The Atacama Desert, Chile

Travel instructions: Atacama

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Useful information:

Almost all known airlines fly to Chile: LaTam, Lufthansa, British Airways, and many more (very good: Lan Chile and Air France). Many of them arrive in Santiago de Chile; others require a change-over at Sao Paolo. To Copiapó you can get by airplane (LaTam, and others) or by bus. The bus takes about 12 hours. There are salon Cama (excellent), Semi Cama and "Ejecutivo." Salon Cama and Semi Cama are very comfortable; there are drinks and something to eat. They usually drive at night, and the following day they arrive in Copiapó. The day trip in ordinary buses is a bit more strenuous, but you go through beautiful landscapes, slowly losing their green. The entire stretch from Santiago to Copiapó is a four-lane (motorway) developed.

Bus companies:
Libac (without TV, Salon Cama, Terminal del Norte Stgo.), Pullman, TurBus, and many others, some of them have "Premio Cama" on offer. Here you can sleep in bed. There are 6 of these beds on the lower floor, but it is correspondingly expensive (about 50.000 pesos).


By plane you can reach Copiapó comfortably in 1 1/2 hours and have an exciting flight along the cordillera.
From Santiago, you should book a window seat on the right side of the plane.

Car rental:
Car rental is common and widespread. You can do this in Santiago or Copiapó. There are various providers (Hertz, Europcar, etc.), you can also rent jeeps and pickups (= camionetas). We recommend the use of a four-wheel vehicle for mountain tours. You have to get used to the dimensions and driving characteristics.
Unfortunately, the driving style is not the same as in the 80s here in Chile - during this time, only a defensive driving style was tolerated and practiced. Unfortunately, a "European style" can now be found. But beware: there are a lot of traffic controls, as the penalties here should often be painful:
● Always light on (day and night)
● Do not exceed maximum speed (not 1 km/hour) normal is a general maximum speed of 100 km/h.
● Always have your driver's license and car papers with you (ALWAYS!!!!)
● Only overtake if allowed and possible
● There are few petrol stations, there are easily 200 kilometers without a petrol station possible, even on the Pan-American highway.
● Into the mountains, always drive with full tank and spare tank.
● There are many well-developed but little trafficked roads: Be careful, there are always stones etc. on the road.
● Never drive over boards or wood: Has nails.
● Never try to give the policemen money - this is not usual in Chile, will be severely punished.
● The traffic rules are almost the same as in continental Europe; there are hardly any noticeable differences.


Overnight stay:
In Copiapó Vallenar, Caldera, Bahía Inglesa, Huasco, El Salvador, Diego de Almagro and Chañaral there is a good choice of accommodation. In the larger cities, you can choose between all price and performance classes. It would be best if you spent for the cheapest category, approximately 20,000 pesos (US$12 per person (single room/night). For the more expensive (and better) hotels, you must calculate between 35,000 and 120,000 pesos (single room/person/night). Double rooms are much cheaper for one person. Generally, a hotel in the price range of 35,000 pesos offers a good standard.

Prices:
The following price list is only a guide for orientation. Prices may vary according to the season. The factor carried out the conversion into euros: 740 Chilean pesos correspond to about 1 euro.