Calama

Calama is in the region of Antofagasta in northern Chile.

Understand
Calama is just the gateway to San Pedro de Atacama for the most tourists.



By bus
At least two major bus stations exist in Calama:

If you are heading to San Pedro, transferring in Calama is mostly cheaper and faster. But make sure that when arriving you get off in the center near the cheaper bus stations before your bus heads to Terminal de Buses. Otherwise you will have to walk back into town 1½ km to catch the more frequent San Pedro Buses.

Normally, overnight buses arrive from Iquique or Arica in the early morning hours, but the bus company will let you sleep on the bus for a few hours until morning so there is no need to book a hotel or hostel.

By plane


Calama is served by three airlines:
 * JetSmart from Concepción, La Serena, Santiago
 * LATAM from La Serena and Santiago
 * Sky Airline from Concepción and Santiago

Get around
Calama is not large and most of the city centre can be covered on foot. Collectivos (shared taxis) run fixed routes and cost 700 pesos, while buses, named with letters of the alphabet, cost about 300 pesos.

By 4WD
Renting a truck here or in Antofagasta is a great idea if you are 3-5 people and want to explore the region on your own. This will save you a lot of money on expensive tours in San Pedro de Atacama, and rental cars are much cheaper here and even more so in Antofagasta. Due to the rough terrain, it is strongly recommended to get a 4WD or truck.

See




Do

 * There's a small amusement park for children off the main square in town.
 * And you can go to the mall. There's a movie theater, but be warned, all the movies are in Spanish.


 * Explore the region in a 4WD – Head to San Pedro de Atacama, and on the way go see Chiu-Chiu, Lasana, and the geysers de Tatio. For around 40,000 pesos per day, you can rent a truck. Chiu-Chiu is about 35 km northeast of Calama. There are interesting ruins, a lagoon, and some old churches. Lasana is a beautiful canyon winding through the desert. It is green and really different. Then, a several hour drive across the salt flats and through some very rugged roads brings you to the Geysers of Tatio. If you camp on the north side of the geysers, and come down in the morning, you can get in for free (otherwise around 16,000 pesos for a truck and four people). The geysers are at about 4,200 m, and you hit about 4,700 m coming in from the north. So, it is a good idea to get well acclimatised ahead. In May, it is very cold at night, up to -15 °C, be safe. A very cool experience.

Go next

 * San Pedro de Atacama – Just 2 hr away by bus.