Depending on your exact route through South America, you may find yourself needing to cross from Salta, Argentina to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. The best and easiest way to make this journey is by bus. While it is a long bus ride, the ride crosses through beautiful mountains and scenery as you cross from Argentina into Chile.
In this guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about taking the bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama.
Booking Your Bus Ticket From Salta to San Pedro de Atacama
While there are plenty of tourists who make the journey between Salta and San Pedro de Atacama, there aren’t a many options for your bus. In fact, at the time of writing, there are only two companies that operate the route.
PullmanBus is a Chilean company that operates a route between Salta and San Pedro de Atacama three times per week. They depart Salta on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 6:00 am. Buses depart from San Pedro de Atacama (to Salta) at 8:30 am, but are still only offered three times per week.
AndesMar is an Argentinian bus company and they also operate the route. They depart Salta every day except Sunday, but they depart Salta at 1:00 am. They also offer services from San Pedro de Atacama and these leave at a much more reasonable 7:30 am.
You should be able to purchase your ticket online, no matter which company you choose.
However, I used PullmanBus when I made the journey from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama and it turned out to be more expensive to purchase the ticket online. I’m not quite sure what happened, but there was a nearly $40 difference in price between what I was about to be charged online versus what I paid at the bus station.
Given that, I recommend purchasing your ticket from the bus station if possible. Though Pullman Bus only operates routes between Salta and San Pedro de Atacama three times per week, their ticket counter at the Salta bus station was staffed every day (though hours were limited on the weekends). When I visited, the man working at the desk spoke English.
Regardless of which bus company you use, I would recommend picking up your bus ticket a few days in advance. My bus was not sold out, but since Pullman Bus only operates a few days per week, it’s best to just go and purchase your ticket in advance. I can’t speak to how full AndesMar is, but I’d still suggest purchasing your ticket in advance.
Salta to San Pedro de Atacama by Bus
I traveled from Salta, Argentina to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, so that’s how the rest of this article will be structured. If you’re traveling from San Pedro de Atacama to Salta, your journey will be similar.
Boarding
I took PullmanBus, which meant that the bus departed at 6:00 am. It’s still early, but I was much happier to take this bus than the bus that departed at 1:00 am. Either way, you’ll want to get to the bus station early. I was told to arrive 30 minutes early, but that seemed like overkill. I’d recommend getting to the station at least 15 minutes before the bus departs.
This is a bus that crosses a country border, but I’d recommend bringing some local currency with you. As they loaded our bags onto the bus, we were basically forced to pay a fee.
On the ground, by the man loading the baggage, was a box labeled tips. The man gestured at the box to every tourist and nearly everyone in front of me put some money in. Then one girl didn’t have cash and the man literally did not load her bag until she came back. That settled things in my mind and I put 1,000 Argentinian Pesos in his box. My bag was loaded without issues (and the other girl’s was eventually).
I bring this up because I typically try to get rid of all of my currency before leaving the country. It was by chance that I still had Argentinian Pesos on me and was able to leave a “tip”. So my advice is to not spend all of your pesos before leaving (though obviously try to get rid of most of them).
I can’t speak to whether this happens in Chile, but I had used Pullman Bus a few years prior while traveling between Santiago and Viña Del Mar and never had this happen. It’s not a lot of money, so I’m not upset about it, but I do want to mention it.
With your bag loaded, it’s time to board the bus and find your seat. Settle in since it’s a long ride.
Salta to the Border
Aside from some nice scenery, it’s an uneventful drive from Salta to the Argentina-Chile border. Since it was still dark when we left, I tried to get just a little more sleep. Eventually the sun came up and I turned my attention to the views out the window.
Since I had take a day trip to Salinas Grandes, I’d seen much of the scenery before. I was pretty happy once we passed Salinas Grandes and the scenery was brand new.
Despite a seven hour drive to the border, the bus barely stops. Don’t worry. There is a bathroom on the bus.
We stopped in Purmamacra to pick up a few passengers and then once again to switch drivers, but it was never long enough for us to get off the bus. The first opportunity we had to get off the bus was at a gas station near the border. Not knowing how long we’d have at that stop, most people stayed on the bus.
Finally, we reached the Argentina-Chile border.
Crossing the Argentina-Chile Border
There’s a few steps to crossing the Argentina-Chile border and a man from the bus company is there to help you get through everything. The man from my bus didn’t speak much English, but was happy to explain and answer any questions as best he could using hand gestures.
The first step is to get “stamped” out of Argentina. If you don’t need a visa to visit to Argentina, you probably won’t have an actual stamp in your passport. But you still have to go through this step so Argentina can update its records to show you’ve left the country. This was the easiest part of the day.
