A pale pink flamingo walks through glassy blue water with its full reflection mirrored beneath it. Seeing flamingos this close made Laguna Chaxa one of the highlights of our Atacama stay.
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One stop was flat, bright and filled with flamingos. The next was a shaded river oasis hidden in Chile’s Atacama Desert.

If you want to see flamingos near San Pedro de Atacama without driving into the high-altitude Andes, Laguna Chaxa is one of the easiest self-drive day trips to plan.

We chose this as our second Atacama day trip because it stayed at a lower elevation, followed a fairly straightforward route south of town, and gave us our first real chance to see flamingos in the Atacama Desert. Afterward, we added Valle de Jere, a green oasis near Toconao that our friends Stephanie and Ron had recommended.

The drive itself is easy, but there are a few things I wish I had known—especially what to enter into Google Maps and how the combo ticket works.

Snow-dusted volcanoes rise beyond a calm lagoon that reflects the mountains and pale blue sky. The peaceful scenery made this lower-altitude drive feel completely different from the busier attractions near San Pedro.

Quick Overview

  • Driving time: About 1 hour 50 minutes total
  • Total time: 3-4 hours
  • Road conditions: Paved Ruta 23 south from San Pedro de Atacama, then unpaved local roads toward Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere
  • Highest elevation: About 7,500 feet / 2,300 meters
  • Admission required:
    • Laguna Chaxa
    • Jere Valley (combo ticket with Laguna Chaxa)
  • Best for:
    • Flamingo Lovers
    • Birdwatchers
    • A lower-altitude self-drive day
    • Anyone who wants an easier day before tackling Piedras Rojas or the Ruta de los Salares
A route map connects San Pedro de Atacama with Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere across the southern Atacama Desert. The drive combines a wide-open salt flat with a surprisingly green canyon near Toconao.
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Google Maps Stops

Enter these stops in order:

  • Centro Turístico Laguna Chaxa
  • Jere Valley
A Google Maps screenshot lists Centro Turístico Laguna Chaxa and Jere Valley between the starting and ending points in San Pedro de Atacama. Entering the full visitor-center name kept us from being sent toward the wrong part of the salt flat.

Do not just enter “Laguna Chaxa” into Google Maps. Use “Centro Turístico Laguna Chaxa” or you may be sent toward the middle of the salt flats instead of the Visitor Center.

That matters because the Visitor Center has the parking lot, bathrooms, exhibits, and boardwalk trails. It is the place you actually want to go.

We booked our rental SUV through DiscoverCars.com after comparing several companies online, and I’d happily use them again for a trip like this.

Check DiscoverCars.com

Driving Notes for Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere

  • San Pedro de Atacama to Centro Turístico Laguna Chaxa: About 50 minutes
  • Laguna Chaxa to Valle de Jere: About 30 minutes
  • Valle de Jere back to San Pedro de Atacama: About 35 minutes

The drive is easy compared with some of the higher Atacama routes. You’ll head south from San Pedro de Atacama on the paved Ruta 23, then turn right toward Laguna Chaxa on a sandy dirt road called B-355 and then right on B-373. After visiting the lagoon, Valle de Jere makes a nice second stop in the town of Toconao before heading back to San Pedro.

A Chilean Flamingo walks through the Laguna Chaxa looking for food in the water.
Chilean Flamingo

Tickets & Reservations

Buy your tickets online before you go at https://www.ckapintickets.com/lagunayvalle.php.

We bought a combo ticket for Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere, but each location had its own QR code. For two seniors, our total was $20.62 USD.

At Laguna Chaxa, they scanned our QR code tickets on our phones when we arrived. At Valle de Jere, they also scanned the separate QR code for that site.

I would not count on buying tickets easily once you arrive. Some older reviews make it sound like you can buy tickets on site, but the current system is online, and internet access can be very unreliable once you are away from San Pedro.

