Salar de Aguas Calientes III, Salt flat in Antofagasta Region, Chile

Salar de Aguas Calientes III, also called Salar de Talar, is a playa-type salt flat in the Puna de Atacama, Antofagasta Region. It covers 46 km² of a 476 km² basin at 3,950 m, with shallow lagoons of 2–3 km² whose extent varies. A central narrowing divides the body mapped as Aguas Calientes to the north and Talar to the south.

Luis Risopatrón listed it in his 1924 Diccionario Jeográfico de Chile as Salar de Aguas Calientes at 23°55'S, 67°41'W, with 2,187 hectares, west of the Laguna de Tuyaito; he cited a San Román map of 1892 and an Argentine boundary map of 1900, where it appears as Salina Tala. The name Aguas Calientes recurs for several salt flats of the Chilean altiplano, so Hans Niemeyer distinguished them by latitude, and Chilean IGM and Sernageomin maps label the northern part Aguas Calientes and the southern part Salar de Talar.

The name Aguas Calientes recurs across the Chilean altiplano, so researchers distinguish this body by latitude; Hans Niemeyer used coordinates in the naming. Luis Risopatrón listed it in his 1924 Diccionario Jeográfico de Chile at 23°55' S, 67°41' W, west of the Tuyaito lagoon, citing an 1892 San Román map and an Argentine boundary map of 1900 that called it salina Tala.

Visiting requires careful preparation due to the high elevation above 3900 meters, which can cause fatigue and altitude-related issues. Bring plenty of water and protection against extreme temperature swings between day and night at this altitude.

The name Aguas Calientes is common across the Chilean altiplano, so Hans Niemeyer distinguished the salt flats by their latitude. The body at 23°55'S was listed by Luis Risopatrón in his 1924 Diccionario Jeográfico de Chile as covering 2,187 hectares, west of the Tuyaito lagoon. Chilean maps label its northern part Salar de Aguas Calientes and its southern part Salar de Talar.