4WD tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
3
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
8
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
9
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
82 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
31st/454
Top 10%
continent
South America
country
Bolivia
Length of time
3-4 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$100 ($300-$400 in 2026 prices)
Time of year visited
February
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
4WD Altitude Salt Flats
All Tags
Adventure Bird spotting Border crossing Driving Isolation Lakes Mirror Lakes Stargazing Volcanoes Wildlife - Condors Wildlife - Flamingos Wildlife - Llamas/Alpacas/Guanacos/Vicunas Wildlife - Viscachas
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

This part of the world is high on the tourist radar for the Bolivian Salt flats (Salar de Uyuni) – they really are stunning, unique to just about anything I’ve seen anywhere in the world and fun to play around in.  Crucially, they are also big enough so that you can avoid other tourists and so stand around with a nice feeling of magical awe in the middle of them (see the individual travel entry The Bolivian Salt Flats in Rainy Season for tips).

 

But . . . the real wow factor comes when you combine the salt flats with a 4WD trip between Uyuni (the Salt Flats, in Bolivia) and San Pedro in the Atacama desert (in Chile).  Right up front – this is a long drive, the altitude sickness can be real and definitely don’t expect luxury, but seeing the AltiPlano – the Andes’ High Plateau (typically 3,800m / 12,400ft and second tallest after the Himalayas) of volcanoes, lakes and jaw-dropping vistas – is such an otherworldly experience that it comfortably falls into the top Wow-factor category.  An unmissable adventure.

 

4WD tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni - Views of the Andes Altiplano volcano and volcanic lakes on the route from San Pedro de Atacama to the Salt Flats of Uyuni 

Views of the Andes Altiplano on the route from San Pedro de Atacama to the Salt Flats of Uyuni 

Table of Contents

The top 10 Highlights of a 4WD tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni

#1 The Salt Flats - world famous, world class place to check out. Whether in the wet season for those unforgettable views while getting your feet wet in the inland shallow sea, or the crumbly white salty floor of the dry, it really is a must do

#1 The Salt Flats - world famous, world class place to check out. Whether in the wet season for those unforgettable views while getting your feet wet in the inland shallow sea, or the crumbly white salty floor of the dry, it really is a must do

#2 Volcanoes - stunning peaks that are worshipped by the locals as gods and sitting above the clouds

#2 Volcanoes - stunning peaks that are worshipped by the locals as gods and sitting above the clouds

#3 High Altitude - you'll spend most of the trip at 4000 metres plus, so be prepared!

#3 High Altitude - you'll spend most of the trip at 4000 metres plus, so be prepared!

#4 4-Wheel Driving across some of the most unusual and remote landscapes in the world

#4 4-Wheel Driving across some of the most unusual and remote landscapes in the world

#5 Mirror Lakes - with often little wind or disturbances to the water, the mirror lakes can be stunning, especially with some of the volcanoes behind them

#5 Mirror Lakes - with often little wind or disturbances to the water, the mirror lakes can be stunning, especially with some of the volcanoes behind them

#6 Geysers - dotted all over this Martian-style landscape

#6 Geysers - dotted all over this Martian-style landscape

#7 Train graveyard - so this was a bit unexpected, but there is a spot outside Uyuni which seems to be where many of the old Bolivian trains come for their much needed rust. Its worth a half hour stop on the way

#7 Train graveyard - so this was a bit unexpected, but there is a spot outside Uyuni which seems to be where many of the old Bolivian trains come for their much needed rust. Its worth a half hour stop on the way

#8 Viscachas! The very cute chinchilla-like rodents that can often be round scurrying around the rocks

#8 Viscachas! The very cute chinchilla-like rodents that can often be round scurrying around the rocks

#9 Llamas and Vicunas! You'll find llamas and Vicunas (the smaller, more high altitude cousin) just about everywhere on your trip. Some even come to stay hello in your room

#9 Llamas and Vicunas! You'll find llamas and Vicunas (the smaller, more high altitude cousin) just about everywhere on your trip. Some even come to stay hello in your room

