How to go from San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) to Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) by bus

There are 4 ways to get to the Salar de Uyuni from San Pedro de Atacama. It’s up to you to choose according to your desire, your ability to withstand the high altitude and the thickness of your wallet 🙂 All prices are for one person.

Exchange rates in January 2017

• 1 USD = 0,93€
• 1$B = 0,137€
• 1000$CH =1,42€
• 1$AR = 0,06€

Option 1: Jeep from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni. Duration: 3-4 days. Cost: US$200

It is the simplest option and sold by all the agencies in San Pedro de Atacama and also detailed in the Lonely Planet.

The plusses

• This is the shortest way to connect the two places
• We enjoy the sunrise at the Salar de Uyuni on the last day
• Arrival in Uyuni at about 3pm, possibility to take a bus to La Paz around 8pm or Potosí at 6:30pm
• There is an additional cost to return to San Pedro de Atacama
• There are fewer buses leaving from San Pedro than from Uyuni

The –

• The price
• 1 traveller out of 6 will suffer enormously from mountain sickness. For good reason: from the 1st day, we go from 2500m in San Pedro to a pass of 5000m to sleep in an unheated hostel at 4500m of altitude the first evening.

Option 2: San Pedro de Atacama to Tupiza by bus via Salta (Argentina). Duration 2 days by bus + 4 days by jeep. Cost 311$US + 3 nights hostel minimum

This is the option chosen by those who don’t like to see a hundred jeeps leaving at the same time, and the best part of the route (Salar de Uyuni) is visited on the last day, leaving from Tupiza. The jeep tour is more expensive because it takes longer (4 days instead of 3).

Thus, take a bus(Turbus) to Calama (4000$CH, 1h30) then a bus to Salta (Argentina)(Andesmar, 36600$CH, 14h). From Salta, with Andesmar, go to La Quiaca (240$AR, 7h30). Cross the border on foot and then go to the bus terminal in Villazon (or take a cab if you are short of breath). From there, several buses will take you to Tupiza in 2h30 (nice ride, which costs from 15$B to 22$B). The jeep tour from Tupiza costs about 1600$B. You have to add the hostel nights in Argentina + one night in Tupiza.

The plusses

• Possibility to visit Salta in Argentina (I hear it’s very pretty)
• We enjoy the sunrise at the Salar de Uyuni on the last day
• We reserve the best for the end (Salar de Uyuni) instead of visiting it on the first day as the tours departing from Uyuni do
• There are fewer people taking this path
• Arrival in Uyuni at about 3pm, possibility to take a bus to La Paz around 8pm or Potosí at 6:30pm
• There may be an additional cost to return to Tupiza

The –

• Duration (I will die if I take this path)
• The price and the jeep tour from Tupiza is more expensive because it is longer
• The Argentina-Bolivia border crossing in La Quiaca is done on foot and can take an eternity. It is a very busy border, the customs can take hours to check the goods and luggage
• The route San Pedro de Atacama -> Salta passes through a pass at 4800m -> risk of mountain sickness
• Possibility of mountain sickness on the 3rd day (more than 4000m)

Option 3: San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni by bus and then Jeep to San Pedro de Atacama. Duration 1 day + 3 days by jeep. Cost 131$US + 1-2 nights in a hostel

The bus connecting San Pedro and Uyuni takes a different route than the jeep. So we go up slowly from 2500m to 3500m(Cruz del Norte, 18000$CH, 11h). The border crossing is super smooth. If the departure is much too early for you (4h30 in the morning), you can also take a bus to Calama (with Turbus 4000$CH, 1h30) and leave the next morning for Uyuni (with Atacama 2000 (departure at 6h in the morning) or Frontera 15000$CH, 8h in the morning, departure every day). The jeep tour from Uyuni costs between 700$B and 800$B for 3 days. It is also necessary to add in the costs one night in Uyuni before the departure by jeep.

