Atacama Desert holiday in Chile and Bolivia
Description of Atacama Desert holiday in Chile and Bolivia
This Chile and Bolivia holiday is a tailor made holiday that enables you to take in both of these magnificent South American countries, as well as many of their contrasting and colossal sites of natural heritage. One of the most magnificent features of this carefully crafted itinerary is the varied and indeed very dramatic landscapes that you will travel through, whether by private transfer, your own car rental or on a regional flight.
In both countries you will ascend from sea level to around 4900m, with the Altiplano that stretches through Chile and Bolivia having an average elevation of 3,750m. This is the widest plain within the Andes mountain range and you will be travelling through various parts of this great region for seven days. Highlights along the way include Sol de Mañana geysers, Licancabur Volcano Uyuni Salt Pans and desert after desert area.
These magnificent landscapes are also habitats for a wide array of wildlife including flamingos, llamas, alpaca and, on the Pacific coast, plenty of marine wildlife too. The National Reserves of Las Vicunas and Los Flamencos stand out as particular highlights for wildlife watching on this trip.
As a tailor made holiday we can adapt this to suit your interests and time frame, but this itinerary has proved to be very popular with guests, staying at small locally owned accommodation along the way. We will of course offer 24 hour support on mobile phone throughout your trip.
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Reviews
1 Reviews of Atacama Desert holiday in Chile and Bolivia
Reviewed on 22 Mar 2026 by Ian Gutsell
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The Atacama Desert, Bolivian Altiplano and Solar De Uyuni were amazing and lived up to the expectations of my bucket list. The unexpected part of the trip was the morning spent at the working mines in Potosi - extraordinary!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The days are long - some really early starts! Just go with the flow to get the most out of everyday. A lot of the days are at higher altitudes which can be a bit tiring but the experiences are amazing and tiredness is soon forgotten.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Tried to use local resources as much as possible - buses between Uyuni/Potosi/La Paz. Travelled largely on my own therefore was able to engage more with local people.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The tour operator was fab. Whilst the trip was planned largely via Whatsapp - Federica travelled to see me personally in Santiago before the travelling started - really appreciated the personal touches and check-ins whilst travelling. All went smoothly.
Responsible Travel
Planet
This is a journey to the heart of the Andean Altiplano, with its enormous peaks of active volcanoes. Much of the trip is spent in pristine nature, including salt deserts, majestic mountains and impressive geothermal fields. Travellers are briefed by local guides as to how to minimise their impact on the environment. Advise includes disposing of all waste responsibly and recycling whenever possible.Travellers will experience the extraordinary beauty of this natural environment. The National Reserves of Las Vicunas and Los Flamencos, the National Parks of Lauca and Isluga: plains, lakes, volcanoes and mountains. The region preserves the existence of valuable species such as ostrich (ñandu), flamingo, vicuña, alpaca, llama, condors. Useful tips on how to travel responsibly, as well as information on local flora and fauna can be found in the road book we provide to our travellers.
We work with small hotels run by people aware of their environmental responsibilities. Most of the accommodation consists of traditional constructions, often built using local materials like the high-altitude architecture of the Andean villages. A good example is the salt hotel in the Uyuni salt desert, a hotel made entirely from salt and built away from the salar itself for environmental reasons.
This is a tailor-made, independent trip; groups are very small, normally comprised of 2 to 4 people, helping to minimise the negative environmental and social impact.
People
We want local populations to benefit from the resources generated by tourism, by putting as much as possible back into the local communities. We support local employment and communities in our choice of accommodation, tours, restaurants, etc.This trip offers the opportunity to familiarize with customs and traditions of local rural villages. Travellers will have a chance to stop at small villages along the way, to gain insight into local culture: seeing local people go about their daily life, meet and mingle with them.
We always take into consideration the feedback we receive from the local population to try to improve the quality of services in the best possible way.
All travellers are provided with detailed guidelines as to how to travel responsibly. We provide our travellers with a road book with useful information on local culture and customs.
Travellers will visit a few historic sites, an insight in the customs and traditions of pre-Hispanic cultures such as the Aymaras and Atacameños. The entrance fees to these sites play an important role in preserving the local cultural heritage for the long term.
We donate 3% of the total price of this trip to co-fund micro-projects implemented by local schools, associations and ONGs. These are community projects based on education and conservation activities, especially addressed to young people.
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