Originally Posted by
keloutwest
So we found a cheap flight to Calama, and were thinking that could be a good (easy) place to go, versus La Paz, which was more expensive and a bit harder to get to (though admittedly would be a little more adventurous). Our question, though, is:
How much is there to do in that area (Calama, San Pedro de Atacama, etc)? Any suggestions if we, say, flew in on a Wednesday morning and back on a Friday afternoon? Would that be a good choice and amount of time for this trip?
We've got 6 full days in Chile, and we're trying to prioritize time in the Santiago area vs. the North.
Thanks for everyone's input so far!
In Calama there's absolutely nothing worth seeing. It's a new mining town - modern, pretty wealthy, with a mall but with almost no history.
San Pedro is reasonably attractive, but it's a fairly long bus trip from Calama. There's an interesting, small museum right in the center of town, but the really cool stuff (El Tatio geysers, Valle de la Luna, etc.) is well out of town and really only advisable as part of an organized tour with professional drivers. Trust me, you do not want to get stuck by yourself in a broken-down rental car in the middle of the Atacama desert.
Logistically, San Pedro and environs would really require 3-4 days at the minimum, I'd think. If you're wedded to Chile, I agree with
Eastbay1k that the lakes district (NOT Puerto Montt, which is kind of a dump) is worth visiting. Puerto Varas, Frutillar, etc. are really lovely towns and very easy to travel to/from - either by your own transport or by buses, which run all the time and are very cheap.
Still, I'd suggest you consider La Paz. It's another world (and surprisingly easy to deal with once you're there, apart from the high altitude).