All San Pedro de Atacama Tours & Excursions in 2026

An excellent experience with PUKARUMI, with some aspects that should be improved During our stay in San Pedro de Atacama we did six excursions with PUKARUMI: Valle de la Luna, Laguna Cejar, Puritama Hot Springs, Astronomical Tour, Piedras Rojas and Altiplanic Lagoons. With the exception of the latter, which we booked as a private tour, all were shared. In general terms, our experience was very positive. We especially highlight the professionalism, punctuality, and good organization. The vehicles are comfortable, the drivers very professional, and the guides friendly, well-prepared, and capable of conveying all the necessary information in good English to enjoy and understand each place visited. A very special mention goes to our private excursion to Piedras Rojas and Altiplanic Lagoons. It was simply wonderful. The two Andrés who accompanied us, driver and guide, managed to turn an excursion into an extraordinary experience. Their warmth, friendliness, and professionalism made us feel like part of a group of friends, far beyond a simple relationship between tourists and guides. Without a doubt, one of the great moments of our trip. Many thanks to both of you! However, our experience with the Astronomical Tour was quite disappointing. What is offered as an experience to discover and observe the Atacama sky ends up being, in our opinion, mainly a photo session accompanied by a cocktail. Two groups are gathered for an initial introduction and then they split up: while some observe with telescopes (only two for approximately 15 people), the others participate in a photo session. The observation turns out to be very limited: Saturn appears as a small dot and the second object, a cluster of stars. After about 30 minutes the activities are swapped, with an additional wait of approximately 30 minutes to get just a couple of photographs. Finally, everyone ends up gathered around a cocktail, only to be driven back to the hotel shortly after, almost like an assembly line. Honestly, we were expecting much more astronomical content, observation time, and a more personalized experience. We do not feel that this proposal lives up to what is promoted as an Astronomical Tour. Another aspect that we consider important to point out is the orientation of some guides. During one of our excursions, we heard PUKARUMI guides making comments with marked political content to foreign tourists, particularly about powerful Chilean families and their companies, which they blamed for the ecological destruction of the area due to economic interests. We also spoke with other travelers who told us that, after taking one or several excursions, they had had similar experiences and that those political comments had made them uncomfortable. We perfectly understand that the protection of the extraordinary natural heritage of Atacama deserves attention and that it is important to create environmental awareness. However, we believe that there is a difference between informing and sensitizing visitors and using a tourist excursion as a space for personal political opinions or speeches. Perhaps PUKARUMI should reinforce the orientation of some of its guides in this regard: the role of the guide is to inform, educate, and accompany professionally, maintaining neutrality and respecting the diversity of opinions of their passengers. In conclusion: PUKARUMI is an agency that we would recommend for its organization, punctuality, professionalism, and, especially, for the human quality of many of its collaborators. In fact, during our trip we recommended it to other tourists based on our good experience. Precisely for that reason, we believe that these observations can be useful both for future travelers and for the agency itself. With some adjustments to the Astronomical Tour and better guidance for certain guides, PUKARUMI has everything to offer a truly excellent experience in San Pedro de Atacama.