The lagoon
Turquoise and salt.
Flávio Amieiro — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Renato Tomaz — CC BY 2.0
A small, very salty lagoon at the edge of the Atacama salt flat, its clear turquoise water set in white salt ground, where people float effortlessly as in the Dead Sea thanks to the salt, the best-known experience on the nearby lagoons tour. Around it the view is vast: the white salt flat runs to the horizon, with Licancabur volcano and the Andes peaks rising beyond. Swimming is allowed only in one marked part of the lagoon to protect nature, and the site has toilets and fresh-water showers, as the salt dries on your skin. Tours usually continue to the Ojos del Salar, two side-by-side fresh-water holes in the desert, then to Laguna Tebinquinche, where visitors watch the sunset over the salt flat. The water is fairly cool, the sun fierce and the wind strong, so bring sunscreen and a towel. Avoid opening your eyes in the salty water.
Turquoise and salt.
Two fresh pools.
Salt-flat sunset.
Salar de Atacama, about 20 km south of San Pedro de Atacama
Yes, in a marked part only; floating is easy thanks to the salt, and there are fresh-water showers afterwards.