arrives back in San Pedro mid-afternoon. Worth knowing before booking a return flight out of Calama.
- Included: 4x4 with a maximum of 6 passengers per jeep
- Included: bilingual driver-guide, Spanish and English
- Included: all meals, vegetarian option available
- Included: 3 nights in Bolivia in shared rooms with shared bathroom
- Included: 1 guaranteed night in a salt hostel
- Included: water throughout the trip and emergency oxygen
- Included: transfer from San Pedro to the Bolivian border and back
- Not included: Bolivian national park fees, around 300 bolivianos per person, cash only
- Not included: flights to Calama, the Calama-San Pedro transfer, or the previous night's accommodation
- Not included: travel insurance, tips or alcoholic drinks
The listing recommends arriving in San Pedro the night before so you are ready at departure time.
Experiencia: tour-salar-de-uyuni-4d3n-desde-san-pedro-de-ata-1 — Desde $270.000
From San Pedro with Atacama included: 6 days, CLP 345,000
Same Bolivian route, with two extra outings on the Chilean side first: day 1 starts at 04:00 towards the Tatio Geysers to arrive at sunrise, then leaves at 15:30 for Valle de la Luna, returning at 19:30.
From day 2 onwards the itinerary is the four-day tour. The return to San Pedro is at midday on day 5, around 12:00.
This one makes sense if you are just arriving in San Pedro and would rather solve Atacama and Uyuni in a single booking instead of hiring the local tours separately.
- Adds over the 4-day tour: Tatio Geysers with breakfast included
- Adds: Valle de la Luna by minibus, snack included
- Not included: Tatio Geyser park fee, CLP 15,000 per person
- Not included: Valle de la Luna park fee, CLP 10,800 per person
- Not included: Bolivian park fees, around 200 bolivianos per person, cash only
- Not included: Santiago-Calama flights or accommodation in San Pedro
Experiencia: tour-altiplanico-atacama-uyuni-1 — Desde $345.000
If you are already in Uyuni: full day, CLP 50,990
This tour does not depart from San Pedro. It starts in the town of Uyuni, with pickup at the airport or the bus terminal, and ends there at 20:00. If you are planning the trip from Chile, it does not replace the two above: it is a different trip.
It is a full day in a 4x4: Train Cemetery at 10:30, Colchani and its salt museum at 11:30, Incahuasi Island with a picnic lunch at 13:30, Ojos de Sal for perspective photos at 16:00, and a close at 18:00 with a wine toast during sunset.
- Included: private 4x4 with pickup at Uyuni airport or bus terminal
- Included: lunch with drinks, snacks and wine for sunset
- Included: oxygen tank and Spanish-speaking driver-guide
- Not included: Incahuasi Island entrance fee, 30 bolivianos
- Not included: rubber boots, only needed if the salt flat is flooded
Experiencia: tour-salar-de-uyuni-full-day-atardecer-y-espejo — Desde $37.439
The mirror effect
The full-day listing puts it this way: during the rainy season, from December to April, the salt flat turns into a reflection of the sky.
That is all anyone can honestly promise. There is no date where it is guaranteed, because it depends on how much rain fell that week. If the mirror is your only reason to go, travel between December and April and treat it as a probability, not a certainty.
Destino: salar-de-uyuni
See all Uyuni Salt Flats tours
Preguntas frecuentes
Do the Uyuni Salt Flats tours depart from San Pedro de Atacama?
The 4-day and the 6-day tours pick you up at your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama and bring you back there. The CLP 50,990 full day departs from the town of Uyuni, with pickup at the airport or bus terminal, and ends in Uyuni.
What time do I get back to San Pedro on the last day?
On the 4-day tour you arrive back in San Pedro mid-afternoon on day 4. On the 6-day tour you arrive around 12:00 on day 5. Worth checking before booking a return flight from Calama.
When can you see the mirror effect on the Uyuni Salt Flats?
According to the listing, during the rainy season between December and April. It is not guaranteed on any specific date: it depends on recent rainfall.
Where do you sleep on the 4-day tour through Bolivia?
Three nights in shared rooms — double, triple or matrimonial — with shared bathroom. One of those nights is in a salt hostel and is guaranteed.
How much cash in bolivianos do I need for the park fees?
Yes. Bolivian national park fees are not included and are payable in cash only: around 300 bolivianos per person on the 4-day tour and around 200 on the 6-day tour. On the full day, the Incahuasi Island fee is 30 bolivianos.
How many people share a 4x4 jeep?
A maximum of 6 passengers per 4x4, plus the driver-guide.
Does the tour include the flight to Calama or the transfer to San Pedro?
No. Neither flights to Calama nor the Calama-San Pedro transfer are included, and neither is the previous night's accommodation in San Pedro. The listing recommends arriving the night before.
Is there a vegetarian option on the Uyuni tour?
Yes. On the tours departing from San Pedro all meals are included and a vegetarian option is available.