We're due to visit the Calama and San Pedro de Atacama area of Chile next week and there are reports on the UK FCO travel advice website that flooding has severely impacted travel and tours in the area. Is anyone there right now that could give us an update on the situation please? We were hoping to go up to the altiplano lakes and El Tatio as well as visit Chuquicamata.
1
femby
Posted on another forum on the 27th: > Just got back from down town and the tour operator said that the rain was the heaviest since 3 years ago and 10 years before that. Apparently Rainbow Valley is open but Laguna Cejar is closed. Lagunas Altiplanos is closed and ?? De Tara is closed.
The roads around SP have suffered damage from the rain. Whether those tours are going to be available next week is impossible to say. If you are going to visit Chuqui from Calama maybe do that first to give more time for repairs. Are you flying? There were problems going north by road a couple of days ago but those are probably resolved now. LAN had a thing on their website about changing dates etc for flights north without penalty, but that was on the 25th so I don't know if they still offer it. Sorry, can't find an English version.
Flights
2
ju69
Thanks Femby, I've just heard via Twitter that everything's likely to be open by Easter weekend in San Pedro so I think we'll go ahead with our plans but keep an eye out for any further storms.
3
femby
That's good. They get a big crowd at Easter and they like to keep everyone happy! The damage wasn't as bad there as places a bit further south.
Make sure you have lodging booked.
4
bunchino
Unrelated, but since you'll be there at the same time, wondering whether you'll be interested in sharing the day excursion to White, Green and Red lagoon( Colorada) in Bolivia.
Most tours to Bolivia from San Pedro include visits to these places , then staying overnight at Uyani, minimum 3-4 days. I can spare only a full day excursion & want to sleep everyday in San Pedro( prepaid hotel),
i found 2 agencies who offer a day excursion, but only in a private tour. I'm a single, Asian-American, female from NYC. Do you think you/your travel companion might be interested in sharing the tour?
Corque tour has for $500, one other ( can't remember the name now- have to go through my emails) offers for $680 . I want to do it on 8 or 9 th. Thanks.
6
thompkinz
Hello there, I'll be in Atacama the 9-15th and I was just curious if there were any updates on the conditions in the area or on the way to tucuman/Salta because that's where I'll be headed afterwards. Also, if anyone knows of any relief organization needing volunteers during that time, please let me know. Thanks!!
7
femby
It depends where you will be. San Pedro de Atacama is in the Atacama desert but actually in the Region of Antofagasta. There does not appear to be any need of volunteers in that region as the only damage was to roads. In the Region of Atacama, further south, there was a lot of damage to everything(Chañaral, Copiapó, Diego de Almagro, Huasco etc) and someone would certainly find something for you to do if you were anywhere near those places.
As far as the pass toward Salta, it closed then opened, but any update now won't give you the information you need for when you are there. Buses go 3X a week, so check out the situation and buses as soon as you get to SPA.
8
thompkinz
We'll be taking a bus from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama. That's where we'll be staying for the 5 days. You're saying everything should be okay in that area? Any idea of the current weather there? Thanks again for your help!
9
femby
In the Calama and San Pedro area the only real damage was to dirt roads. I'm not there, so I don't know if all the roads which are used on tours are alright but this is a major tourist weekend in Chile and they certainly will have gone flat out to clear them all.
Sunny and hot all this week. Click on Antofagasta to bring up weather in the area.
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