Posted 07/08/2024 | 7th August, 2024
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The Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia and the Atacama Desert in Chile are undoubtedly two of the most magical places in South America if not the whole world.
You’ll be happy to know that travelling between the two and crossing the border between Bolivia and Chile really couldn’t be easier. Although a long and tiring morning, the process is straightforward and nothing to be concerned about.
I had heard many horror stories about this border crossing, so I thought I would break down the process step-by-step to show that crossing from Uyuni to Calama by bus is nothing to be worried about.
Pre-Travel Recommendations
First, I 100% recommend taking the first bus of the day. On most days, this leaves Uyuni at 5 a.m. with the company Trans Salvador. By taking this first bus, you will miss almost all the morning traffic and be among the first people to arrive at the border.
As advised by the ticket operators, we arrived at the bus station at 4.30 am, and I would strongly advise that you do the same. The bus started loading very early (unheard of in Bolivia!) for a prompt 5 a.m. departure.
I also thoroughly recommend arranging a taxi from your accommodation in Uyuni to the bus station. Although this is a very sleepy town, there are a lot of wild dogs that will not be happy to see you wandering the streets at four in the morning. It’s very much worth the 20 BOB.
The Bolivian Border (Uyuni to Calama by Bus)
The bus journey was relatively comfortable (by Bolivian bus standards), with most people snoozing after a very early start. There are plenty of winding roads but nothing that caused too much concern.
By 8.20 a.m. we had arrived at the Bolivian border. There is a QR code you need to scan with an exit form to complete. There is Wifi at the border and the page can be translated from Spanish to English.
Here, the officials will stamp you out of Bolivia, which is a very quick process. We did see some locals being charged a fee, and we heard many stories of tourists being charged an ‘unofficial’ fee to leave. But we were two of the lucky ones who were stamped out with no issues at all! The whole process took around an hour, and we were back on the bus.
At this point, you’ve left Bolivia, but you haven’t entered Chile. So, it’s back on the bus for a short five-minute drive to the Chilean side. You will be handed a paper declaration form, which asks some basic questions about the amount of cash you’re carrying as well as any medicine, fruit or plants.
The Chilean Border (Uyuni to Calama by Bus)
First, you will approach Chilean immigration.
They will ask a few questions about where you are heading but don’t require any specifics such as addresses. This process is very fast and it took around thirty minutes for the whole bus to get through.
From here, the waiting games begin!
Everyone has to step outside whilst the driver pulls the bus around. Then, everything, and I mean everything, is emptied off the bus so the group can head through customs.
The process is long but not stressful.
I had heard horror stories of the Chilean immigration tearing tourists’ bags to pieces, but this is not the case at all!
There were four staff members working on the day I crossed the border. One by one, each person approaches the desk and hands over their customs form. From here, they have a little rummage around your bag and ask a few basic questions (do you have any alcohol, cigarettes, souvenirs etc). Most of the staff spoke English as well as Spanish.
The whole border crossing took around three hours. As you can imagine, standing outside in the bitter cold was absolutely freezing, so make sure you wrap up warm.
From the Border to Calama
Once back on the bus, it’s just under three hours to Calama. The scenery from the border into Calama is absolutely breathtaking. We saw lagoons, flamingos, an Andean Fox, and incredible mountains. Just a taster of what Chile had in store for us!
We arrived in Calama just before 2 pm. To be honest, I was amazed! Almost every mode of transport in Bolivia ran way behind schedule, so it was astounding to arrive in Calama almost two hours early.
Maybe we were just the lucky ones, but I give credit to hopping on that first bus of the day.
Onward Travel to San Pedro de Atacama
Almost every tourist taking this journey from Uyuni to Calama is doing so to travel to the magical Atacama Desert. This place is truly stunning, and even after travelling through most of Latin America, I have found it to be one of the most beautiful and interesting places I have ever visited.
I thoroughly recommend picking up a car in Calama and driving into the Atacama Desert. It gives you an incredible sense of freedom and allows you to see everything in your own time and at your own pace. The roads are extremely manageable, and it is so much fun!
However, if you’re not comfortable driving and would instead prefer to take tours, then you can hop on a Tur Bus from downtown Calama into San Pedro de Atacama. The journey takes around 90 minutes.
