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See flamingos in the salt flats

Atacama desert

Visit a flamingo colony and colourful high-altitude lakes on a drive through the hallucinatory landscapes of the Atacama salt flats.

It’s a rewarding trip from San Pedro de Atacama out into the salt flats where flamingos lend a sprinkle of pink to an already colourful scene. On the way we’ll take you to Toconao (altitude 2,600m) and typical of the area’s small oasis villages with its whitewashed bell tower and adobe homes. Nearby, the verdant Jerez valley stands out in sharp contrast with the surrounding desert.

Arriving into the salar, an arresting backdrop of orange and purple-hued mountains surmounts the habitat of huge flocks of wild flamingos. On our full-day tour you will also visit the high-altitude lagoons of Minique and Miscanti (altitude 4,120m) with their vivid blue and turquoise waters.

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Real Latin american experts

  • Chris
    Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert

    Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Sallly
    Sally Watkins - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Mary
    Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert

    Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.

  • Alex
    Alex Walker - Travel Expert

    A globetrotter since her childhood, Alex spent a year studying abroad in Guadalajara and has returned to Latin America countless times since then.

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