A small stone visitor center stands alone on the flat desert beneath a deep blue sky. We checked in here with the online QR codes before walking out toward the lagoons.
Visitor Center at Laguna Chaxa
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PLAN YOUR TRIP WITH OUR
FAVORITE TOOLS

– Best Lodging site: Booking.com
– Book Day Tours here: Viator.com
– Rent Cars here: DiscoverCars.com

Our Experience Driving To Laguna Chaxa & Valle de Jere

Laguna Chaxa

We left San Pedro in the morning after buying our tickets online and drove about 50 minutes south to Laguna Chaxa.

This was the place I had been looking forward to because Laguna Chaxa is famous for flamingos. It sits within the Salar de Atacama, a huge salt flat south of San Pedro, and the whole landscape feels flat, bright, crusty, and wide open.

Once we arrived, we parked at the visitor center and checked in with our tickets. The center has interesting displays about the salt flats, flamingos, and the ecosystem, which helped give some context before we headed outside.

The walking paths are easy, and you don’t need to hike far to see the landscape. The ground is covered in jagged white salt formations, with shallow blue lagoons scattered across the flats. It looks harsh and delicate at the same time.

Shallow blue pools wind through rough white salt crust beneath an empty sky. Laguna Chaxa sits within the Salar de Atacama, where the landscape feels bright, brittle, and almost endless.

Mid-morning worked well for us because the light was calm, the water reflected the landscape, and many Piedras Rojas tour groups had already left.

A flamingo bends its long neck into still water while its pink body and black bill reflect below. We watched several flamingos feed close to the boardwalk during our visit.
Andean Flamingo

We saw several dozen flamingos during our visit, including both Andean Flamingos and Chilean Flamingos. The best part for me was seeing the flamingos so close to the boardwalk! We did not see any James’s Flamingos during our visit, although they are sometimes seen at this lower altitude.

There were plenty of smaller birds too, including Andean Avocets, Puna Plovers, and Baird’s Sandpipers. You do not need to be a serious birder to enjoy Laguna Chaxa, but if you like birds, bring binoculars and give yourself time to scan the water. We spent about 90 minutes at Laguna Chaxa.

A flamingo flies low above shallow water with black-and-red wings spread wide behind its pale body. The birds were constantly moving between the lagoons, giving us far more activity than we expected.
A small brown-and-white sandpiper stands alone in the lagoon with its reflection rippling underneath. Taking time to scan the water revealed birds we would have missed by focusing only on the flamingos.

Valle de Jere

After that, we drove to Valle de Jere, just off Ruta 23 in the town of Toconao. Our friends Stephanie and Ron told us about it, and I’m glad they did because it wasn’t on any list of “things to do in the Atacama” that I looked at.

It felt completely different from the salt flats. One minute you are in dry, open desert, and then suddenly you are looking down into a green canyon with trees, a small river, picnic tables, and shade.

Tall green trees and dense shrubs fill a narrow canyon beneath pale red desert cliffs. After the stark salt flats, Valle de Jere felt like an entirely different world.

The tricky part is getting down there.

From the parking area, you first walk down a steep hill to the ranger station, then continue farther downhill to reach the river. I wasn’t feeling great that day, and I was worried about getting back up, so I stayed mostly on the upper trail at first and took bird photos from there.

A narrow stone bridge crosses a shallow stream bordered by thick green plants and tall grasses. The little river and bridges made the oasis feel unexpectedly peaceful.

Bill went down the trail on the left and walked down along the river. I went right and stayed higher for a while before eventually reaching the picnic area, where we reconnected.

Bill waves at me from down below where he was walking along the river bed.

That ended up being the better route for me. If you are worried about the climb, take the trail that goes past the ranger station. It has a more gradual slope down toward the river and picnic area.

The steep climb back up to the parking lot is still rough. I felt dizzy halfway up, even though this is considered a lower-altitude day compared with other Atacama drives.

A steep dusty road climbs between loose rocks and simple stone walls toward the parking area above. The walk back up was the hardest part of Valle de Jere, and I felt dizzy halfway to the top.

