Northern Chile and Bolivia recommendations

[bkoustav]

You just get hooked up with a tour through a hostel or agency. It includes 2 salars and some gorgeous lagoons and non-earthly scenery. Was about $60 usd equivalent when I went in march 2012. Definitely worth it. Also recommend the half day tour to valley of the moon. I don't recommend the geyser day trip, too expensive, freezing cold, altitude sickness, 4 am wake up call. Definitely do the one to the salar and lagoons though. Really awesome

Hi lucha54
Thanks for the useful inputs. Yes I was looking for sharing options.
During your trip last year what was your starting point? Can you also name the hostel or agency through which you made the trips? Thanks in advance.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

In San Pedro de Atacama, Dutch-Chilean Cosmo Andino is very reliable for excursions. Despite what someone above wrote, the Tatio Geysers is the best excursion in the area.

 

[Splitty]

serious question and i dont wanna thread hijack but for people who have been to south bolivia, north chile and argentina, what is the internet like there ?

If you wanted to live in the middle of nowhere for a while, but need a constant though not fast internet connection to work and survive, is it possible ?

Yep they have 4G and an apple store on the Island in the middle of the salt flats.
Best thing about going there is you are disconnected from everyone, amazing how anyone can survive without Facebook.

 

[Rich One]

For San Pedro de Atacama ... hotel Explora a must.

 

[lucha54]

Hi lucha54
Thanks for the useful inputs. Yes I was looking for sharing options.
During your trip last year what was your starting point? Can you also name the hostel or agency through which you made the trips? Thanks in advance.

What do you mean starting point? I did all those tours contracted through the hostel where I was staying in San Pedro de Atacama. (But the whole trip was 2.5 weeks: I flew from BA to Santiago and stayed for a few days with friends and went to Valparaiso... then flew up to Calama, shuttle bus 1 hour to Atacama desert. Then from Atacama I did a return overland trip to Salar de Uyuni Bolivia, then 10-hour daytime bus to Salta and flew back from there after).

I stayed at Hostal La Ruca, which I actually wouldn't recommend. The place was OK but the people that worked there were really bad, esp. a negative incident where the older woman (manager?) DEMANDED that I book all the tours through her (so that she could get the commission of course) as I had mentioned that I had done a lot of research myself to compare the tour agencies. She really pressured me into it and even messed up a booking, putting me with another company after I asked her to go with a specific one (she was going to get the commission either way!) and then lying about the group size etc etc... sorry I can't recommend another hostel but I would just go for the cheapest one as they can be pretty expensive there, and I heard from someone I chatted to briefly that he had found a place much cheaper than La Ruca that he was pretty satisfied with.

For the tours in Atacama Desert I stayed there San Pedro de Atacama and did those 3 tours in the 3 days I was there. I knew some people who loved the geysers tour too, people told me not to miss it, but I guess it's not for everyone. There are hot springs to bathe in, but it's nearing 5º outside so it's not the easiest place to get out of the pool. I got headaches from the altitude. I didn't think it was worth the $$ (the most expensive of the 3 tours) it to wake up at 3AM, bear the freezing cold and have a big altitude headache,... but maybe you will like it like many people who go. I did the Salar de Uyuni tour after and we saw some geysers also and had some hot springs to relax in... ok not as many geysers but a geyser is a geyser is a geyser!!!! Maybe ask some travelers who just went when you get there - perhaps it's warmer and not so miserable in another time of year ( I was there in March).

Any other questions let me know!! I love trip planning

 

[lucha54]

Also for the good tour companies I'd say get a recommendation from other travelers when you get there; I don't think the quality varies that much but the biggest thing is if you are in a group of 5 versus a group of 25...

 

[ajoknoblauch]

For San Pedro de Atacama ... hotel Explora a must.

There are far better hotels than Explora, which is a disgraceful water-waster - four swimming pools - in the world's driest desert.

 

[Rich One]

There are far better hotels than Explora, which is a disgraceful water-waster - four swimming pools - in the world's driest desert.

Well please offer you suggestins, rather than knocking the Explora...!!

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Well please offer you suggestins, rather than knocking the Explora...!!

On the luxury level, try Alto Atacama or Awasi, which fit far better into the village and its surroundings, unlike the sore-thumb Explora. There are also numerous B&Bs, some of them very attractive.

 

[bkoustav]

What do you mean starting point? I did all those tours contracted through the hostel where I was staying in San Pedro de Atacama. (But the whole trip was 2.5 weeks: I flew from BA to Santiago and stayed for a few days with friends and went to Valparaiso... then flew up to Calama, shuttle bus 1 hour to Atacama desert. Then from Atacama I did a return overland trip to Salar de Uyuni Bolivia, then 10-hour daytime bus to Salta and flew back from there after).

I stayed at Hostal La Ruca, which I actually wouldn't recommend. The place was OK but the people that worked there were really bad, esp. a negative incident where the older woman (manager?) DEMANDED that I book all the tours through her (so that she could get the commission of course) as I had mentioned that I had done a lot of research myself to compare the tour agencies. She really pressured me into it and even messed up a booking, putting me with another company after I asked her to go with a specific one (she was going to get the commission either way!) and then lying about the group size etc etc... sorry I can't recommend another hostel but I would just go for the cheapest one as they can be pretty expensive there, and I heard from someone I chatted to briefly that he had found a place much cheaper than La Ruca that he was pretty satisfied with.

For the tours in Atacama Desert I stayed there San Pedro de Atacama and did those 3 tours in the 3 days I was there. I knew some people who loved the geysers tour too, people told me not to miss it, but I guess it's not for everyone. There are hot springs to bathe in, but it's nearing 5º outside so it's not the easiest place to get out of the pool. I got headaches from the altitude. I didn't think it was worth the $$ (the most expensive of the 3 tours) it to wake up at 3AM, bear the freezing cold and have a big altitude headache,... but maybe you will like it like many people who go. I did the Salar de Uyuni tour after and we saw some geysers also and had some hot springs to relax in... ok not as many geysers but a geyser is a geyser is a geyser!!!! Maybe ask some travelers who just went when you get there - perhaps it's warmer and not so miserable in another time of year ( I was there in March).

Any other questions let me know!! I love trip planning

Thanks for the details. And your last line........trip planning is half the fun.

I'm from India and will need visa for both Chile and Bolivia.So I want to restrict my travel to one country Bolivia.
Or should I go for Chile if I have to choose one?

I'm planning to fly to Salta from BsAs and then take bus to Salar de Uyuni Bolivia, spent 3 days in Salar and return by same route. Can you please give more details on Salar - details about Salar Salta journey and trip you did in salar?