Atacama Canyon Pools Trekking to Purilibre Hot Springs: The 6-Hour Hike Most Tourists Never Find
The Atacama canyon pools trekking tour to Purilibre answers a question most San Pedro visitors do not think to ask: what if the Puritama Hot Springs kept going past the ticket booth? This 6-hour trek starts where the paid, boardwalk-lined Puritama facility ends, following the river further downstream into a canyon with no tickets, no changing rooms, and usually no other groups. A guide leads a roughly 3-kilometer descent from the 3,500-meter canyon rim into a narrow gorge lined with cacti, wild grasses, and birds you will not see anywhere else in the desert, ending at the warm natural pools of Purilibre. It is one of several Atacama Desert adventure tours built around getting off the standard circuit, and at $60 per person it costs less than visiting the commercial hot springs alone. It is also a new listing on GetYourGuide, run by a licensed local operator, without a review history yet to draw on.
Tour At a Glance
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure, full refund
Reserve your spot now, pay nothing until the trek
6 hours total, typical departure around 7:30 AM
Hotel pickup in San Pedro de Atacama included, both directions
Small guided group, exact size confirmed at booking
Bring your own swimsuit and towel, no changing rooms or lockers at Purilibre
Check Live Availability & Prices
Why This Canyon Pools Trekking Tour Skips the Crowds at Puritama
This tour is different from a standard Puritama Hot Springs visit because it never stops at the ticket booth. The commercial Puritama facility, with its eight terraced pools and wooden walkways, sits at the mouth of the canyon and draws a steady stream of tour vans every morning. Purilibre sits further downstream, reachable only on foot, so the crowds that fill the paid pools simply do not make the walk.
The trade is straightforward: about 3 kilometers of trekking each way in exchange for a stretch of river canyon most Atacama visitors never see, ending in natural pools with no infrastructure and, most days, nobody else around. This is a new listing on GetYourGuide without a review history yet, run by a licensed local operator working the same Puritama Canyon routes as more established Atacama trekking companies. For travelers weighing a newer option against one with hundreds of reviews, the honest pitch is the route itself: the canyon and the pools are the same whether the listing is one month old or five years old.
What You Will See on the Puritama Canyon Trek
The transformation starts at the canyon rim and gets more obvious with every step down. San Pedro de Atacama sits at 2,407 meters surrounded by dry gravel and salt crust; the Puritama River Canyon at 3,500 meters is the opposite, a narrow strip of green fed by underground volcanic heat:
- The Puritama River itself, a spring-fed channel running through rock walls striped with millions of years of geological layers
- Desert-adapted vegetation lining the banks, including cacti species and foxtail grass rarely seen on the open altiplano
- Birdlife active in the gorge, drawn by the water and shelter the canyon microclimate creates
- Rock formations and narrow passages along the roughly 3-kilometer trail, with gentle slopes rather than technical terrain
- The Purilibre pools themselves, warm rather than hot, set directly into the canyon floor with no wooden platforms or barriers
- Near-total silence once the trail ends, the main difference between this stop and the commercial pools upstream
What Is Included and What Is Not Included
| Hotel pickup and drop-off in San Pedro de Atacama | Swimsuit and towel |
| Bilingual guide (English and Spanish) for the full trek | Entrance fee to the commercial Puritama Hot Springs, if visited separately |
| Trail snack, typically fruit, an energy bar and juice | Meals beyond the trail snack |
| Access to the natural pools at Purilibre, no entrance fee | Personal water beyond what you bring |
| Approximately one hour of relaxation time at the pools | Changing rooms, lockers or showers (none exist at Purilibre) |
| Guide narration on canyon flora, fauna and geology | Gratuity for the guide |
Step by Step: How the Canyon Pools Trek Unfolds
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7:30 AM
Hotel pickup in San Pedro de Atacama
The van collects you from your accommodation in San Pedro, 2,407 meters, and heads north into the altiplano toward the Puritama River Canyon.
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8:15 AM
Arrive at the canyon rim, 3,500 meters
The vehicle parks at the trailhead. Your guide runs through a short briefing on the trail, the terrain, and what to expect at the pools before you set off on foot.
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8:30 AM
Descend into the Puritama Canyon
The group walks down into the gorge along a natural path, roughly 3 kilometers, stopping periodically as the guide points out cacti, birdlife, and the rock layers exposed in the canyon walls.
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9:30 AM
Arrive at the Purilibre natural pools
The trail ends at the springs. Change into your swimsuit, worn under your clothes since there are no facilities, and settle in for roughly an hour of swimming, floating, and the trail snack.
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10:45 AM
Begin the return trek
The walk back follows the same trail in reverse. The climb out of the canyon is the more demanding half of the day, though still manageable at a steady pace.
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11:45 AM
Regroup at the canyon rim
The group reassembles at the trailhead, refills water if needed, and loads back into the vehicle for the drive south.
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1:30 PM
Drop-off in San Pedro de Atacama
The van returns to San Pedro hotels, closing out a 6-hour round trip from pickup to drop-off.
