Given the 10 days you have tentatively scheduled:

- You could get to San Pedro the same day after you land in Calama. There is a shuttle or taxi that is a little expensive but very efficient. I think there may be buses also but obviously will be less frequent and you may have to make a couple of stops.

- If you have an extra day in San Pedro, do not miss the El Tatio Geysers. The trip leaves in the morning (around 3:30 AM or so - I can't remember that well, it's been 6-7 years!) but it is a unique thermal wonderland like Yellowstone and New Zealand's North Island. Remember that the activity is most visibly intense at sunrise that's why the tours get there well under the cover of darkness.

- I think it would take 3 days to get to Uyuni on the tour from San Pedro. Assuming everything does well (note my warnings), you can catch an overnight bus to La Paz the same evening after you arrive in Uyuni. There are things to do on the way to La Paz though, Potosi and Sucre are stunning colonial cities and World Heritage Sites but only if you have the time.

- Again, there are things to do around La Paz. You could go to the Yungas, and travel down the "Most Dangerous Road in the World" where scores of people died as countless buses and other vehicles plunged down thousands of feet into the valleys because the roads have no railings and sheer dropoffs. It's an adrenaline pumping experience, and the scenery is simply and literally "off the cliff" because you can see the Andes drop precipitously down to the Amazon basin. Phenomenal.

- I mentioned earlier how you might choose to get from La Paz to Titicaca or Arica in Chile. Essentially you would do one of the three options in reverse as noted in my previous post http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-aa-miles.html , my favorite being the Lauca-Sajama option through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. If you do this, you can keep going North from Arica to Tacna and then to the colonial gem of Arequipa, another World Heritage Site, and the Colca Canyon. From Arequipa airport, I think it's either a nonstop or 1-stop flight to Cuzco. If you do the Titicaca option, you should obviously take a tour of Isla Taquile and the Uros Floating Islands and then head to the airport in Juliaca, where again it's either a nonstop or 1-stop flight to Cuzco. HOWEVER -- with the time you have, you will likely not be able to do both options.

- Once you get to Cuzco, it's pretty much down the beaten track. A day in the city and then the train to MP, overnight in MP and back the next day. You can try walking a part of the Inca Trail but that will add a day or two. In Lima, a day would be sufficient? It's a big city so pretty much as charming or charmless as any other big city. It's not all bad - the historic center, which is another World Heritage treasure, is worth a look, as is Miraflores (never been but have heard), and the coastal area where you can go hang gliding or other such stuff.

You could hit many of the high points as I have noted in 10 days, but you will have to hustle. If you want to take it easy, you could spend several weeks! Pick out the experiences you think you might find most exciting and plan your time around them.

Don't forget a buffer day or two in case things go wrong. Things in Chile generally run on time, except if there's a volcano which suddenly decides that its siesta is over and blows its insides (which has been happening with increasing frequency over the last few years, and has pretty much shut down airports and flights at short notice all over the south of the country). In Bolivia, everything can go wrong all of the time (seriously!) but generally only one thing goes wrong in one day. Be optimistic! Peru is much better, but still touch-and-go. Low cloud ceiling can delay or cancel the Cuzco flights as I understand the approach can be a bit tricky. But generally, buses are efficient and comfortable. The MP train and the service hamlet of Agua Calientes is almost entirely tourism oriented, so you shouldn't have many issues in that department.

It's been a while since I was last in the area so if I don't have an answer I'll tell you where to look if you have other questions.

'Njoy.