Visiting salt flats in Bolivia from Chile
I want to travel from Santiago (Chile) to Lima (Peru). I will not go through Bolivia but I would like to visit the salt flats from the Chilean side. Is this possible? I only want to hop over to the Bolivian salt flats and back. I've heard that the salt flats in Bolivia are really worthwhile so I might want to skip the ones in Chile.
Best Answer
You can go on a tour from San Pedro de Atacama (in Chile) which takes 3/4 days, visits sites in both Chile and Bolivia and will get you back to San Pedro, for about 200USD.
As an alternative, you can get a bus from Calama to Uyuni, which takes 7-9 hours, depending on border formalities, while the bus only runs by day and only on 4 days a week. The ticket is about 20USD. In Uyuni, you still would have to get a tour operator, but then you would be able to see the important Bolivian sites in one day. This will cost about 20USD. Getting back to Calama would take you another 7-9 hours.
There is currently no operating passenger train between Calama and Uyuni.
Pictures about "Visiting salt flats in Bolivia from Chile"
How do you get to the salt flats in Bolivia?
In order to get to the Bolivian salt flats, there are several options. You can take a bus, train, plane, or a combination of all three to Uyuni, the town nearest to the location of El Salar de Uyuni. What is this? Alternatively, you can take a tour from Tupiza, a town located some 200 kilometres south of Uyuni.Are the Bolivia salt flats worth it?
Not to mention, a fantastic culture to get to know more intimately. Of everything this country has to offer, the Uyuni Salt Flats \u2013 or Salar de Uyuni \u2013 is one of Bolivia's most distinctive offerings! Several unique features make the Uyuni Salt Flats well worth the trip.How do you get to Salar de Uyuni from Chile?
The nearest airport is in the city of Uyuni. You will find flights from La Paz or from Santa Cruz to connect the city of Uyuni. Once there, it is easy to organize a 4\xd74 tour with a driver. Another possibility is to arrive at the Salar de Uyuni from Chile, more precisely through the Calama airport.How much does it cost to go to Salar de Uyuni?
A one-day tour can be as cheap as $20 while a multi-day tour can cost anywhere between $90-$500. Simple three-day Salar de Uyuni tours will cost between $100-$150 and that should include transport, meals, and all the sights on the trip (excluding the national park fee + Isla Incahuasi).WORLD'S BIGGEST MIRROR | Uyuni Salt Flats, Bolivia
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Leonardo Rossatti, Mike van Schoonderwalt, Maria Camila CastaƱo, Tom D'Arby