Atacama
We flew into Calama Airport from Santiago, picked up our rental car, and then drove 1hr and 15 minutes to San Pedro de Atacama. Calama is not a nice city and there is high crime, so leave right away.
Car rental
We recommend renting a car for this area. You can of course do it on your own, but it is much easier to rent a car and go to everything yourself. If you decide not to get a car, make sure to book tours for some of the locations and to really check the shuttles, as the hours change frequently.
Accommodation
We recommend staying in one place the whole time in San Pedro de Atacama. It is a small town and it is does not make sense to change hotels.
Our Itinerary Overview
We stayed 4 nights and 3 full days in Atacama and we found that it was enough time to see all of the highlights. You could of course stay up to a week here sightseeing and hanging out. It is also a good spot to go to the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia. If you decide to do this, I have listed a great tour option, but you will need 4 extra days for the round trip.
Accommodation
In San Pedro de Atacama, we recommend
