Is there a bus running from Uyuni, Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile?
I am planning to travel down from La Paz (Bolivia) to Uyuni (Bolivia) by bus and do a 4 day tour to Salar de Uyuni and return back to Uyuni. At the end of the trip, I would like to catch a bus to San Pedro de Atacama (Chile).
Is that possible to do it, can you catch a bus or you have to do a tour?
I have read somewhere that there is a tour available from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama? What do you guys suggest: (Uyuni to Uyuni) or (Uyuni to San Pedro)?
Best Answer
Very easy. There are tours in both directions - I went from San Pedro to Uyuni, and they go back as well. You join up to a 2 night tour, for example, and then it finishes in San Pedro de Atacama itself - and the town is tiny, so you can walk from one side to the other very simply. I went with Tierra Mystica, and aside from claiming to have an English driver (he spoke only Spanish) they were fine. Be careful about the altitude though, and drink lots of water.
If your tour returns to Uyuni, I don't know - there are ways to bus to San Pedro but it won't be through the fun part - you'd have to go up to La Paz, out to Iquique and back inland to San Pedro (2-3 days?) - it'd be FAR, far simpler to just do a tour that ends in San Pedro de Atacama.
If you'd like to see what happens on the tour, I did blog about it (albeit from San Pedro to Uyuni - so the reverse direction for you) - look for the Salt Flats posts about half way down my trip page.
Pictures about "Is there a bus running from Uyuni, Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile?"
How do I get from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni?
Cruz del Norte operates a bus from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni twice daily. Tickets cost $26 - $40 and the journey takes 11h 30m. Trans Salvador also services this route once a week.How do I get to San Pedro de Atacama?
How to get to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile? Considering the vast distances, the easiest and fastest way is travelling by plane, though San Pedro de Atacama doesn't have an airport. The closest airport is located in Calama, which is around 100 km (1,5-2 hours by bus) from San Pedro and only domestic flights go to Calama.How do I get to the Atacama Desert?
To get to the Atacama Desert, most travelers fly into Santiago and then take the two-hour flight from Santiago to El Loa Airport in Calama. From Calama, the transfer to the hotels near San Pedro is about an hour.How do I get from La Paz to Uyuni?
La Paz to Uyuni To get to Uyuni from La Paz city, take a bus. The trip takes approximately 12 to 15 hours. The suggested bus companies to Uyuni from La Paz are: Trans Titicaca Bolivia Bus with daily departures at 22:00, highly recommended.How to Cross Border from Bolivia to Chile | Ollague Border | Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Leonardo Rossatti, Brett Sayles, Ron Lach