Piedras Rojas and the Altiplanic Lagoons: The Long Day at 4,000 Metres
4 min read
This is a 10-hour day at around 4,000 metres, and the park fee comes on top of most tour prices, so check the fee line before you compare. All four tours below take about 10 hours from San Pedro and combine Piedras Rojas with the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons, plus Laguna Chaxa or the village of Socaire. They differ in the fee, the group size and who they accept.
The altitude
Tour pages put the high lagoons at 4,200 metres, and one page gives 4,100 metres for the day. The full-day tour says it is not recommended for pregnant women, people with back problems, hypertension or serious health conditions, children under 7 and adults over 70; its list of who the tour is not suitable for says children under 8. The Red Rocks day trip is not recommended for people with respiratory problems or heart disease, and its page lists it as not suitable for children under 7, pregnant women, people with mobility impairments or high blood pressure. The two other tours are not suitable for children under 10, according to their pages.
Four tours compared
| Tour | Group | Meals | Park fee on the page | Not suitable for, per the page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Piedras Rojas, Altiplanic Lagoons and Salar full-day tour | Up to 14 | Breakfast and lunch | “Entry fees approximately CLP 29,000” appears in the inclusions list; confirm whether it is included | Children under 8, over 70, pregnant women, back, heart or mobility problems, wheelchair users, high blood pressure |
| Triple tour: Red Stones, Highland Lagoons and Chaxa | Up to 14 | Open-air breakfast and lunch | Foreign adults CLP 29,000, Chilean adults CLP 20,500, with discounts for children and seniors | Children under 10, pregnant women, high blood pressure |
| Red Rocks and Altiplano Lagoons day trip | Ask the operator | Breakfast and lunch | The itinerary marks Chaxa, Piedras Rojas and both lagoons as extra fee | Children under 7, pregnant women, mobility impairments, heart or respiratory problems, high blood pressure |
| Piedras Rojas, lagoons, Salar de Aguas Calientes and Chaxa sunset | 12 in the page header, 14 in the inclusions | Breakfast and lunch | CLP 29,000 paid separately, in cash | Children under 10, pregnant women, heart problems |
Prices: €76.66 for the full-day tour, €79.33 for the triple tour, €88 for the Red Rocks trip and €64.18 for the sunset tour.
What the days look like
The full-day tour collects you around 6 to 6:30 am, reaches Miscanti and Miñiques after about an hour, then visits Piedras Rojas, the village of Socaire and the Salar de Atacama with Chaxa Lagoon, and returns around 4:00 pm. The Red Rocks trip starts at the Tropic of Capricorn, picks up between 7 and 7:40 am and ends between 4 and 4:30 pm; its page warns that the order of stops can change. To reach the red rocks, the page says, you walk for 1 hour 15 minutes from 3,800 metres. The sunset tour ends with sunset at Chaxa, so ask for the return time. Bring cash for the fee where the page asks for it, plus water, sunscreen, a hat and warm layers, as the pages advise.
Which to book
The full-day tour is the most reviewed of the four, with 840 reviews, and has the widest language choice: Spanish, English and Portuguese. Pick the Red Rocks trip if you want a stated return window of 4 to 4:30 pm. Do not book any of these for your first day at altitude; the El Tatio guide gives the same advice. For the other route, see the Cejar salt lagoons and every lagoon tour.
