From Calama to Uyuni on a FRIDAY???
Replies: 4 - Last Post: Jan 20, 2013 3:09 AM Last Post By: lwmimi
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From Calama to Uyuni on a FRIDAY???
Hey guys, I've been searching for this info for weeks and still don't have a clue.We're a group of 3 girls on our trip from Chile to Bolivia to Peru on a tight schedule.
We'll be flying into Santiago on the 13 Feb 2013 night, and will take the bus from Santiago to Calama / San Pedro de Atacama on 14 Feb morning. i.e., will arrive at either calama / atacama by noon 15 Feb, which is a FRIDAY.
We wanted to arrive at Uyuni the same day (15 Feb), stay one night and start the salt flat tour on 16 Feb. However, I could only find buses and trains from Calama to Uyuni on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday!
We've pretty much pre-booked everything so we can't wait till Sunday. Has anyone ever tried to get from Calama / San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni on a miserable Friday???
In the worst scenario, is there any car rental that allow us to rent in Chile and return in Uyuni??
Please help, thanks a lot!! >.<
1
HelloDid I get that right , you want to travel from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni in half a Day?
If so, go on Google Earth and have a close look at the area.
That's about 500km dirt/sand tracks.
The 4x4 Jeeptours take 2-5 Days, you can book also one way trips including the Salar.
when it's raining it might be very hard if not impossible to travel in this area.
I think 'till San Pedro you can rush through with this plan but you will not be in Uyuni on the 16th.
Bolivia is a different world, but in the rain season there is no planing possible.
If you can still change bookings do it.
If you dont have time to visit Santiago then fly directly to La Paz and take a bus to Uyuni.
That's only 200km dirt/sand road the rest is paved.
About the car rental, you must rent a 4x4 an have experience in offroad driving in remote areas.
good luck
sushi
2
Thanks sushi for the info. I do admit that we have underestimated the flexibility needed in South America travelling...I know there are frequent delays but had not expected that the bus to the border doesn't run every day... (sorry my fault)coz when I search online I see the bus from north chile to uyuni takes about 15 hours. So I hoped to arrive by midnight (i.e. the end of 15 Feb?) We can cut short the Uyuni tour to 3d2n to save a day though. We have to be at Uyuni on 16 Feb the latest...
Any bit of information would help, thanks so much!!
3
Sushi had it right: flying is your only real option. It's not just the need for flexibility you've neglected (although you might read the thread above about the current flooding and consider whether the routes between Chile and Uyuni are even possible), it's the raw distances involved plus a few inconvenient facts (e.g., the bus from Chile to Uyuni takes the road from Calama, not the desert tracks out of San Pedro de Atacama.You won't miss much by flying: at that rate of speed, you're not really going to see anything interesting anyway. That means what you've got planned will be uncomfortable, unsatisfying, largely boring, and won't succeed in getting you to Uyuni on time regardless.
Hope this is helpful. Really.
Mark
4
oh dear... seems the plan has been a total disaster... gotta reorgainse things from the beginning... sigh. but really thanks for reminding me so i don't get myself stuck during the trip...but we just can't fly into bolivia due to visa problems. we can only do it over land. putting the flood problem aside (gotta hope for the bes right?), what are the options to go from calama / san pedro to uyuni? are there other buses available on a friday?
thanks!!!
