Into Bolivia in San Pedro de Atacama
You have to take attention booking with tour operators in Chile, since all the tours in Uyuni(Bolivia) have to be guided by Bolivian tour-guides, chilean tour guides are not authorized to conduct tours in the Uyuni salt flat.
A handful of agencies offer 3 days/2 nights tours to Uyuni. It does not really matter who you book with, as they mostly join forces (at least in low season) and fill up their Land Cruisers with people from other agencies. The going price (starting at USD 140, March 2011) is some 40% higher here than in Uyuni, even though the itinerary is identical, only reversed. There is the advantage of there usually only being a few Land Cruisers at each site since you see things at different times of day to tours originating in Uyuni, where there can easily be a hundred tourists at each stop. There's also the possibility to return to San Pedro a day later, for a surcharge of USD 20.
Accommodations are quite basic, with frequent lack of (hot) water and electricity. Meals are filling but hardly gourmet and vegetarians may find themselves a little lacking in protein - bring plenty of snacks as supplies en route are extremely limited. If your tour agency does not provide water, ignore them when they tell you it is easy to buy on the journey-in our experience it was not, and you are better off bringing it all from San Pedro (at least 2l per person per day, although at that altitude more would be good).
A sleeping bag and plenty of warm clothing are essentials, it gets very cold at night.
The first night is spent at Laguna Colorada, at 4370m, so it is advisable to spend several nights in San Pedro, to acclimatise before taking the trip. Even then, AMS is a considerable risk-take the usual precautions, and if you have any reason to be particularly worried about altitude consider taking the tour from Bolivia instead, where you will have far more opportunities to acclimatise to high altitude beforehand.
It is essential to get a written itinerary from the agency, specifying all the sights in the order they are to be visited, and also meals and accommodation (whether shared or not). Some costs may not be included: Bolivian immigration, entry fees for national parks and museums. Ask about these at the agency.
Read travellor reviews of different agencies at the tourist information office. Estrella del Sur has had a lot of good travellor feedback with excellent guides (140 USD, March 2011). Keep in mind that most guides/drivers do not speak English. Choose your tour company wisely.
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The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about San Pedro de Atacama
