Calama to Uyuni, there and back

Calama is a city on the shores of Loa river, in the region of Antofagasta, Chile. At an altitude of 2,260 m above sea level, the city has several tourist attractions. Calama is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 5 mm (0.20 in). The Loa River is Chile’s longest, and flows through the city.  Tourists who want to visit the Uyuni Salt Flat from Chile usually come from Calama due to the short distance that separates these cities and the frequency of departures between the cities.

Road to Calama

Uyuni, on the other hand, is Bolivia´s main tourist destination. It is the largest salt desert in the world and boasts an out of this world landscape that defies the senses. Visitors are not only awed by the salt flat itself, an endless desert of salt that was featured in the last Star Wars film as the planet Crait, but it also has surrounding attractions such as the red and green lagoons and the train cemetery.

If you want to travel from Calama to Uyuni or viceversa, read on.

Uyuni Salt Flat during the rainy season

From Calama to Uyuni

In order to travel from Calama to Uyuni, you have to go to the Bus Terminal of Calama, located on Granaderos Av., #3051. Before boarding the bus, you must pay a small fee called Uso de Terminal for the terminal´s maintenance. The distance between Calama and Uyuni is 425 km and the trip takes 11 hours. The bus company Cruz del Norte has semi lie-flat buses that leave every day at 5:30 am and arrive in Uyuni at 15:00.

The buses cross the border through Pisiga-Colchane, where passengers can clear customs and migration. You arrive in Uyuni at the bus terminal located on Arce Av.

If you want to book your tickets now, or to just explore the costs and payment options, just follow this link: calama to uyuni

Calama, Chile

From Uyuni to Calama

For the return trip, from Uyuni to Calama, we have normal and semi lie-flat buses that leave from the Bus Terminal in Uyuni, located on Arce Av. The bus company Expreso 11 de Julio has buses that leave at 04:00 am and arrive in Calama at 15:00  in the afternoon. Their seats are normal, meaning they recline to 120 degrees.

The bus company Cruz del Norte leaves at 5:30 from the same bus terminal and arrives in Calama at 16:00 in the afternoon. Their buses are semi lie-flat, with seats that recline to 140 degrees.

Uyuni, Bolivia

To book your tickets online for this route, and to see costs and other details, you can just click on this link: uyuni to calama

From Uyuni to Cusco by bus: A complete guide

Updated January 2020

The trip from Uyuni to Cusco by bus must be divided in at least two segments, or three, depending on your plans and preferences. You will need to travel from Uyuni to La Paz, either directly or with a stop in Oruro, and from there you can take a direct bus or flight to Cusco.

Uyuni to Cusco by bus

The fastest option from Uyuni to Cusco

There aren’t direct buses between Uyuni and Cusco. The fastest way to get there would be flying with one change of plane in La Paz. Amaszonas, a Bolivian airline, has direct flights from Cusco to La Paz and then from La Paz to Uyuni. This journey would take the whole day and costs about 200-260 us$ depending on the time of year. If you are looking for a more affordable alternative, the best way is to take a bus from Cusco to La Paz (direct or via Lake Titicaca) and then another bus from La Paz to Uyuni.

Since buses from Uyuni to La Paz arrive around 6am and buses from La Paz to Cusco leave in the afternoon at about 16:30, it it possible to do this journey without spending the night in La Paz. You can visit La Paz during that time. Also, you can leave bags at the La Paz bus terminal or at the counter of the bus company. However, it means taking two night buses in a row which is tiring.

Stop in La Paz

Uyuni to La Paz by bus

The distance between Uyuni and La Paz is 731 km. La Paz is located at 3,600 meters above sea level. You can travel from Uyuni to La Paz either by direct bus, or by a combination of train and bus. Check our post on Uyuni to La Paz by bus. All buses headed for La Paz leave Uyuni at night, from the bus stop located on Calle Cabrera, on the corner of Avenida Arce. The trip takes about 9 hours. Once you arrive in La Paz, the buses arrive at the main bus terminal, located on Uruguay Street on the corner of Avenida Peru.

Company	Bus class	Route	Time of departure and arrival	Prices in US Dollars
Trans Omar	Semi lie-flat/Lie-flat 3 rows	Direct service	20:00/6:00 (+1 day(	$14.60/21.90
Panasur	Lie-flat	Direct service	20:30/6:00 (+1 day)	$14.60/21.90
Cruz del Norte	Semi lie-flat/Lie-flat	Direct service	20:30/6:30 (+1 day)	$14.60/21.90
Trans Titicaca	Lie flat	Direct service	22:00/7:00 (+1 day)	$27.74

Bus Uyuni to La Paz: Schedule and Prices

Uyuni to La Paz by bus and train

To go by train and bus, first, you have to take the train from Uyuni to Oruro and then continue by bus to La Paz. The train companies offering this service are: Expreso del Sur, which leaves on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Wara Wara del Sur, which leaves on Mondays and Thursdays. The trains offer Salon class and Executive class services, where Executive class is more expensive and has more comfortable seats, and amenities such as blankets and snack on board. All passengers have access to the dining car on the train.

The train leaves Uyuni from the station located arrives at the train station on Ferroviaria Av. on the corner of Arce Av. They arrive in Oruro at the train station located on Velasco Galvarro St.

From there you can take a taxi to the bus station in Oruro in order to take a bus to La Paz. Then, buses leave every half an hour and the trip takes around four hours.