The picnic area was nicer than I expected, with several large shaded tables, some grills, and little bridges crossing the river. If you want a quiet place to bring lunch after visiting Laguna Chaxa, Valle de Jere would be a great option. We spent about an hour there.

Large stone picnic tables and benches sit beneath wooden shade structures surrounded by trees. This was a much nicer place for lunch than I expected when we first drove into the canyon.

We saw a few birds there too, including Chiguanco Thrushes, White-winged Cinclodes, Rufous-collared Sparrows, West Peruvian Doves, and Eared Doves.

On the drive back toward San Pedro, we passed llamas, goats, and donkeys along the road.

Kari’s Tips for This Drive

  • Buy your Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere tickets online before leaving San Pedro.
  • Always get gas before leaving San Pedro de Atacama.
  • Download the Google Maps route before leaving Wi-Fi, then take screenshots of the full route and the local turns to save as photos on your device. Cell service is non-existent, and once you leave the main highway, there are very few road signs.
  • Enter “Centro Turístico Laguna Chaxa” into Google Maps, not just “Laguna Chaxa.”
  • One person drives, the other navigates. Even when using Google Maps, it’s easy to miss turns that come up quickly.
  • Bring binoculars if you have them. The flamingos are beautiful, but they may not be right next to the trail.
  • There are bathrooms at both Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere.
  • Bring water, sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat. The salt flats are very exposed.
  • Pack a picnic if you want to enjoy the shaded tables and slower pace at Valle de Jere.
  • Do not underestimate the climb back to the parking lot at Valle de Jere.

Would We Drive to Laguna Chaxa & Valle de Jere Again?

Yes, I would drive to Laguna Chaxa again.

Laguna Chaxa is one of the easiest places to see flamingos near San Pedro de Atacama, and it does not require the long, high-altitude driving that some of the other routes do.

Valle de Jere is not a must-see on its own, but paired with Laguna Chaxa, it adds something completely different to the day. After the stark salt flats, the green canyon, river, and shaded picnic area felt like a nice change of scenery. However, if I only had a few days in the Atacama, I would probably skip Valle de Jere.

When I’d Take a Tour to Laguna Chaxa Instead

I would take a tour if I wanted to combine Laguna Chaxa with Piedras Rojas.

Laguna Chaxa is a common stop on many Piedras Rojas tours, and it makes sense if you do not want to handle a long day of driving, higher elevation, and multiple stops on your own. This is the tour I’d book for that: Full-Day Tour to Piedras Rojas, Altiplanic Lagoons & Chaxa

If your goal is simply Laguna Chaxa and Valle de Jere, I’d drive myself so I could spend as much time as I wanted watching flamingos, taking photos, and enjoying the shade at Valle de Jere. It is an easy self-drive day, and having your own car lets you spend as much time as you want watching flamingos, taking photos, or enjoying the shade at Valle de Jere.

More Atacama Desert Travel Guides

Here are some more guides about visiting the Atacama Desert and Chile. If you’d like to receive emails when I’ve posted new content to the site, please complete the short form above.

Visit the Atacama Desert: A Self-Drive Guide
Atacama Desert Tours: How to Explore It Without Driving
Atacama Desert Map: Explore The Desert, One Road At A Time
Atacama Desert Altitude – How To Keep It From Ruining Your Trip
Atacama Desert Night Sky: How to Experience the Stars
Atacama Desert Animals: What You Can See & Where
Where to Stay in the Atacama Desert: My Top Hotel Picks for Every Budget

Day Trip #1 – West: Valle De La Luna Atacama + Magic Bus + Ckari Sunset
Day Trip #2 – South: Laguna Chaxa Flamingos + Valle de Jere
Day Trip #3 – Northwest: Rainbow Valley Atacama + Petroglifos Yerbas Buenas
Day Trip #4 – North: Machuca Wetlands + Vado Rio Putana
Day Trip #5 – East: Ruta de los Salares

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