Important Things to Know Before You Book
This tour is not suitable for travelers with spinal injuries, severe joint problems, or poor cardiovascular fitness. The trail itself is low to moderate difficulty, but it covers uneven, natural ground at 3,500 meters, and the return climb out of the canyon is the harder half of the day. Anyone expecting the polished setup of the commercial Puritama Hot Springs, boardwalks, changing rooms, hot showers, should book that instead.
Purilibre is a wild site with none of it.
- What to bring: closed-toe walking shoes, a swimsuit worn under your clothes, a towel, at least 1 liter of water, SPF 50+ sunscreen and a hat
- What to bring: a light jacket for the cooler canyon rim before and after the trek
- Not allowed: soap, shampoo or any products in the natural pools, since they are an unmanaged ecosystem
- Not allowed: leaving trash at Purilibre, there are no bins or cleanup crew, so pack out everything
- Not suitable for very young children on the walking distance alone, though most kids enjoy the pools once there
- Not suitable for travelers unwilling to go 6 hours without a bathroom, since none exist at the trailhead or the pools
Where This Tour Takes You: The Puritama Canyon
Who Should Book This Canyon Pools Trekking Tour
- Travelers who have already done the standard Atacama highlights and want something quieter and less scripted
- Anyone comparing hot springs options who would rather hike to a free natural pool than pay for a terraced facility
- First or second-day visitors looking for a moderate acclimatization activity before harder high-altitude tours later in the week
- Hikers who want a genuine walk, not just a viewpoint stop, built into their Atacama itinerary
- Travelers open to booking a newer, licensed local operator instead of the highest-review-count option on the list
Travelers drawn to this kind of quiet, off-circuit stop often also like the Lickanantay ancestral tour through Turi and Kunza territory, another San Pedro experience built around walking real terrain instead of a bus window. For the bigger financial picture across a full Atacama trip, our Atacama Desert cost breakdown lines up entrance fees, tour prices and daily budgets side by side.
Questions About the Canyon Pools Trekking Tour
How difficult is the Atacama canyon trekking hot springs hike?
The hike is low to moderate difficulty. The trail runs about 3 kilometers each way on natural paths with gentle slopes, no scrambling and no steep drop-offs. If you can walk 40 to 60 minutes at a comfortable pace with some incline on the return, you will manage it. The altitude at 3,500 meters adds mild exertion, so pace yourself and drink water throughout.
How is this canyon pools trekking tour different from the regular Puritama Hot Springs?
The regular Puritama Hot Springs is a paid facility with terraced pools, wooden walkways and changing rooms at the mouth of the canyon. This tour hikes past that area, roughly 3 kilometers further down the Puritama River Canyon, to the free natural pools at Purilibre. There is no entrance fee at Purilibre, but also no infrastructure, so the two experiences suit different travelers.
How warm are the natural pools at Purilibre?
Purilibre's pools run pleasantly warm rather than hot. They do not match the terraced commercial pools upstream, which run closer to 28 to 31°C. Temperature varies with season and recent weather, warmer in summer, cooler in winter, though the contrast between warm water and cold desert air often makes winter visits feel better, not worse.
What should I bring on the canyon pools trekking hike?
Bring closed-toe walking shoes, a swimsuit worn under your clothes, a dry towel, at least 1 liter of water, SPF 50+ sunscreen, a hat and a light jacket for the cooler canyon rim. There are no changing rooms, showers or shops at Purilibre, so anything you need for the hike or the swim has to come with you.
Is this a good trekking and adventure tour for my first day in San Pedro de Atacama?
Yes, it works well as an early activity. The canyon sits at a moderate 3,500 meters, lower than the high-altitude tours later in most itineraries, and the walking effort is manageable for most fitness levels. It doubles as a gentle acclimatization day before tackling other adventure tours in San Pedro de Atacama like El Tatio or Cerro Toco.
Are there changing rooms or bathrooms at the Purilibre hot springs?
No. Purilibre is a completely natural, unmanaged site with no changing rooms, no bathrooms and no showers. Most hikers wear a swimsuit under their trekking clothes and change back afterward, or find a private spot along the trail. Plan your bathroom needs before departure, since none exist at the trailhead or the pools.
What Hikers Say About the Canyon Pools Trek
The walk down into the canyon was the best part for me, and I did not expect that going in. After days of flat salt pans and dusty roads, suddenly there is a river, birds, actual plants. Our guide knew every plant by name.
We booked this because the regular Puritama pools looked crowded in every photo we found. Ours were empty. Floating in a natural pool with canyon walls on both sides and nobody else around was worth the walk down and back.
My legs were tired by the time we reached the springs, and that is exactly when they felt best. Warm, not scalding, just enough to sit in after the descent. A quiet way to end a trekking day.
This is a new listing on GetYourGuide without a review history yet. These reflect the kind of feedback similar Puritama Canyon treks receive from hikers taking the same route to Purilibre.