Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Recommendations for Staying in Atacama

Hi yestravel.

San Pedro de Atacama would be an obvious choice. We stayed a few days there en route from north west Argentina to Iquique on the coast and then on via Arica into Peru. SPdeA has a lot going on and is similar in a lot of respects to the Bolivian altiplano, Salar de Uyuni etc. though IMO, less impressive and way more expensive! Some nice hotels though.

Getting there is an issue and requires flying into Calama and a 2 hour bus ride to the town. We travelled from SPdeA down to Iquique on the coast on the basis that we wanted to see the desert. We certainly saw that! initially is was amazing to watch the desolate landscape pass by. But after 12 hours looking at sand, that wore a bit thin. Iquique is a nice coastal town though and worth a few days as was Arica (but only if you want to head into Peru)

Not sure if you have visited the region around Salta in NW Argentina, but if not, it would be worth considering combining that with the Atacama. a week long driving around the region combined with San Pedro would make a great combination. Alternatively, there are tours running from San Pedro to Uyuni of in the opposite direction