The landscape, the flora and fauna is wonderful; but accompanied by a qualified guide, who knows the area and explains the secrets of this place, makes this experience unforgettable. Since the tour is in private service, we have the comfort and flexibility to spend free time in this wonderful place and fully explore it. In addition to enjoying the charming Andean landscape of Salinas at 4300m, we will have a unique experience having lunch in the salt flat surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. Our tour includes private transportation, professional guide, entrance fee, oxygen tank on board, drinks and lunch -picnic in Salinas (traditional, vegetarian and vegan option).
Larger groups pay less per person.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 9.
On the way, we pass through the village of Chiguata, where we will observe pre Inca terraces, which are still worked for many crops as quinoa, alfalfa, corn, potatoes, carrots and broad beans.
Lagoon of Salinas is located in the south side of the National Park Salinas and Aguada Blanca, and we take a dirt road in order to visit it, which is not the road through which goes to Chivay (Colca Canyon) when we go to Colca canyon, we go by the north side on a paved road.
We will walk through Salinas visiting the left side of the lagoon (Salinas Huito) and the right side (Salinas Moche).
Pick up from hotels located in Arequipa at 8:00 am. However as a private tour, the client can decide to modify the departure time after coordinating with the travel agency you decide if you want to start before or after the appointed time.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 359 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Salinas National Reserve PRIVATE TOUR lasts about 8–9 hours. The itinerary has 3 stops.
Prices start at $126 per person for this Arequipa experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
Yes, pickup is offered. Pick up from hotels located in Arequipa at 8:00 am. However as a private tour, the client can decide to modify the departure time after coordinating with the travel agency you decide if you want to start before or after the appointed time. Pickup points include El Portal de San Lazaro, Leon Park Hostal.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 15 travellers can book together.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 85 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Peru Nat Red Tour Operator.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excellent tour with Julio! He is a walking encyclopedia! We learned so much from him during our short time together. We ended up having our picnic in the car because it was cold and windy. It was delicious!
Dear Jerrica, Thank you so much for visiting Salinas with us and share your thoughts. We are happy to know that you liked the tour and the meal!😉 Best wishes.
My wife Laura and me were very happy with every aspect of our trip. We visited all the expected sites and our guide Julio explained to us a lot of interesting details in each stop and along the way. He was also an excellent driver and we had very nice chat with him during the trip.
Dear Claudio, We are happy to know that you liked the Salinas tour, thanks for sharing your opinion about it . Have fun in Cusco. Best wishes!
Most importantly, our guide was great. His english was solid and he gave just the right amount of information about the places we visited. It’s only a mediocre place to go for a full day tour. The dirt road is long, but made better by good conversation about Peruvian history and politics. He put together a lot of things that I heard from other guides in a solid non-biased manner. Definitely enjoyed the conversation. The lake itself is nice but it’s hard to recommend strongly the destination. We did see vicuna and flamingos from a distance. Bring a camera will a telephoto lense if you want photos of the animals.
Dear Neil, Thanks for visiting Salinas with us. We are glad to hear that you were satisfied with the service, although it is a shame that you were not entirely happy with the destination. Best wishes!
Very nice experience with our guide, Julio. A private excursion in a beautiful setting in the Salinas reserve. A delicious picnic lunch prepared by our guide. Alpacas, llamas, viguna, flamingos and other animals, the salt lake in the fabulous setting of volcanoes. Everything was very well appreciated! Many thanks to our guide!
Cher Florin, Nous sommes ravis que l'excursion vous ait plu. Merci beaucoup pour votre visite et vos commentaires. Passez une excellente journée!
Julio (the guide) was super attentive, he is also a very intelligent person and makes the tour very interesting because he tells many fun facts about various topics. The food was delicious and also took pictures of us and stopped when we wanted to take some pictures ourselves. Full recommended will not regret doing the tour with them
Estimada Antonieta, Gracias por visitar Salinas con nosotros y por compartir tu opinión, la cuál valoramos mucho y nos incentiva a seguir realizando nuestra labor con entusiasmo. Fue un placer conocerlas. Bendiciones!
We loved the tour, we saw very nice scenery and Julio told us many interesting things. This tour is worth taking!
Estimada Juliana, Gracias por visitar la Reserva con nosotros y por compartir tu opinión, la cuál valoramos mucho. Que pasen unas felices fiestas de año nuevo. Un abrazo!
This is a must do tour if you’re in the region, we are so happy we were able to share the day & experience the climate, learn about the customs and enjoy a local meal. Absolutely 10/10. FYI take everything your guide says to take, it will be needed
Dear Natassia, Your opinion is very important and helps us move forward, thank you for sharing your thoughts and thanks for visiting Salinas with us! Best wishes!
We had an amazing and unforgettable day. It was beautiful. Our guide, super nice and explained a lot to us. Very few tourists, which suited us very well. A picnic away makes us feel like we're alone in the world. Really great.
Cher Thierry, Gracias por compartir tu opinión, nos motiva y nos alegra mucho saber que les gustó la excursión. Les deseamos lo mejor. Disfruten al máximo su viaje en Perú! Merci beaucoup mes amis.
Julius is a super experienced guide, aware and lover of his Arequipa, excellent off-road driver, he spares no time and availability towards guests.
Estimada Rosa, Nos alegra mucho saber que disfrutaron el tour, muchas gracias por compartir su experiencia. Nuestros mejores deseos para ustedes. Grazie mille per tutto!
Our private tour to the Salinas National Reserve was an absolutely unforgettable experience. From start to finish, everything exceeded our expectations. ✨ Guide: Julio — He was truly exceptional. Julio spoke fluent English and took great care throughout the day. He drove carefully and paced the tour to help us acclimatise to the high altitude (all over 4,000 m!), and even though it was our first time at such elevation, we had no issues whatsoever. He shared fascinating stories, and went off the beaten path, taking us to remote places where we saw no one else — only stunning views and wildlife. ⚡ Special moments — A delicious homemade lunch lakeside, with alpacas and vicuñas grazing nearby — total serenity, total magic. And Julio’s clever perspective photos on the salinas had us all laughing with delight. This tour really stands out as one of the most well‑organised and heartfelt experiences I’ve ever had. Highly, highly recommended!
Dear Nicco, Thanks a lot for visiting Salinas with us and for recommend the tour. We are very excited to know that you liked the tour! Best wishes!
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas National Reserve PRIVATE TOUR | 8–9 hours | 5.0 (85) | $126 | |
 National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca | 10–11 hours | 4.9 (141) | $30 | View |
 4 Hrs GOLDEN SHADOWS TREK in Paracas National Reserve | 4 hours | 4.9 (331) | $34 | View |
 Visit the Paracas National Reserve on a SCOOTER | 1–10 hours | 4.9 (122) | $35 | View |
 Adventure in the Paracas National Reserve in private | 2–3 hours | 5.0 (4) | $30 | View |
 Paracas NationaL Reserve Journey - Scenic Stops at Your own pace | 3–4 hours | 4.7 (40) | $43 | View |
 Salinas Salt Lagoon Private tour - Day Trip from Arequipa | 10 hours | 4.5 (4) | $140 | View |