#10 Flamingoes just about everywhere on the route over to the Salt Flats

#10 Flamingoes just about everywhere on the route over to the Salt Flats

Itinerary – 4WD tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni

  • Day 1 – you’ll leave early in the morning to head up to the Altiplano (above roughly 3,500m / 11,500ft) to cross over the border into Bolivia. That day you’ll get to see some of the towering volcanoes that look over San Pedro de Atacama, the mirror lakes and the flamingos. Altitude is around 4,500m / 14,750ft – so high! Accommodation will be super basic, although beds are typically comfy
  • Day 2 – you’ll check out the thermal pools, the coloured lagoons and the usual rock formations of the Siloli Desert. Similar altitudes for this day and smaller rooms
  • Day 3 – probably the highlight. You get to see the Train Graveyard and the Salt Flats themselves for around 3 hours or so. Spend the evening halfway back to San Pedro
  • Day 4 – 5am or so wake up and drive back to San Pedro

 

The single route option – obviously saves half the driving  

Travel tips

ALTITUDE

The altitude jump can be brutal. You go from 2,400m / 7,875ft in San Pedro to 4,900m / 16,100ft within around 4 hours and sleep on the first night at 4400m / 14,450ft.  All of this is typically with zero sympathy from the Bolivians. My strong suggestion is you have at least a couple of days in San Pedro to acclimatise, take altitude sickness pills / painkillers and just generally dig in. Coca tea work for some, sugar for others.

 

WET / DRY

The wet season is January to April, which is when you’ll get those spectacular photos and be able to dab your feet in the water, but could get hit by the rains (we didn’t). Other times of year you’ll be able to see the salt clearly and take some of those cool group photos. There isn’t really a better or worse.

 

LUXURY STANDARD

Before making a decision to take one of these trips it’s important to bear in mind you’ll be going through one of the poorest countries in the world, across often very basic roads and in a car for roughly 75% of the daytime. So don’t expect luxury, nor the super attentive helpers you find elsewhere near here.  Its all about the scenery, not the places you stay.

 

4WD tour from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni - Burnt out bus overlooking the Andes mountains and volcanoes on the Altiplano

First night’s accommodation in Bolivia . . . just kidding 

 

VARIABILITY OF GUIDES

You just don’t know what you’re going to get, despite what you are promised by the company.  We were promised an English speaker, didn’t get one, but the guy’s attitude made up for it.  Vast majority of people we spoke to had good guys and had a fantastic time, but some had horror stories of drunken guides crashing. Pot luck.

 

CORDILLERA TRAVEL

We went with them and they were good. Toyota Land Cruisers used were perfect and were replaced quickly if any problems, drivers were super friendly and happy to help, accommodation was comfortable and clean (first night can be very basic), food was good and enough of it, had some great ideas for photos etc on the salt flats.  USD300 per person (2026 prices), plus some extra cash if you want to buy snacks etc.  Cordillera Travel – English for the details of their trips.

 

The strange volcanic cone formations dotted all across the Andes' Altiplano

The strange volcanic cone formations dotted all across the Andes’ Altiplano

 

COLD

It gets bloody cold up there, even in summer it’s below zero. Bring warm clothes, especially for the evenings.

 

GROUPS

Once you pass the Bolivian border, the small bus you’re in will get split into 4x4s. Worth getting chatting to someone you think you’d enjoy spending 4 days in a car with before this point so you’re not open to pot luck and getting stuck with a bunch of heavy smoking, loud, mainland Chinese guys (yep, that was fun!).

 

Bolivia immigration on the southern border with Chile

Welcome to Bolivia!

 

UYUNI AND SAN PEDRO

Don’t bother spending much extra time in Uyuni, there’s not much there and its gash.  But San Pedro de Atacama is very cool – mud brick buildings, nice restaurants, interesting history,  and the nearby Lunar Valley is well worth the visit.  See the individual travel entry Exploring the Lunar Valley and San Pedro de Atacama for tips.

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The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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