Salar de Tara, Antofagasta Region, Chile

5Erin M 5:00 PM Jan 17, 2018

A reputable tour group is a MUST
We did this tour (and all of our tours) with Cosmo Andino. And now that we've done it, I've got a few tips for a good experience. First, you absolutely need a great tour company with great vehicles and great drivers. (I highly recommend Cosmo Andino.) When they say that you are driving "off-road", it is not the American definition of off-roading. They don't mean a dirt or gravel road. They literally mean that there is no road. You just drive off into the open desert that has no tire tracks. You cannot do this on your own. Second, this is a HIGH altitude tour. We got up to 4800m (15,000ft)! I strongly recommend that you do a different high altitude tour before this to get acclimated. We were hurting on our first high altitude tour, but then we did much better on this one. I can't imagine what we would have felt like if this was our first high altitude tour. Third, the sun is serious here. (Did I mention the altitude?) I am a woman in my thirties with lots of thick hair, and my scalp got burned through my hair! (Like, my whole scalp, not just an area that was exposed by a part.) Everyone should wear a hat. Luckily, it's a bit chilly up there, so you'll probably be wearing pants and long-sleeves and won't need much sunscreen except on your face and hands. Fourth, bring binoculars if you have them. We saw lots of wildlife (vicunas, flamingos, llamas, birds) and it's great to see them up close. Fifth, drink water! It's really really helps to start hydrated. Once you get the headache, there's no getting rid of it until you come back down to lower altitudes. This was my second favorite tour. I know it can be pricey, but it's so worth it!

5VG1302 5:00 PM Jun 30, 2018

Unmissable attraction if visiting San Pedro
We visited Salar de Tara as part of a day tour in a small group from San Pedro. The visit to this spot is indescribable. To start with, it is located on the caldera of Vilama volcano. There is just not the Salar to look for here. The landscape is stunning, to say the least. To name a few, watch out for the out-of-the-world rock formations, unbelievable landscape colours & transformations. And guess what, you can also see Vicunas grazing! The landscape is reminiscent of Bolivia's altiplano but this one has its own charm. The drive around this site felt like driving on the sand dunes. The beauty of this site cannot be put down in words, they won't do any justice. Let me put it this way - if you are visiting San Pedro and have a day and some money to spare, you must do this! You could skip some of the other attractions, but this one is worth the money! Tips: ------ 1. This is a whole day affair, the tour kicks off early in the morning and finishes late in the evening. There is a lot of driving involved. 2. The cost varies between tour agencies, we were earlier booked in to do this with Cosmo Andino (almost double) but they did not have adequate numbers so we were transferred to Maxim Experience for around 50,000 CLP per person (nearly a year back). 3. There is some serious altitude here ~4000m. If you are visiting San Pedro from Uyuni (Bolivia), you should be okay (in our case), otherwise, it would be a good idea to acclimatise in San Pedro. 4. Carry adequate water, broad-brimmed hat, warm jacket, sunglasses, sunblock and sturdy boots.