Four day San Pedro de Atacama itinerary
We spent four days in the Atacama desert in Chile. Using the town of San Pedro de Atacama as a base, we explored the incredible landscapes of volcanoes, lakes, sand dunes and more.
This is our full itinerary plus suggestions for other things you could do with four days in Atacama, Chile.
Four day Atacama itinerary
Day 1: arrive and get to San Pedro de Atacama
2pm - Land and collect car.
4pm - Stop at Valle del Arcoíris (5,000 pesos per person). Drive to Cascada Seca then drive back and walk around the valley.
5pm - Leave and head to San Pedro de Atacama.
On the way back to the main road to San Pedro stop at the petroglyphs at Yerbas Buenas if you have time.
6:30pm - Arrive in San Pedro de Atacama.
7:30pm - Explore the town in the evening and find dinner.
Day 2: Piedras Rojas, Ruta 23, and star gazing
8:30am - Drive down Ruta 23 to Piedras Rojas.
9:30am - Arrive at Socaire to collect your tickets. Pick up snacks and empanadas here too.
10:30am - Arrive at the viewpoint for Laguna Tayajto.
10:45am - Head back the way you came and stop at Mirador Piedras Rojas and Mirador Aguascalientes.
11-11:30am - Arrive at Salar de Talar and spend about an hour here exploring the red rocks and lakeside.
12:30-1pm - Drive back along Ruta 23 to Lagunas Miscanti y Miñiques.
1:30pm - Arrive at the Lagunas and spend about an hour at the two lakes here.
2:30pm - Drive back to San Pedro de Atacama with a stop at the Tropic of Capricorn sign.
4:30pm - Arrive back in San Pedro de Atacama.
6pm - Get dinner in town.
8pm - Pick-up for stargazing tour with Bajo la Noche de Atacama.
11pm - dropped back at hostel.
Day 3: Tatio Geysers
6:30am - Leave hostel and drive to Tatio Geysers.
8am - Arrive at geysers and complete the form to collect your ticket at the entrance. Explore for an hour or more.
9:30am - Leave the geysers and drive back towards San Pedro.
10:15am - Stop at Mirador Putana for a view of the volcanoes.
10:30am - Stop at Machuca for coffee/empanadas.
11am - Stop at Mirador Machuca or Flamingo Lagoon for photos of the flamingoes in the lake.
11:45am - Arrive back in San Pedro for lunch.
12:30pm - Pick up rental bikes from Casa Cambio de Emily (7,000 pesos for 6 hours) and drive to Valle de la Luna.*
1pm - Arrive at Valle de La Luna, cycle from Duna Mayor parking area and make your way back along the track exploring each site.
4pm - Leave Valle de La Luna.
4:15pm - Arrive back in San Pedro de Atacama for a relaxed evening.
Day 4: Puritama hot springs and San Pedro de Atacama
9:15am - Leave San Pedro and head back along Ruta 23 for Puritama hot springs.*
10am - Arrive at Puritama and relax in the seven natural thermal pools.
12:15pm - Leave Puritama.
1pm - Arrive in San Pedro and have lunch at La Franchuteria.
Afternoon options:
Valle de la Muerte
Aldea de Tulor
Laguna Cejar
Cerro Toco
Relax in San Pedro
*You could aim to get tickets for Puritama the same day as Piedras Rojas as they are along the same route out of town. This didn’t work out for us but would be better. You could then do Valle de la Luna on the morning of day 4 instead.
Find out more about how we spent four days in Atacama here and get more details on the best things to do near San Pedro de Atacama here.