Francisca
Marketing · Vivencias Travel
The swim moved to a different lagoon and almost no site updated it. Where you get in the water now, which of the three you sink in, and why leaving without rinsing off the salt ruins the afternoon.
This is the trip behind the photos of people floating on their backs, arms out, in the middle of the desert. The photo is real. What changed, and almost no blog has updated, is where it is taken.
The change nobody mentions
Laguna Cejar itself no longer allows swimming. Today it is a viewpoint only: you arrive, look, photograph and move on. The floating happens at Laguna Piedra, in the same complex, a few minutes' walk away, with the same salt-saturated water and exactly the same sensation.
The trip is just as good, but anyone arriving expecting to get into Cejar gets an unpleasant surprise. Better to know first.
The three lagoons and what you do at each
The standard trip strings together three stops, and they are not interchangeable:
- Laguna Cejar: viewpoint only. Deep intense blue against the white salt crust.
- Ojos del Salar: two almost perfectly round pools in the middle of nowhere. Swimming is allowed in only one of the two. They are deep, and the water is fresh and freezing.
- Laguna Tebinquiche: where the trip closes, at sunset. And here is the most important warning: Tebinquiche does NOT have enough salt to float in. If you cannot swim, you sink. It is beautiful to see and photograph with its mirror surface, not somewhere to jump into casually.
Where you float, and why it works
The water at Laguna Piedra reaches a salt concentration of around 40%, higher than the Dead Sea. It is not that you float better: you cannot sink even if you try. The sensation is strange for the first few seconds and then you want to stay.
Two things that concentration implies:
- Do not open your eyes underwater. It genuinely stings.
- Any small cut will hurt. If you nicked yourself shaving that morning, you will remember it.
Rinsing off is not optional
When you get out, the salt dries on your skin within minutes and leaves a white crust that itches and tightens. There are fresh-water showers on site, and some operators charge separately for them. Rinsing is not a luxury, it is what separates a good afternoon from an uncomfortable one, because you still have two stops and a sunset ahead of you.
Bring your own towel and, if you can, an extra bottle of fresh water.
Timing and length
The trip leaves in the afternoon, generally between 3pm and 3:30pm, and finishes after sunset at Tebinquiche, around 8pm. It runs four and a half to five hours in total.
It leaves in the afternoon for a reason: that is when the sun is low, the light turns golden on the salt and the water temperature is bearable. In the morning the water is freezing and the light flattens the landscape.
Altitude: the good news
This is one of the lowest trips in the Atacama, around 2,300 metres, practically the same altitude as San Pedro. That is why it is usually first on the list for anyone who has just arrived and is still acclimatising: no effort, no climbing.
If you are ordering your days, the Atacama guide on when to go and what to do lays out the full itinerary, and the Atacama with children covers which trips work with little ones.
Frequently asked questions
Can you still float in Laguna Cejar?
Not in Cejar itself: today it is a viewpoint only. The floating happens at Laguna Piedra, in the same complex, a few minutes' walk away, with the same salt-saturated water and the same sensation. The trip is unchanged, only the lagoon you enter is different.
Can you float in Laguna Tebinquiche?
No. Tebinquiche does not have enough salt concentration to float, so anyone who cannot swim will sink. It is the sunset stop, lovely to see and photograph with its mirror surface, but it is not where you float.
Do you have to rinse off after swimming?
Yes. The water is around 40% salt and, once you are out, it dries on your skin within minutes into a crust that itches and tightens. There are fresh-water showers on site, sometimes charged separately. Bring your own towel and, if you can, an extra bottle of water.
What time does the trip leave and how long is it?
It leaves in the afternoon, generally between 3pm and 3:30pm, and finishes after sunset at Tebinquiche, around 8pm. It runs four and a half to five hours. Afternoon departure is deliberate: that is when the light turns golden on the salt and the water is less freezing.
