When booking the trip to Chile one thing was sure we are going to Atacama Desert no matter what. The things we were questioning ourselves were how many days are enough for Atacama desert? And whether we should do day trips with agencies from San Pedro de Atacama or should we rent a car in Atacama. A blogger who I trust happened to visit the region about a month before we were going so following her advice we’ve decided to rent a car in Calama Airport at Chillean Rent.

One of the tips was obligatory credit card, debit cards wont to. The second one was take 4×4 vehicle, we followed her example but concluded that maybe the biggest car is not needed to visit the Atacama region, for the most popular trips even the more basic jeeps would do. But that was our experience.

Excursion that we did from San Pedro de Atacama and how it was compared to going by agency. Just a note when you book with an agency, you pay the entrance ticket on top of the tour experience. There is entrance fee for almost everything if not everything in the Atacama Desert.

DAY 1 – Valle de la Luna – Moon Valley Atacama Desert

We arrived around noon on our first day, and having in mind that it gets dart between 5 and 6 PM most of the places close around 4PM or last entrance is 4 PM so you would need to organize your day. Because the Moon Valley is one of the closest attractions to San Pedro de Atacama we’ve decided to go here. Entrance fee was 12000 Chilean pesos. You can buy the ticket on the spot, there is also web site and if you are buying with foreign card the only payment opportunity is paypal.
At Valle de la Luna you get a map and explanations there are five attractions, but in my opinion visiting the Duna Mayor and the Triangle Hike are the most worthy. The three Marias are in my opinion just stone formation, so the journey to get there is more spectacular than the actual monument. Driving in the Moon Valley together with Duna Mayor were the highlights for me.

Entrance fee Valle de La Luna: 10800 CLP (10 eur/11usd)
Agency tour fee: 40000 CLP (35 eur/40 usd)

DAY 2 – Valle de Arcoiris – Rainbow Valley & Lagunas Escondidas Baltinache

On around 60 kilometers distance is the Rainbow Valley, we started our journey around 8 o’clock and reached it from San Pedro de Atacama in an hour. We did combo of hike and drive and the views were spectacular. Mix of colours and shapes. Mostly red and green. This place is really remote. Compared to the other places that we went it was the least crowded. I would also say that car wise maybe this was the only place where a stronger car was needed but having in mind that there were tourist vans I would say it is still not that bad.

Entrance fee Rainbow Valley: 10000 CLP (9 eur/ 10 usd)
Agency tour fee: 40000 CLP (35 eur/40 usd)

Again 60 kilometers in the opposite direction of Rainbow Valley is the Hidden Baltinache Lagoon. The road to get here is super easy for driving, you will mostly be alone on it. I can imagine how beautiful it must look the colour of the water on a sunny day. Plan your time wisely, as the entrance is allowed only until 4PM. You buy ticket on the machines inside. The hosts explain you the rules. You can take a swim in the designated spots and it is not recommended to be more than 20 minutes in the water.
The agency group that we saw coming were fully equipped with bath robes and towels.

Entrance fee Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache: 12000 CLP (25 eur/ 30 usd)
Agency tour fee: 45000 CLP (40 eur/45 usd)

DAY 3 – Piedras Rojas – Flamingos Reserve + Yerba

Maybe my favorite day in the desert. The forecast was not promising for our time of stay in San Pedro de Atacama, so we kept the only sunny day for Piedras Rojas. On the way we saw the bluest sky, bunch of animals, and yellowy fields. For this trip we didn’t buy tickets in advance, as the website said there are only tickets for 1PM and we wanted to go there at 11. But when you arrive at the point they make you buy tickets online from their computer and the timing doesn’t matter. It is only important that you go there and register yourself for the visit at the Sociare Checkpoint. Even if you have a ticket, registration in the purchasing point is a must. The Red stones are about 150km away from San Pedro de Atacama, almost at the border with Argentina. The views are more than amazing. To visit the place you need around one hour and you can choose if you will visit first the lakes or the stones.
The two lakes were like real life windows background, vicunas ere extra cute factor. With the same ticket you are allowed to enter the Lagunas Miscanti & Miniques.

Entrance fee Piedras Rojas & Lagunas Miscanti and Miniques : 15000 CLP (25 eur/ 30 usd)
Agency tour fee: 75000 CLP (66 eur/77 usd)

On a not so well marked road, you take a turn for the National Flamingo Reserve. We were doubting if we should enter the place or not, in the end we did, but in the afternoon hours, and this was maybe the most underwhelming spot. However, we met a girl that came here with an agency, and the trick is to come early, before the flamingos change their position in the lake. They had 3 out of six spices of Flamingos. The Andean one being the most present. You will recognize him by black mouth and black socks.
With the entrance ticket to the Flamingo Reserve, there is the Yerba Oasis ticket included. This place is still in development, but it is nice to see the apples and pomegranates in the middle of a desert.
But those that said driest desert on Earth, were wrong. We had 4 out of 5 days rain in the afternoon.
Entrance fee Flamingo Reserve: 13700 CLP (13 eur/ 15 usd)
Agency tour fee:?

DAY 4 – Geysers Del Tatio

The crying grandpa is how you translate El Tatio. The best time to visit is at eatly morning when they open at 6AM because the geysers are the most active at this time. We were well informed about this now. Even though it is written that you can buy the tickets at the automatic cash registers, on entrance it was told that only cash payment is possible, so make sure you have it. YOu are allowed to enter buy car on the mapped route, and then you can walk from one spot to another. There are hot springs on the premises as well. Since the weather conditions were rainy, that meant snow in the mountains. And we could not see many animals here, they were hiding from the cod. The drive to get here was in the night, and it was around 90minutes. The nice thing is that on the way back close to the cacti fields we saw a lake with even more flamingos than in the reserve, and all that for free. If you are going buy agency this activity is usually combined with the Termas de Puritama springs.

Entrance fee Geysers Del Tatio 15000 CLP (13 eur/ 15usd)
Agency tour fee: 45000 CLP (40 eur/46 usd)

Other popular tours in Atacama Desert

Astronomical Tour – agency fee between 20-40K, no entrance fee. This a tour where you get to see the sky full of stars and get educated about them. You will be taken some 15 minutes away from San Pedro and have your pictures taken. Unfortunately for us the weather was cloudy all the time so these tours did not happen. And when it comes to the agency price, the difference in price is – are they offering cocktails or snacks or nothing for this excursion

Below is a leaflet from an agency with prices from May 2025, of course there are various agencies and you can choose on the spot the one of your liking. But if you are a group of 2 it is already cheaper to go on your own, and if you are more than two then take even the flexibility and savings factor when planning your trip. Of course it is nice to help the local tourism and people, but it is good to know that you have the possibility to do it on your own for a portion of the price. Have fun.