Tourist Attractions
Town of San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, Potosi
San Pedro de Atacama
Set in an oasis inside the San Pedro de Atacama desert at 2440 m.a.s.l. and 1.670 kilometers away from Santiago de Chile, San Pedro de Atacama town is a very crowded village. It is full of tourists due its proximity to the Hito Cajones/Abaroa border crossing, gateway to the biggest salt flat in the world: the Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia. San Pedro de Atacama town is also close to the Paso Jama border crossing with Argentina.
The town of San Pedro the Atacama is small, with no buildings over two floors, no paved roads and offers varied tourist services. The town is surrounded by mountains and feature an eternal blue sky.
From San Pedro de Atacama it is possible to hire services to take you to unique places to see pink flamingos in the salt flat basin, experience geysers in the geothermal fields and enjoy the spectacle that the unique Bolivian highlands have to offer.
San Pedro de Atacama Tourist Atractions
4 to 5 days are required to really get to know the main tourist attractions in and around San Pedro de Atacama, due to the long distances between each point of interest. The most visited tourist attractions of the area are:
- San Pedro de Atacama town
- Moon Valley
- Toconao and Atacama Salt Flat
- Del Tatio Gayser
- Puritama Hotsprings
- Pukara de Quitor
- Dead Valley
- High Plateau Lagoons
- Tulor Ruins
- Sand dunes
San Pedro de Atacama Festivals
In San Pedro de Atacama the main festivals take place in June. The festivals include typical dances, masses in the street, pilgrimages and a little parade along the main street of San Pedro de Atacama.
June 28: Saint Peter and Saint Paul, anniversary of the patron saint of San Pedro de Atacama.
By Air
Travel by air is the fastest way to reach Calama, the closest city to San Pedro de Atacama with an Airport. Once in Calama de travelers must take a bus, hire a taxi or book a private transfer. The distance between Calama and San Pedro de Atacama is approximately 98 kilometers.
Sky Airlines offers daily direct flights to Calama city from Santiago de Chile and from Santiago to Calama according to the following flight timetables:
Direct Flights Santiago de Chile - Calama
The flight from Santiago de Chile to Calama takes 2 approximately hours and departs daily from Comodoro Arturo Merino International Airport in Santiago de Chile and arrives to El Loa Airport in Calama.
MondayOrigin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
07:00 |
09:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
08:00 |
10:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
13:00 |
15:00 |
02:00 |
Tuesday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
07:00 |
09:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
08:00 |
10:00 |
02:00 |
Wednesday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
07:00 |
09:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
14:35 |
16:35 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
15:45 |
17:45 |
02:00 |
Thursday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
07:00 |
09:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
16:05 |
18:05 |
02:00 |
Friday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
07:00 |
09:00 |
02:00 |
Santiago (SCL) |
Calama (CJC) |
16:15 |
18:15 |
02:00 |
Direct flight Calama - Santiago de Chile
The daily direct flight from Calama to Santiago takes approximately two hours. The flight departs from El Loa Airport in Calama city and arrives to Comodoro Arturo Merino International Airport in Santiago de Chile.
MondayOrigin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
09:25 |
11:25 |
02:00 |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
15:25 |
17:25 |
02:00 |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
12:30 |
13:10 |
02:00 |
Tuesday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
09:25 |
11:25 |
02:00 |
Wednesday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
09:25 |
11:25 |
02:00 |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
18:15 |
20:15 |
02:00 |
Thursday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
18:30 |
20:30 |
02:00 |
Friday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
17:45 |
19:45 |
02:00 |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
19:15 |
21:15 |
02:00 |
Saturday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
11:20 |
13:20 |
02:00 |
Sunday
Origin | Destination |
Departure |
Arrival |
Flying Time |
Calama (CJC) |
Santiago (SCL) |
22:20 |
00:20 |
02:00 |
By Bus
To get to San Pedro de Atacama by land you can take a high level bus service from Santiago de Chile. The trip will take approximately 20 hours on a paved road which is in an excellent condition.
The main bus companies travelling from Santiago de Chile to San Pedro de Atacama are:
- Tur Bus
- Geminis
- Pullman
By Car
It is possible to get to San Pedro de Atacama by car from Santiago de Chile. You will have to take the Route 5 - Panamericana Norte.
For those adventure travelers chosing to travel by car it is strongly recommended to divide the road trip in two stops. Make the first stop at Caldera (870 km) or Bahia Inglesa and continue the next day directly to Calama (800 km). From Calama it will take a 98 kilometer trip to finally get to San Pedro de Atacama.
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