Next, you’ll stand in line to get stamped into Chile. These are separate lines and take different amounts of time. Leaving Argentina goes fast, but going into Chile can take a bit longer.
The night before my journey, PullmanBus sent me a message on WhatsApp with a link to a form to fill out. This is needed for the customs and immigration process into Chile. Make sure to fill it out and make sure to fill it out with the correct border crossing point.
A girl on my bus had to redo her form because she had the wrong border entry. I believe there was Wi-Fi to connect to so you could fill out this form online if needed, but it’s best to fill it out one day before you enter Chile.
The last step is customs and this involves getting your bags scanned. When we got off the bus, we brought our hand luggage with us. While we waited in line with our passports, all of our bags were unloaded and left in a pile on the sidewalk. As we finished with our passports, we went to get our bags and stood in line.
I’m not sure what was going on at the border crossing, but this took forever. We stood in line for over 30 minutes and didn’t move. I’m not sure if people were on there lunch break, if there was an issue with the machine, or if it was something else entirely. But we all stood there waiting and waiting. Finally, we started moving, got our bags scanned, and loaded our things back onto the bus.
Once the bus is satisfied that everyone has returned, it’s time to finish the rest of the bus journey.
Note that there are bathrooms at the border. I’d recommend making a friend in line so you can use the bathroom while you wait for baggage to be scanned. It’s much better than trying to use the bathroom on the bus.
The Border to San Pedro de Atacama
Now it’s another three and a half hours to San Pedro de Atacama. You’ve climbed pretty high in elevation, so don’t be surprised if you feel the altitude. There were numerous people on my bus dealing with headaches because of the altitude and lack of water. Come prepared.
The scenery was nice, but I was just thrilled to finally reach San Pedro de Atacama. It’s a very long bus ride and I was exhausted after the day. Even though I didn’t do much physical activity, these long bus rides can take a lot out of you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long is the Bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama?
The bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama takes between 11 and 13 hours. While you shouldn’t hit any traffic, the biggest thing that can affect the time is the border crossing itself. This is where we lost the most time during my journey.
Also remember that there is a time change. Argentina is one hour ahead of Chile.
Can You Board the Bus Elsewhere?
There are very few towns between Salta and San Pedro de Atacama, so these are the two most popular stops. However, the route also passes through the small town of Purmamacra in Argentina. AndesMar offers this as a stop on their website, but PullmanBus does not.
I’m not sure why Purmamacra doesn’t show up as an option on PullmanBus’s website because we did stop to pick up additional passengers. Had I known this, I would have changed my schedule slightly and gotten picked up in Purmamacra instead.
If you want to take Pullman Bus and get on the bus in Purmamacra, I highly recommend going to the Salta bus station in advance to pick up your ticket.
Likewise, if you’re coming from San Pedro de Atacama, you should be able to get off in Purmamacra instead of Salta.
Can You Fly from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama?
Technically, you can fly from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama, but it’s a long, inconvenient route. Therefore, I recommend taking the bus instead of flying.
If you want to fly from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama, your route will likely involve flying from Salta to Buenos Aires, then flying from Buenos Aires to Santiago, then flying from Santiago to Calama, and then finally another bus from Calama to Santiago. With that kind of route, the twelve hour bus journey is faster.
Can You Travel from San Pedro de Atacama to Salta?
Absolutely. Bus schedules will from San Pedro de Atacama to Salta will be similar, but it’s a good idea to confirm the schedules online before the day of your travel.
Where Should You Sit on the Bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama?
I don’t think that there is a bad view on the bus, but I do recommend a window seat if possible. I sat on the left side of the bus and had great views the entire journey. For the best views, sit on the second level of the bus. If you can get the front row on the second floor, I think that’s going to give you your best views.
But if it makes a difference, every photo from this post was taken from the left side of the bus.
Final Thoughts
As much as I dislike very long bus rides, this bus from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama was relatively easy. It was long, but it was so much more efficient than flying. Sometimes, the bus is the better route and at least with this bus, it’s a very scenic drive.
Continue Your Adventure
Salta: In the north of Argentina, you can spend five days in Salta. Visit the nearby Salinas Grandes, taste wine in Cafayate, or head to the town of Cachi. And don’t forget to spend some time visiting the top sights of Salta.
San Pedro de Atacama: I recommend three days in San Pedro de Atacama to see the highlights. Moon Valley is often paired with an astronomical tour and is the most popular tour combination. The Tatio Geysers are some of the largest in the world. For some of my favorite scenery, visit Rainbow Valley. For something different, visit the Baltinache Lagoons to float in the lakes. To explore on your own, rent a bike and visit the Devil’s Throat. Continue your adventure by departing on a tour to the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia.
