Hi everyone, sorry this is a bit of a mish mash but I wasnt sure where else to put it.
My girlfriend and I are currently in Mendoza and were considering spending a bit of time in Chile. We were thinking of going over to Santiago, then on to San Pedro. However, we also want to see Salta and areas in Arg NW before crossing over into Tupiza in Bolivia. There doesnt seem to be any links between San Pedro and
Argentina without going back to Santiago (we dont have enough time to double back on ourselves).
I Guess what Im asking is:
1. Are there any ways to travel between San Pedro in Chile and perhaps Salta without going via Santiago
2. Would San Pedro be worth going out of our way for?
3. Is it possible to do tours of the Atacama desert from Bolivia?
Any ideas would be very welcome, and any hints or tips about this area would be great
Happy travelling!
Gav
There are two bus companies from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama.
Geminis bus company.
Phone number: 0387-4317778
Pullman bus company:
Phone number: 0387-4221366.
They run three times a week.
This one-way trip takes 11 hours. It costs $140.00 / US$46.00 including lunch at a restaurant.
Buses get booked up in advance.
Both companies run on the following days:
Salta-Atacama: Tuesdays - Thursdays - Sundays.
Atacama-Salta: Tuesdays - Fridays - Sundays.
Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.
I think it would be best to stay in northwest Argentina. The scenery is spectacular and the prices are much cheaper than in Chile. It will also be easier for you to make a connection into Bolivia. I would just take my time and work my way north from Mendoza through Argentina.
I know that there is a bus leaving from San Pedro directly to Salta, on every Tuesday and Sunday (maybe Thursday as well, I am not sure.) But these will usually get booked up in advance, at least in my experience. Personally I would say San Pedro is not worth going out of way for, but people differ on this. I found it very expensive and nondescript. There isnt much to do within the town itself. I think Mendoza-Santiago-San Pedro-(Bolivia)-Salta works pretty well, as long as you arrange it in advance. I did Mendoza-Salta-Bolivia-San Pedro-Santiago-Mendoza-Buenos Aires, because I couldnt get a seat on that bus from San Pedro back to Salta unless I was prepared to wait for four more days until the next bus...
Could you do this the other way round, maybe? Go to Tupiza from Salta and then take one of the Salar tours from there over to San Pedro? You could then get to La Paz via Arica (about 12hrs + 8 hrs on the bus) or on the train or bus to Uyuni via Ollague. I guess it depends how badly you want to go to Santiago, which is pleasant enough but not so special, in my opinion. As others have said, you should book the bus from San Pedro to Salta in advance. As far as I know, that can only be done in San Pedro. I tried to book one at the Geminis (?) office in Arica last year but they said it couldn't be done.
As for San Pedro, I've been a couple of times and I think it's pretty cool. It's very touristy, to the extent that most of the centre seems to be hotels, restaurants and activity places, but the atmosphere's still very nice and laid back, the desert and mountains are utterly spectacular, and there's plenty of easily-arranged things to do. So if you want to hang out with other tourists and be taken to see amazing scenery then it can be a lot of fun, but if you're after an off-the-beaten track independent adventure then there are better places elsewhere in Chile and the neighbouring countries.
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