Salinas Lagoon 4WD Tour from Arequipa, Group of 6
From €30 per person
See availability →A Salinas Lagoon 4WD tour from Arequipa for a group of 6: volcano viewpoints, a queñua forest, vicuñas and flamingos, and the lagoon's salt and water mirrors.
This Salinas Lagoon 4WD tour from Arequipa climbs out of the city in a tourist vehicle with a group of 6 people, and the volcanoes come to you one stop at a time. The first pause is the Chiguata viewpoint, with pre-Inca terraces below and Misti, Chachani and Pichu Pichu in front of you. The Ubinas volcano, in Moquegua, also shows on the skyline.
The road keeps rising to the Queñua Forest at 3,800 metres above sea level, a stand of trees that grows at high altitude, and to Cerro El Simbral, which looks back over Arequipa. At the lagoon, a short walk brings you close to the white salt and its mirrors of water, and a viewpoint gives you a good spot for photos. The route also passes a place with hot springs and the area where llamas, alpacas, vicuñas and guanacos graze. With luck you also spot foxes and flamingos, and the high-altitude queñoa and yareta plants.
- Chiguata viewpoint, over terraces and three volcanoes
- Queñua Forest, at 3,800 metres above sea level
- Salinas Lagoon, within the Salinas y Aguada Blanca National Reserve
Walking on the salt is possible only between May and mid-December. During the rainy months, mid-December through April, what remains is the lagoon with its mirror of water. The tour lasts about 7 hours, with hotel pick-up and a live guide who speaks English and Spanish. Breakfast and the entry tickets are paid separately, and the tour is not suitable for people with altitude sickness.