Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Calama's Aeropuerto El Loa (tel. 55/361956) is served by LANExpress (tel. 600/526-2000; www.lan.com), Sky Airline (tel. 600/600-282), and Aerolíneas del Sur (tel. 800/710-3000). LAN has up to five daily flights from Santiago weekdays and three on weekends; Sky has two daily flights and Aerolíneas del Sur has one Sunday through Friday. A taxi to Calama costs $7.60 (£4). To get to San Pedro de Atacama, Transfer Licancabur (tel. 55/334194) offers transfer services from 7am to 7:30pm for $16 (£8) and, for a minimum of four people, for $20 (£10) after 7:30pm. A taxi will cost about $70 (£35) -- be sure to fix a price before leaving the airport. Note: The airport doesn't have an ATM.

By Bus -- It takes around 21 hours to reach Calama by bus from Santiago, and another hour to get to San Pedro. Buses cost about half the cheapest plane fare, but even a salón cama, with reclining seats, hardly mitigates a torturously long ride. Tur Bus (tel. 600/660-6600) has service to Calama that carries on to San Pedro, leaving from Santiago's Terminal Alameda; Pullman (tel. 600/320-3200; www.pullman.cl) leaves from Terminal San Borja but does not go on to San Pedro, so you'll need to transfer in Calama. Buses to Calama leave about eight times per day. Prices for a salón cama are $66 (£33) one-way on Pullman and $72 (£36) on TurBus to San Pedro.

By Car -- Visitors with little time in Chile won't want to drive to Calama or San Pedro from Santiago (it takes more than 20 hours), but rental cars are available at the Calama airport and in town. If you choose to rent, consider that this is a vast desert and most areas are fairly isolated; roadside service is available from rental agencies, but without any services or phones on most roads, you will have to flag someone down for help -- if someone comes along, that is. If you stay to main routes, you should have no problem, but outside of that, be prepared for the worst, and bring extra water and food and warm clothes in case you must spend the night on the road. A 4X4 is unnecessary unless you plan an expedition along poorly maintained roads.

The airport has rental kiosks for Avis (tel. 600/601-9966 or 55/363325; www.avischile.cl), Budget (tel. 2/362-3200; www.budget.cl), and Hertz (tel. 2/420-5222 or 55/341380; www.hertz.cl). Rates include insurance. Alamo (tel. 2/225-3061; www.alamochile.com) is the cheapest, but you may want to check with a local agency when you arrive at the airport for deals. Tip: Fill the tank in Calama. The sole pump in San Pedro charges at least 30% more.

By Train -- For hardy travelers, one of Latin America's great remaining railway journeys links Calama with Uyuni in Bolivia. It's a rustic, fascinating trip along beautiful salt lakes and smoking volcanoes, but it's also grueling, officially scheduled to take some 23 hours, with frequent delays. Trains leave Calama Wednesdays at 10pm, in theory reaching the border village of Ollagüe at 6:50am. The station is at Balmaceda 1777 (tel. 55/348900).

Bolivian Visas & Emergencies

If you need a visa for Bolivia, the Bolivian consulate is on Pedro León Gallo 1985, a few blocks south of the main square. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 4pm (tel. 55/341976).

The main hospital "Dr. Carlos Cisternas" is on the street of the same name (tel. 55/655700; emergencies, tel. 55/655810).