Machu Picchu, Peru

La Paz to Cusco by bus

For the second leg of your trip from Uyuni to Cusco by bus you will have to take a night bus. The journey from La Paz to Cusco takes about 12 hours, covering a distance of 640 km. In order to travel from La Paz to Cusco by bus you have two alternatives: you can go through the Bolivia-Peru border in Desaguadero, or you can go though Copacabana, crossing the border in Kasani. Desaguadero is a more direct route, while Copacabana is the more scenic route, taking your to the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Bus company	Seat class	Time of departure	Time of arrival	Price in US$	Extra info
Nuevo Continente Internacional	Lie flat	7:30	21:30	$21.90	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Trans Titicaca	Normal bus	16:00	6:00 (+1 day)	$27.94	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Trans Salvador	Lie flat 3 rows	16:30	5:00 (+1 day)	$24.09	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Tour Peru	Lie flat	16:30	5:30 (+1 day)	$27.74	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero

Bus from La Paz to Cusco : Schedule and Prices

Tips to travel from Uyuni to Cusco by bus

You should know that in Bolivia, lie-flat buses have seats that recline to 160-170 degrees, not 180. Semi lie-flat buses recline to between 150 and 160 degrees, depending on the bus. This is important to keep in mind in order to keep your expectations realistic. The services on board don’t usually include foods or drinks on board, so you should make sure you take something to drink, blankets and more food on board, just to make sure your trip will be comfortable.

From Uyuni to Cusco by land

Whether you travel by land or by plane, the trip from Uyuni to Cusco must be divided in at least two segments, or three, depending on your plans and preferences. You will need to travel from Uyuni to La Paz, either directly or with a stop in Oruro, and from there you can take a direct bus or flight to Cusco. Keep on reading to find out all you need to know.

La Paz, Bolivia

The fastest option

There aren’t direct flights between Uyuni and Cusco but the fastest way to get there would still be flying with one stop and change of plane in La Paz. Amaszonas, a Bolivian airline, has direct flights from Cusco to La Paz and then from La Paz to Uyuni. This journey would take the whole day and costs about 200-260 us$ depending on the time of year but it is the fastest way.

Stop in La Paz

Uyuni to La Paz

The distance between Uyuni and La Paz is 731 km. La Paz is located at 3,600 meters above sea level and a necessary . You can travel from Uyuni to La Paz either by direct bus, or by a combination of train and bus. All buses headed for La Paz leave Uyuni at night, from the bus stop located on Cabrera Street, on the corner of Arce Av. The trip takes around 9 hours. In La Paz, the buses arrive at the main bus terminal, located on Uruguay Street on the corner of Peru Av.

Company	Bus class	Route	Time of departure and arrival	Prices in US Dollars
Trans Omar	Semi lie-flat/Lie-flat 3 rows	Direct service	20:00/6:00 (+1 day(	$14.60/21.90
Panasur	Lie-flat	Direct service	20:30/6:00 (+1 day)	$14.60/21.90
Cruz del Norte	Semi lie-flat/Lie-flat	Direct service	20:30/6:30 (+1 day)	$14.60/21.90
Trans Titicaca	Lie flat	Direct service	22:00/7:00 (+1 day)	$27.74

Uyuni Salt Flat

To go by train and bus, you have to take the train from Uyuni to Oruro and then continue by bus to La Paz. The train companies offering this service are: Expreso del Sur, which leaves on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Wara Wara del Sur, which leaves on Mondays and Thursdays. The trains offer Salon class and Executive class services, where Executive class is more expensive and has more comfortable seats, and amenities such as blankets and snack on board. All passengers have access to the dining car on the train.

The train leaves Uyuni from the station located arrives at the train station on Ferroviaria Av. on the corner of Arce Av. They arrive in Oruro at the train station located on Velasco Galvarro St. From there you can take a taxi to the bus station in Oruro in order to take a bus to La Paz. Buses leave every half an hour and the trip takes around four hours.

Machu Picchu, Peru

La Paz to Cusco

The journey takes about 12 hours, covering a distance of 640 km. In order to travel from La Paz to Cusco by bus you have two alternatives: you can go through the Bolivia-Peru border in Desaguadero, or you can go though Copacabana, crossing the border in Kasani. Desaguadero is a more direct route, while Copacabana is the more scenic route, taking your to the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Direct buses from La Paz to Cusco  

Bus company	Seat class	Time of departure	Time of arrival	Price in US$	Extra info
Nuevo Continente Internacional	Lie flat	7:30	21:30	$21.90	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Trans Titicaca	Normal bus	16:00	6:00 (+1 day)	$27.94	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Trans Salvador	Lie flat 3 rows	16:30	5:00 (+1 day)	$24.09	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero
Tour Peru	Lie flat	16:30	5:30 (+1 day)	$27.74	Direct service. Migration in Desaguadero

Trip with multiple stops

Tips

You should know that in Bolivia, lie-flat buses have seats that recline to 160-170 degrees, not 180. Semi lie-flat buses recline to between 150 and 160 degrees, depending on the bus. This is important to keep in mind in order to keep your expectations realistic. The services on board don’t usually include foods or drinks on board, so you should make sure you take something to drink, blankets and more food on board, just to make sure your trip will be comfortable.

We hope you found all the information useful, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Have a nice trip!