Atacama and the Altiplano · Chile
The Altiplano Traverse
Nine days from the salt flat to four thousand metres, in the right order
The shape of it
Salt flats, altiplanic lagoons and the geyser field at dawn, sequenced by a geologist so that the altitude does not ruin it.
Clara read geology before she ever booked a hotel for anyone, and the acclimatisation schedule on this trip is hers. She does not bend it, which is why travellers on it are still enjoying themselves on day seven at 4,300 metres.
The shape is simple: two gentle days around San Pedro at 2,400 metres, then the salt flat, then a night at a refuge at 3,500, then the high lagoons, and only then El Tatio before dawn.
Along the way there is a night under the darkest sky most people will ever stand beneath. Clara checks the moon phase against your dates before she proposes them, without being asked.
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- From
- €5,400 per person
- Best months
- March to May, and September to November
- Season
- Autumn, Spring
- Format
- Private departure
- Party
- Two to six travellers
- Pace
- Two easy days low down before anything above 3,500 metres
- Travel styles
- Desert and altitude, Walking and trails
Per person sharing, for two travellers. The refuge night is included and can be dropped if altitude is a concern. Dates and prices shown are indicative demo content. Confirm everything with your own operations before publishing.
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The itinerary
Written as it would actually run. Select a day to see where you are, what you are doing and where you sleep.
Day 1
Santiago
A night in the capital rather than connecting straight through. Altitude is easier after a night's sleep, and Santiago is a good dinner.
- Transfer and check in
- Dinner in Lastarria
- Night
- Santiago, a small hotel in Lastarria
The country you travel through
Where you sleep
The places we use on this trip
Included
The days worth flying for
What is included
- Eight nights with breakfast, including the refuge at 3,500 metres
- Private guide and vehicle for every excursion
- Domestic flights between Santiago and Calama
- The astronomy evening, scheduled against the moon phase
- Oxygen in the vehicle and at the refuge, and a guide trained to use it
What is not
- International flights
- Most lunches and dinners
- Travel insurance covering activity above 4,000 metres
Who plans this journey
Clara Benitez
South America and Indonesia · planning since 2018
Clara read geology at Concepcion and spent four years on fieldwork in the Andes before she ever booked a hotel for anyone. The acclimatisation schedule on our altiplano journeys is hers and she does not bend it.
She has worked in Sumba since 2019 with a guide from Kodi, and is careful about which villages we visit and how often.
Known for: Checking the moon phase before she proposes your Atacama dates, without being asked.
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