San Pedro de Atacama is largely considered the basecamp to explore the beautiful Atacama Desert of Chile, which is bursting at the seams with colorful geysers, hot springs, and mountains. One of the most popular things to do here is to visit Piedras Rojas, a series of rounded red stones along the base of a salt lagoon and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. If you want to explore Piedras Rojas from San Pedro de Atacama, here’s everything you need to know about planning your visit, from how to get there to how to dress (it’s probably not what you’d expect!).
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What is Piedras Rojas?
As mentioned above, Piedras Rojas refers to a series of enormous rounded red boulders. These rocks were formed from volcanic lava that had high iron content, which gives them their unique red hue.
The rocks themselves are pretty cool, but what really makes them really worth a visit is the dramatic surrounding scenery. The rocks are found along the edge of a salt lagoon, called Laguna Salar de Talar or Aguas Calientes, which has an ethereal emerald color, thanks to its high concentrations of salt, gypsum, and halite. And all of this is surrounded by several towering volcanoes and the Andes Mountains.
It’s seriously one of the most stunning places in the Atacama Desert.
How to get to Piedras Rojas
Piedras Rojas is located here, right outside of the Los Flamencos National Reserve, about 150 km south of San Pedro de Atacama, near the tiny town of Socaire. You can either get to Piedras Rojas by yourself or with a tour group.
Getting to Piedras Rojas by yourself
If you have a rental car, you can definitely drive to Piedras Rojas on your own. Unlike some of the roads around San Pedro de Atacama, the ones here are decently well-maintained.
But you can’t just simply show up to Piedras Rojas. Here’s the slightly complicated process of visiting Piedras Rojas by yourself.
Purchasing tickets to Piedras Rojas
You need to buy a timed entry ticket online beforehand, as they don’t sell tickets in person.
You can either purchase a ticket for just Piedras Rojas or, alternatively, add on the nearby Lagunas Altiplánicas (otherwise known as Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques). If you elect to stop at both sites, you’ll need to purchase a combination ticket that specifies which of the two attractions you want to visit first.
We wrote a whole article about Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques, but, in a nutshell, they are two brackish lakes, known for their deep blue water and the volcanoes that surround them. They’re absolutely beautiful, but, beyond that, their waters attract all kinds of fun wildlife, like flamingoes and vicuñas (we saw both here!).
Entry for foreign visitors to one of the sites is 10,000 CLP, whereas entry to both will cost 15,000 CLP. I personally think it’s worth buying a ticket to both of them. Piedras Rojas has an absolutely spectacular landscape and who doesn’t love seeing cute animals at Lagunas Altiplánicas?
Piedras Rojas is one of the most popular things to do near San Pedro de Atacama, so I’d recommend heading there first (i.e., choose the online ticket option for “First the southern hot water salt flats ‘Piedras Rojas’ + Second, the Miscanti and Miniques Lagoons”) and trying to snag one of the earlier timed entry slots so that you can enjoy it without a ton of crowds.
Tickets to these sites, especially Piedras Rojas, can sell out in advance, so I’d strongly recommend purchasing your tickets at least a few days ahead of time.
Additionally, the website where you purchase your tickets is definitely kind of buggy, often having issues with timing out or not being able to process foreign credit cards. You can reach out here for help if you’re having issues with the website or, alternatively, you can just join a tour, where the operator will take care of getting your ticket, transportation, and more.
Picking up your tickets for Piedras Rojas
Once you’ve purchased your Piedras Rojas tickets online, you have to pick them up at this office in the town of Socaire, about an hour south of San Pedro de Atacama.
There’s no cell service here, so be sure to take a screenshot of your ticket confirmation email (including the QR code they send you) when you’re back in San Pedro de Atacama, as you’ll need to provide that and your license plate information to an attendant in the office.
You must be at the office an hour before your timed entry tickets start (e.g., if your tickets are for 8:30 AM, you have to be by the control office by 7:30 AM) or they may not issue your ticket.
Driving from Socaire to Piedras Rojas
From the control office in Socaire, it takes about an hour to drive the rest of the way to Piedras Rojas. Along the way, you’ll pass by stunning landscapes, including the massive Miñiques Volcano, as well as lots of adorable vicuñas.
When you pull into the parking lot, a guard will check and stamp your ticket and direct you where to park.
Joining a tour to Piedras Rojas
If you don’t have a rental car or don’t want to worry about the logistics of getting here, you can alternatively join a tour to Piedras Rojas from San Pedro de Atacama, where they’ll take care of transportation, your tickets, and your meals while you’re out exploring.
Tours to Piedras Rojas, like this option or this option, typically last all day and also stop at the Lagunas Altiplánicas AND Laguna Chaxa, which is one of the best places to see flamingoes in the Atacama Desert.
Visiting Piedras Rojas
Once you’re in the parking lot for Piedras Rojas, there’s a fairly flat walking path loop that’s 1.8 miles (2.9 km) in length. You can find a map of the trail here.
