12 San Pedro de Atacama Volcano Tours to Build a Day Around

1.San Pedro de Atacama: El Tatio Geysers Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 943 reviews · 7 hours · from $70Our pick

Leave San Pedro before dawn with an English- and Spanish-speaking guide such as Francisco, Brandon, or Malú. Watch El Tatio’s steam catch the sunrise, eat breakfast beside the high Andes, then visit the Putana Valley and a flamingo lagoon. Bring serious winter clothing for the cold.

“Had a wonderful day with our guide Brandon and driver Brian! Brandon was very knowledgeable and engaged with the guests during the tour. He also played a great selection of music during the day.”

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2.From San Pedro de Atacama: El Tatio Geyser Field & Wetlands

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 141 reviews · 7 hours · from $76

Leave San Pedro de Atacama before dawn for El Tatio, where more than 80 geysers steam in the cold sunrise air. An English or Spanish speaking guide leads the visit, followed by breakfast, Putana wetlands, wildlife sightings, and Machuca village. Return to central San Pedro around noon.

“Great value for money, couldn’t recommend more. Our Spanish is not good and the translation was great.”

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3.Full Day Tour to Geyser del Tatio, Vado Putana and Machuca

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 134 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $50Best value

Leave San Pedro at 4:30 a.m. for El Tatio, one of the world’s highest geyser fields. With a shared group of up to 12, an English or Spanish guide, breakfast, and stops at Putana Ford and Machuca, you return around noon. Guides may include Alex, Ernesto, Thiago, or Danielo.

“I do not recommend booking this tour with this company. I was transferred to another operator without explanation and was only informed late the night before the tour. I had already paid the entrance fee, but this information was not passed on, and I was initially asked to pay again. Although it was eventually resolved, the last-minute change left me no chance to choose another operator myself. This lack of transparency and communication negatively affected my experience”

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4.El Tatio Geysers Tour from San Pedro de Atacama

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 100 reviews · 7 to 8 hours (approx.) · from $62

Leave San Pedro before dawn for El Tatio’s geysers, where sunrise lights up columns of steam above the Andes. A guide such as Stefanie, Anita, Ivan, or Renata may explain the geothermal field before breakfast and a stop in tiny Machuca. Expect cold, altitude, winding roads, and a small group of up to 15.

“The tour operator was great. The reason I can only give this one star is that purchasing the trip through this website is way more expensive than purchasing through the same operator on their website. I learned this after the fact and regret the purchase.”

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5.From San Pedro de Atacama: Geysers del Tatio Half-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 16 reviews · 6 hours · from $60

Leave San Pedro de Atacama at 5 am for El Tatio, where steam columns, fumaroles, boiling pools, and high peaks appear in the cold dawn. A guide leads the walk, breakfast is included, and the return includes Machuca. Guides have included Lorena and Manu.

“excellente excursion, très bien organisée avec un excellent guide francophone. Le guide était remarquable, très sympa, toujours soucieux de notre état de santé à cette altitude. Il a préparé un petit déjeuner haut de gamme, trouvé un endroit magique pour passer un très bon moment de convivialité. On recommande fortement.”

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6.San Pedro de Atacama: Geysers del Tatio

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews · 7 hours · from $78

Leave San Pedro at 4:30 am for El Tatio, the world’s third-largest geyser field. A guide in English or Portuguese leads this small-group outing of up to 10 people, with breakfast, Putana wetlands, flamingos, and Machuca included. Park entry costs extra.

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7.San Pedro de Atacama: Láscar Volcano Summit Hiking Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 12 hours · from $200

You’ll ride from San Pedro de Atacama to Láscar Volcano in a private group, stopping for breakfast near a blue altiplanic lagoon before a high-altitude climb. Guides such as Gary and Freddy provide safety support, gear, and help with the thin air. The summit depends on weather and volcanic conditions.

“Expérience incroyable ! Nous étions accompagnés de Gary et Freddy, deux guides professionnels, à l’écoute des besoins et des difficultés. Ils nous ont accompagné durant toute l’ascension. Je recommande vraiment cette activité et encore merci à vous !”

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8.San Pedro de Atacama: El Tatio Geyser Field and Wetlands

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 7 hours · from $58

Leave San Pedro at 4:30 am with an English or Spanish-speaking guide, reaching El Tatio for sunrise among more than 80 active geysers. After an outdoor breakfast, visit Putana wetlands and Machuca village, known for cheese empanadas and llama skewers. Guide Teo has earned special praise for his care and local insight.

“This was a great tour, the guide was respectful and knowledge about the topic; highly recommended”

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9.San Pedro de Atacama: Tatio Geysers and Machuca Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6 reviews · 8 hours · from $90

Leave San Pedro before sunrise for the Tatio Geysers at 4,320 meters, then stop in Machuca for llama anticucho or goat cheese empanadas. An English- or Spanish-speaking guide leads the eight-hour outing, with hotel pickup, entry fees, Andean scenery, and a possible thermal-pool stop included.

“Excellent. Good guide, good food and lots to see. Vehicle was good too.”

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10.San Pedro de Atacama: Volcano Downhill Bike Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 5 reviews · 6 hours · from $250

Ride Atacama takes you from San Pedro de Atacama to Cerro Toco for a guided 15-mile downhill ride from roughly 17,000 feet. Guides Gary, also listed as Gari, and Sti provide safety support, bikes, gear, snacks, photos, and volcano views. The route suits fit beginners, but high altitude is serious.

“If you're looking for a thrilling and unique experience in San Pedro, this is it! Gary and Sti were very knowledgeable and amazing guides, continuously checking up on how I was feeling throughout the ride (5200m altitude ain't no joke!). It felt like riding on another planet and was so scenic. Look to your right and you have the towering Licancabur Volcano. To the left, a host of other mountains I cannot name. The terrain is not overly technical so can still be enjoyed by a relative beginner like myself, with just over a year of mountain biking experience. I'd highly recommend this tour for the ride of a lifetime!”

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11.ASCENT TO VOLCANO CERRO TOCO OF 5604masl

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews

Leave San Pedro at 8:00 a.m. for a private, guided ascent of Cerro Toco, an extinct volcano at 5,604 meters. Your UIMLA guide, possibly Gerardo, sets a careful pace, provides mountain clothing and gear, and leads the 1.7-kilometer climb to broad Andes views.

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12.San Pedro de Atacama: El Tatio Geysers & Machuca Lagoon Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 4 reviews · 7 hours · from $60

Leave San Pedro de Atacama before dawn for El Tatio, more than 4,000 meters high and home to over 100 steaming craters. Walk beside thermal pools, eat breakfast at sunrise, then visit Machuca Lagoon for flamingos and ducks. English and Spanish guides are available.

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