Piedras Rojas and the Altiplanic Lagoons
Piedras Rojas is the red mineral shore on the Salar de Talar, and it is almost always sold as part of a single long day that also takes in Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques at 4,140 m and the Salar de Atacama on the way home. It is ten hours, it goes higher than anything except El Tatio and the Bolivia crossing, and it is the day most worth protecting from a too-early place in your itinerary.
Where the red comes from
Iron oxide in the rock along the shore of the Salar de Talar, against turquoise brine and a white salt crust. The colour is real and does not need a filter, which is more than can be said for a lot of what circulates about this desert.
The lagoons at 4,140 m
Laguna Miscanti covers between 12 and 13 square kilometres depending on the season, and Laguna Miñiques sits 1.5 km to the south, separated from it by a lava flow and about ten metres lower. Both are flamingo breeding sites, which is why you stay on the marked footpaths — leaving them is prohibited, not discouraged.
What the altitude asks
4,140 m is high enough that operators publish who should not come: the full-day listing in our set excludes pregnant travellers, people with back problems, hypertension or serious health conditions, children under 7 and adults over 70, on altitude grounds. Take this day after you have had one or two at 2,400 m, not before.
What it costs on top of the tour
CONAF publishes Miscanti and Miñiques at CLP 8,000 for a foreign adult, CLP 4,000 for children, students and over-60s, and CLP 1,000 for visitors of indigenous descent; Chilean adults pay CLP 4,000. Piedras Rojas is charged separately again by the community that administers it. All of it is collected on the spot.
The temperature, twice
Below freezing at the lagoons in the morning if there is any wind, and hot on the salar by mid-afternoon. It is the same layering problem as El Tatio, over a longer day.
Toconao on the way back
Most versions of this day stop at Toconao, a village built from white volcanic ignimbrite with a separate bell tower. It is a fifteen-minute stop and the only inhabited place you will see all day.
Laguna Miscanti on WikipediaToconao on Wikipedia
Frequently asked questions
How high are the altiplanic lagoons?
Laguna Miscanti is at 4,140 m and Miñiques is about ten metres lower, 1.5 km to the south.
Who should not do this tour?
The operator excludes pregnant travellers, people with back problems, hypertension or serious health conditions, children under 7 and adults over 70, on altitude grounds.
What are the entrance fees?
CONAF publishes CLP 8,000 for a foreign adult at Miscanti and Miñiques, with reductions for children, students and over-60s. Piedras Rojas charges separately.
Sources