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[zasal911]

Hey everyone,

we're arriving in Santiago from Toronto on January 19. The idea is to head north towards Machu Picchu essentially as soon as we get there. Are buses really the best (affordable) way?

We also wanted to check out the north of Chile on the way, places like San Pedro de Atacama, and certain cities (Calama, Arica, Iquique, etc.). Which are the coolest cities to visit? Any advice on how to do this trip? Anyone wanna come along?

Also, on the way back we were thinking that it might be cool to take a different route. But we have to leave Santiago on March 3 .... so would this be through Bolivia-Argentina? does this make any sense?? Your help is really appreciated

[bearshapedspher]

Busses will take you forever and a day, as just from Santiago to the border is almost 24 hours. The best options tend to be getting really lucky with a flight to Lima or at least to the Chilean border, and then making your way from there. The two main airlines to look at are LAN and Sky. LAN is a major international carrier whose website and phone support are also avail. in English, and you can purchase online. Sky is a bit more of an ordeal, Spanish only, buying online seems to be impossible.

Most people who go to the areas you're going to check out Iquique, Arica (skipping Antofogasta) and San Pedro de Atacama to go to the Valle de La Luna, El Tatio Geysers, Altiplanic Lakes, etc. Calama is highly missable, unless you want to go to Chuquicamata, the world's largest open-pit copper mine, which you can get to from there.

On the way back you could go through Argentina, in which case most people would go through Salta, and then down to Cordoba or Mendoza (wine in Mendoza, if you do that), and cross over the Andes back to Santiago (about a six-hour ride).

Keep in mind that Bolivia is the cheapest, followed by Argentina which is much more expensive than Bolivia, with Chile winning in the most expensive department. Also, the travelling is progressively more rustic as you go down in price. Actually, the difference between travelling in Argentina and Chile is not that great, but in Peru and Bolivia it's much more taxing. Less infrastructure and all that.

Have fun!

Eileen

www.bearshapedsphere.blogspot.com

[mmbcross]

Great Advice.

Always keep in mind that international airfares are considerably higher than domestic fares. There are luxurious bus services all along the route, though some are extremely long, for example Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama is around 24 hours, so a plane ticket here may be indicated.
Here is a site that shows the quality of long-distance buses:
http://www.pullman.cl/nuestra_flota.html
Bus companies in Chile
http://www.gochile.cl/info/xporte/bus.asp

The route suggested by Eileen is the best:
San Pedro de Atacama (skipping Antofagasta), Iquique, Arica, Arequipa, from Arequipa take the direct bus to Cusco. In Cusco take the trip to Machu Picchu, but stay at least one night at Aguas Calientes. Return across the Altiplano to Lake Titicaca and Puno (skipping Juliaca), then La Paz, Oruro, Jujuy, Salta, Cordoba and Mendoza. Then a brief hop over the Andes back to Santiago.

Take the overnight buses if possible in Chile, but you may prefer day buses in Peru and Bolivia for the scenery.

To get inside Travelpod traveller information on each city you plan to visit, access the Travelpod site, and where it says “search” on the right, type in the city or town, and there you have all the comments, good and bad, from your fellow travellers. For example:
http://www.travelpod.com/s/san+pedro+de+atacama

Hope this helps
Cheers

[zasal911]

That's some awesome advice guys. Thanks a lot. As for wine tasting in Mendoza, I have to try that, though I'd probably rather do it in Chile if its affordable given that Chilean wine is generally of a better quality.

How much do you guys think this could cost if we do bus it (we have the time and want to save money) and stay at hostels??

[bearshapedspher]

That's some awesome advice guys. Thanks a lot. As for wine tasting in Mendoza, I have to try that, though I'd probably rather do it in Chile if its affordable given that Chilean wine is generally of a better quality.

How much do you guys think this could cost if we do bus it (we have the time and want to save money) and stay at hostels??

It's all about the Malbecs in Argentina, which we don't have in Chile, though we do have Carmenere which gets some people all excited. Mendoza is really well known for a couple of Malbecs that are real prizewinners. There are winetasting tours from Santiago, though they tend to take you to some massmarket (Concha y Toro), or other places you could probably get to by bus (Cousiño Macul). Outside of the city you'll do better. The problem with these tours is that they tend to be small and on-demand, and if you don't meet up with a couple of other people to split the price, they're very expensive. There is the tren del vino though you might like to check out if you have time. It's about $100 US at current exchange rates, goes through the Colchagua Valley see http://trendelvinochile.cl/2/.

The trip price is pretty variable, and depends alot on the quality of bus you want. For example, the same bus ride by bus in Chile from Santiago to SPdA will cost between 33,500 for semicama to 50,000 for the most exclusive service. Actually you can do it much cheaper by going "executivo" or regular pullman bus, but this service usually just goes to Calama, because most tourists (who is who goes to SPdA) want the fancy bus. See www.turbus.cl for an idea, though this is not the only bus service, as detailed by mmbcross (saying hi!).

I hesitate to give you a budget because it is all so variable, especially depending on whether you sleep on the overnight busses or prefer hostels and/or like to drink a bit with dinner.

Maybe someone else can give you a ballpark though. Anyone?