Altitude Sickness in the Atacama: Which Tours to Do First, Which to Keep for Later
4 min read
Spend your first days on trips close to town, and keep the high ones for later: El Tatio at 4,320 m and the altiplano lagoons at around 4,200 m are the two to leave until you have slept a few nights in San Pedro. Fitness does not decide this. The CDC says training and physical fitness do not change the risk of altitude illness, and that children are as susceptible as adults.
What the health agencies say
The NHS says altitude sickness usually starts above 2,500 m, and is more likely if you go up quickly. It lists headache, loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, dizziness and poor sleep as symptoms. The CDC says symptoms usually begin 2 to 12 hours after arriving and typically ease within 12 to 48 hours if you go no higher. The NHS asks you to drink enough water and to avoid alcohol. The NHS says to get medical help straight away for confusion, balance problems, breathlessness at rest, blue or grey lips, or extreme sleepiness. Chile Travel adds that altitude can affect you in San Pedro, so hydrate and rest on arrival. A doctor or travel clinic can discuss prevention with you before you travel.
Altitudes of the main trips
The figures below come from Sernatur for El Tatio and from tour pages for the others, so treat the others as operator figures.
| Trip | Altitude | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Laguna Cejar | 2,300 m | one tour page |
| Rainbow Valley | about 3,000 m | one operator page |
| El Tatio geysers | 4,320 m | Sernatur |
| Piedras Rojas and altiplano lagoons | 4,200 m | tour pages |
On timing, two El Tatio tour pages are more specific than Chile Travel: one recommends the trip for the end of your stay, after lower tours; another for the second day or later. The CDC and NHS rules count the altitude you sleep at, and these are day trips from a bed in town, so treat “the second day” as the earliest option, not a promise.
A sensible order
- First days: stargazing, which means a short drive out of town, Laguna Cejar and Valle de la Luna, which Sernatur places 13 to 15 km from San Pedro.
- Middle: Rainbow Valley, higher than the first group at about 3,000 m. One operator calls its tour a good choice for the first days of a stay.
- Later: the El Tatio sunrise tour and the Piedras Rojas lagoon day, plus the Uyuni crossing if you plan it.
Check the tour page, not only the guide
In our Uyuni guide, the private tour’s page lists people with altitude sickness under “Not suitable for”, and the shared tour includes an oxygen bottle. The El Tatio sunrise tour linked above lists them there too and recommends doing it at the end of your itinerary. Look at the “Not suitable for” list of the tour you book. The El Tatio tour is priced at €58.50 with 1,153 reviews at 4.7 stars. See all El Tatio tours and lagoon tours.
If you feel worse after a trip, rest, and if symptoms do not pass or you notice the warning signs above, descend and see a doctor; the CDC says to descend if symptoms worsen despite rest.
