The most important factor to consider when trying to traveling from Valparaíso to the Atacama Desert on a budget, is your length of stay.
Depending on how long you plan to stay somewhere can define whether or not the travel time is worth the time spent at your destination.
Length of stay?
If you’re timeline is extremely short, then two full days of travel time may not make the trip seem worth it.
Unless of course, you enjoy sitting back and enjoying the view of life on six wheels.
Below you’ll find 3 different options of how to get to San Pedro de Atacama from Valparaíso, Chile on a budget.
Starting with the longest and least expensive of those options…
Option No. 1 : The Budget Option
Valparaíso, Chile – San Pedro de Atacama
It’s possible to travel all the way to the Atacama Desert from Valparaíso by bus, but not without a couple of transfers, plenty of time and some patience.
Depart: Valparaíso bus terminal
Arrive: Pajaritos bus terminal
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 1hr 15min
Pajaritos – Santiago Airport (SCL)
Depart: Pajaritos
TIP:(This bus is found on the outside of the station in the back.)
Arrive: SCL
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 35-45min
SCL – Calama
Depart: Santiago Terminal San Borja
Arrive: Calama
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 22h 5min
Calama – San Pedro de Atacama
Depart: Calama
Arrive: San Pedro de Atacama
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 2hrs
If you don’t have a full day to spend traveling, but you’re still looking for a budget option, try this:
Option No. 2: The Relaxed Option
***Follow Option No. 1 to get from Valparaíso to Santiago.***
Santiago, Chile (SCL) – Iquique, Chile (IQQ)
Depart: Santiago, Chile (SCL)
Arrive: Iquique, Chile (IQQ)
Transportation type: plane
Duration: 2hrs 20mins
IQQ-Calama
Depart: IQQ
Arrive: Iqueque bus terminal
Transportation type: taxi
If you have time, I suggest taking a taxi to the Plaza de Iquique. Grab a bite to eat, walk around the plaza to stretch your legs before your bus ride. It’s going to be a long one.
(From the plaza to the bus terminal, it’s only a 15min walk.)
Taxis are usually pretty readily available and it won’t cost much to go from the airport to the Turbus terminal.
Duration: 5 mins
Iqueque bus terminal – Calama
Depart: Iqueque bus terminal
Arrive: Calama
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 7 hours
TIP: You’ll want to purchase bus seat in advance. Check prices and schedules here.
Calama – San Pedro
Depart: Calama bus terminal
Arrive: San Pedro de Atamaca
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 2hrs
Now, I know these long hours and multiple transfers aren’t for everyone, so if you have money to spare and it’s worth spending a little extra in order to get to the Atacama Desert a little faster, check out Option No. 3
Option No. 3: The most traveled, most direct, and most expensive option
***Follow Option No. 1 to get from Valparaíso to Santiago.***
SCL-CJC
Depart: SCL
Arrive: El Loa Calama Airport (CJC)
Transportation type: plane
Duration: 2hrs 10mins
CJC – San Pedro
Depart: CJC
Arrive: San Pedro de Atacama
Transportation type: bus
Duration: 1hr 14mins
NOTE: I always like to use Turbus in Chile. I find this particular line of busses to run more frequently at a relatively cheaper cost than some of the others.
For more tips on San Pedro de Atacama check out my post : Make the Most of San Pedro de Atacama