Update January 2020, here are the timetables found on the Internet: be careful to check these timetables systematically on the spot

Read about my trip from San Pedro to Uyuni by bus here

The plusses :

• We take advantage of the Bolivian prices for the jeep tour
• It is easier to acclimatize to the altitude by spending a night in Uyuni (3500m) before leaving by jeep -> less risk of mountain sickness
• We spend a little more time at the Salar de Uyuni from Uyuni because it is the first place we visit
• Sunset at the salar
• You can pay an additional cost to return to Uyuni or cross the border to go to San Pedro de Atacama

The – :

• The bus leaves at 4:30 from San Pedro de Atacama, passes through Calama and then Ollagüe. Total duration: 11h
• We visit the best of the tour on the 1st day. The other days, we leave the salar to visit the South Lipez
• There are a lot of people, especially in the high season

Option 4: San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni by bus. One day tour to the Salar of Uyuni. Duration: 2 days + 1 day by jeep. Cost: US$52 + 1-2 nights in a hostel

This is the option we chose, not wanting to pay a jeep for 4 days knowing that we only wanted to visit the salar of Uyuni. It is also the solution chosen by Chilean tourists who have no desire to see landscapes similar to those seen in San Pedro de Atacama paying the full price. It is also the ideal option for those who are mountain-sick like me, as this trip never exceeds 3500m.

We climb slowly from 2500m to 3500m(Cruz del Norte, 18000$CH, 11h). The border crossing is super smooth. If the departure is much too early for you (4h30 in the morning from San Pedro de Atacama), you can also take a bus to Calama (with Turbus 4000$CH, 1h30) and leave the next morning for Uyuni (with Atacama 2000 (departure at 6h in the morning) or Frontera 15000$CH, 8h in the morning, departure every day) . The tour of a day at the Salar costs between 160$B and 200$B and we spend the whole day there, from 10:30 am to sunset.

Update January 2020, here are the timetables found on the Internet: be careful to check these timetables systematically on the spot:

Read about my trip from San Pedro to Uyuni by bus here
Read the travel diary of my one day Jeep tour in Uyuni here

The plusses :

• The most economical option
• The most suitable option for those who suffer from mountain sickness
• Sunset at the salar
• If we like this tour too much, since it isn’t expensive, we can do the same tour one day the next day hihihi

The – :

• It is said that suffering during the 4 days of jeeps is one of the unavoidable experiences in Bolivia.
• We don’t sleep in the famous hotel made of salt (but we can visit an old hotel made of salt)

Here, I have listed all the options available to you. All options have their advantages and disadvantages. It’s up to you to decide if you want to spend some time in Argentina and how much time you want to spend in the Jeep. It’s up to you to check the bus schedule once you get there.

I find readers who send me a message “Are you sure about the times indicated here?” super rude 2 years after my trip – as if I had to check the news every day – then don’t even bother to send me the updated schedules (or confirm the schedules indicated on the blog). Consumerism hello!

In any case, San Pedro de Atacama is, for me, a “trap” destination because all around, we are a bit stuck with higher areas one after the other. For people suffering from mountain sickness like me, I had to do a lot of research to find the best solution and I think it’s a pity that guides like Lonely Planet or Routard forget to talk about it; as well as the agencies in San Pedro de Atacama, all for a question of money.

Most travelers will tell you that you shouldn’t spend time in Uyuni but JB and I loved spending our first days there, strolling in the market and chatting with the locals who were very curious about my origin(from donde eres? from Korea, Japan or China? ahaha).

Four other tips that apply to everyone:

• Buy bolivianos before, you may be asked unofficially for some money at the border (25$B/person) and you will have to pay the entrance fee at some places at the Salar de Uyuni (200$B/person)
• Find out beforehand for border crossings whether you need to get your passport stamped in San Pedro de Atacama or not (especially if you are crossing the Chilean-Argentinean border). Don’t forget to get your passport stamped as soon as you cross a border.
• Take enough water with you. At least 1L/person/day.
• Buy coca leaves to chew in San Pedro de Atacama (at the supermarket) to fight against mountain sickness