From Santiago to Calama

On Sunday (July 8, 2018), we went to the airport early in the morning to fly to the city of Calama, which is located a little over 1,500 km to the north✈️. The flight only takes 2 hours, which is a pleasant duration for a flight. Upon arriving in Calama, I was surprised by the size of the airport, as it has two gates and is about the same size as the Federal Palace (for an airport in the desert, it is probably quite large 😅). The destinations are also limited. With the three airlines (JetSmart, LATAM Chile, or Sky Airline), you can fly to Concepcion, La Serena, or Santiago de Chile.

At the airport, many locals welcomed arriving tourists to offer them transportation services. They could either be taken to the city of Calama or to San Pedro de Atacama by minibuses. Most tourists were happy with this option, as their transportation was still unorganized. We had reserved a car with Hertz (you cannot rent a car from Hertz without a reservation 😅). After completing all the administrative tasks for the car, we drove towards San Pedro de Atacama with our rental car (named after us: Dagobert, nickname Dagi🚗), where we will stay for a week.

As we drove past, we saw the very simple colored houses in the outskirts of Calama.

In a week, we will spend a night in Calama, and at that time, I can tell you more about this city.