The Atacama Desert has some fascinating landscape. While it’s known for being one of the best stargazing places in the world, it also has some otherworldly landscape. One of my favorite places is Piedras Rojas aka the red stones in Chile.
To me, this was one of the best things to do in the Atacama Desert. The red stones are iconic and a beautiful place to visit.
About Piedras Rojas
The red stones in Chile are located along the bank of a lagoon lined by mountains. The red coloring is caused by the oxidation of iron and have formed large, round stones. Because of the proximity to the mountains, the lagoon has a beautiful reflection seen from the edge of the rocks.
Like a lot of attractions in the Atacama Desert, this one is located at a higher altitude, about 4,200m (13,780 ft) above sea level. In comparison, the summit at Breckenridge ski resort in Colorado is just under 13,000 feet. So you’ll want to prepare for the altitude and make sure you drink lots of water.
How to Get To Piedras Rojas
The red stones are located about 2 hours southeast of San Pedro. It’s a straight shot on 23 if you’re driving yourself. If you are going on a tour, they’ll pick you up early in the morning and you’ll be on your way to breakfast in Socaire before heading to Piedras Rojas.
What to See on a Full-Day Tour
This was the tour I was most excited for on my Atacama Desert itinerary. My pickup for this day tour was between 6-6:30am, so it was another early start. It included stops at the Chaxa Lagoon, Miscanti and Miñiques Lagunas Altiplánicas, the village of Socaire and Piedras Rojas. Breakfast and lunch were also included and the return time was around 6pm.
For a full-day tour to Piedras Rojas, you’ll need to pay for the tour plus any entrance fees. My tour quoted me $23,000 CLP for the entrance to Piedras Rojas and the Altiplanic Lagoons (and did not quote me anything for Chaxa). So that’s about $24 USD total in entrance fees for the day. (The prices I found online for actual entrance fees don’t quite add up to what I paid):
One thing you’ll want to keep in mind when booking tours is what’s included. Some tours may include your entrance fees and some may not, which will obviously mean you’ll be paying more when the time comes. And I’ve seen varying prices when it comes to what people charge for entrance fees.
Village of Socaire
Our first stop on the tour was to the Village of Socaire which is an older pueblo village. We didn’t really explore here, just stopped for breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bread, avocado, jams, meats and cheese, coffee/tea etc. The town is really small. They pointed out an old church from the van when we left, but that’s about it.
We also came back to this same spot for lunch, which was pasta, chicken, lettuce and corn served in a mason jar where you could add your own season. It was interesting but really good, especially after a morning of exploring.
Piedras Rojas/Red Stones
Our first stop was to the iconic red stones in the Atacama Desert. There’s a flat pathway at the entrance that leads you up to the red stones and the lake. The body of water is known as Laguna Salar de Talar or Aguas Caliente. The walk is among the mountains and very peaceful.
The path takes you right up to the edge with a small overlook to the water and then downwards towards the edge where the large red stones are. You can walk all over them and get right up on the edge.
Lagoons
The second half of your tour will be to see some lagoons in the afternoon. The weather will likely dictate where you get to visit.
Miscanti and Miñiques Altiplanic Lagoons
On a typical day tour to Piedras Rojas, it will include the Miscanti and Miñiques altiplanic lagoons. I visited in the Fall and those specific lagoons were closed due to inclement weather. A snow storm had completely covered the area, so we had to pivot our itinerary.
Both of these lagoons are located at a higher altitude at 4,100m (13,451 ft) and 4,350m (14,271 feet) so you’ll want to be prepared with what you wear. They are situated right in front of some mountains, so they have great scenery and reflections.
‼️If you’re visiting on your own, be aware of the ticketing process. You’ll have to purchase a ticket online and check in at the ticket office in Socaire at least an hour before to get a paper ticket. Your QR code will not be sufficient. And make sure to look up the weather there to make sure it is open before you drive all the way out there!
Laguna Tuyaito
Since the altiplanic lagoons were not accessible during our tour, we ended up detouring and going to the Laguna Tuyaito instead. It had some pretty scenery there and was nice to see but it wasn’t the highlight of the excursion. It’s an option though if you aren’t able to see the other lagoons.
Aguas Caliente
Another stop along the way is the viewpoint at Aguas Caliente. It’s a quick stop off the main road and a short walk up to the viewpoint.
It was really neat to see the patterns above and if you had binoculars (our guide had a few to pass along), you could see animals far below along the edge. However, this was one of the windiest and coldest spots that I almost had to turn around and go straight back to the van ha.
Chaxa Lagoon
Another famous spot in the Atacama Desert is the Chaxa Lagoon, where you’ll be able to see flamingos in the wild! There are three different types of flamingos in Chile: the Andean, Chilean and James flamingo, all of which can be found here.
The pathway takes you straight out into the middle of some salt flats where you can view the flamingoes and you have a 360º view of the mountains/volcanoes. But be prepared for the sun as there isn’t anything out there for protection.
Other Stops
The good thing about having smaller tours is that the vans can easily pull over when there is something to see. We stopped several times for wildlife and there’s a beautiful stretch of the road with mountains in the distance and yellow plants all around.
What to Wear
Though you’re in the desert, the Atacama Desert is at a higher altitude and a lot of places you’ll go are at an even higher altitude than San Pedro. You’ll want to be prepared for different kinds of weather but especially for cooler temperatures.
I visited in the fall and the morning temperatures were very chilly and I was very unprepared. The altiplanic lagoons were snowed over so that gives you an idea of the different changes in weather happening. By the afternoon, the weather was pleasant, but still cool.
Warm pants or leggings, sweatshirt, coat or windbreaker, good walking shoes and a hat, maybe even some light gloves for the morning. You’ll want to make sure you have warm layers that you can take off as the day gets hotter.
You’ll also want to bring sunglasses, sunscreen and plenty of water. There is a grocery store at the end of the main road in San Pedro where you can stock up on snacks and waters for your tours.
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