The trail itself is easy, but don’t be surprised if you’re a bit out of breath while you’re hiking it—Piedras Rojas is located at 4,200 meters above sea level, so just walking around takes a lot more effort than it normally would.
You’ll reach the shoreline of the lagoon with all of the red rocks about a mile (1.6 km) into the trail. You can wander around the rocks to enjoy different views of the surrounding landscape—if you have a particularly calm day, the lagoon has a beautiful reflection of the nearby mountains.
It’s worth noting that you’re not allowed to get close to the water, so don’t plan on swimming or drinking from the lake here (pretty sure it wouldn’t taste very good anyway!).
When you’re done taking in the views, simply continue on the loop trail back to the parking lot. It took us 45 minutes in total to walk the full loop, with lots of stopping to take photos and videos.
What to wear to Piedras Rojas
Like most places that are probably included in your Atacama Desert itinerary, I’d recommend wearing layers to Piedras Rojas, regardless of what time of the year you visit. While it can get scorching hot during the day, the desert often drops below freezing at night, even in the summertime, and, given the high altitude here, it can also feel pretty chilly at certain parts of the day as well.
We visited in February, which is one of the warmest months in the Atacama Desert, so I had worn shorts and a t-shirt to our early morning trip here. This was a HUGE mistake—I was absolutely freezing!
So, if you’re visiting in the summer, be sure to wear some breezier clothing in case it heats up during the day, as well as warm layers (like puffer coat and beanie kind of warm) in case you encounter chillier weather, like we did.
If you’re visiting during the colder months (June, July, and August), you’ll need to bring along plenty of warm layers, as the temperatures tend to stay pretty chilly all day. In fact, in August 2025, Piedras Rojas was actually closed for almost a full month, due to unusually heavy snowfall!
The path is generally pretty flat, so I don’t think hiking boots are necessary, regardless of when you visit. We both just wore our Teva hiking sandals—his and hers—and they did the job just fine. However, I would recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes and, if you’re visiting in the winter months, shoes with sufficient traction and support, in case you happen to run into any snow or ice on the trail.
Other things to do near Piedras Rojas
Piedras Rojas is about two hours away from San Pedro de Atacama—so if you’re making the trek out there, be sure to stop and explore some of the other cool sites that are nearby!
Lagunas Altiplánicas
As mentioned above, Lagunas Altiplánicas consists of two lakes, Miscanti and Miniques, which are located here, that sit pretty close together at the base of a massive volcano. There’s a small walking path along the shores of these two lakes, where you can take in the views and spot all kinds of wildlife, like vicuñas, culpeo foxes, flamingos, and horned taguas.
Lagunas Altiplánicas is in the same protected area as Piedras Rojas, located about 45 minutes north as you head back to Socaire. It’s only a short detour on your way between Piedras Rojas and San Pedro de Atacama, so I’d highly recommend making a stop here.
Exploring the town of Socaire
The town of Socaire is pretty tiny, so “exploring it” might be a bit of a stretch. BUT there are a handful of restaurants here where you can grab lunch or some snacks.
If you want a full blown meal, I’d recommend stopping by Cocineria Bartolome or Cocineria San Santiago, and, if you’re just looking for a quick coffee or empanada to enjoy on the go, Cocinería y Cafetería San Antonio gets the job done.
See flamingoes at Laguna Chaxa
Laguna Chaxa is a brackish lake that’s famous for the beautiful reflections on its waters during still days AND for its cute feathered residents—flamingoes!
There’s a nice walking path around the lake to maximize your flamingo viewing, as well as a small visitors center so that you can learn more about these beautiful birds and the surrounding landscape. It’s also one of the best places in the Atacama Desert to watch sunset!
If you drive here yourself, just be sure to put THIS Laguna Chaxa in your GPS. There’s another Laguna Chaxa that’s in the same vicinity on Google Maps, which will lead you to a gnarly road that’s closed off by a gate. I can sadly attest to this from personal experience!
Take a photo with the Tropic of Capricorn sign
As you drive between San Pedro de Atacama and Piedras Rojas, you’ll likely notice a massive sign, located here, along the road for “Tropico de Capricornio”.
If you’re like me and not up on your old time-y navigational terms, the Tropic of Capricorn is the invisible boundary that marks the southernmost point on the planet where the sun’s rays can be seen directly overhead at noon, which defines the boundary between the Earth’s Southern Temperate Zone from the tropics. It’s not relied on much in modern navigation, but was SUPER important to the OG explorers, like Magellan.
It’s neat to see and think about and, even if you’re not super into early exploration, it’s a fun place to stop for a photo!
I hope you have a better idea of what to expect when you’re visiting Piedras Rojas. Do you have any questions about exploring this unique area of the Atacama Desert? Let us know in the comments below!
