Here are our tips for traveling to Chile + Bolivia:
- Don't visit Santiago on a Sunday unless you seek peace and quiet. Almost everything is closed.
- Don't visit Atacama Desert during a full moon if you want to visit the observatory
- Bolivia does not have the tourist infrastructure of many of the other South American countries. For example, carry your own toilet paper.
- Be patient with the amount of paperwork required to enter and exit Bolivia.
- USD is accepted everywhere in Bolivia but not in Chile.
- Be prepared for the horrible road conditions. Do not rent a car. Hire a driver.
- If I was to do this trip again then I would fly from Uyuni to Santa Cruz and skip La Paz entirely.
And the trip awards and summary:
Number of Airports - 7 (JFK, Santiago, Calama, Uyuni, El Alto, Santa Cruz, Miami) By far the most number of airports Butch has visited in a single trip.
Highest Elevation: 16,000 ft near the geysers in the Bolivian highlands
Most unusual food - Llama meat
Best Activity - Uyuni Salt Flats
Best Overall Meal - Lunch at the Salt Flats
Best Hotel - Alto Atacama Hotel but the hotels in both Santiago and La Paz were really nice
Best Hotel Breakfast - The Singular in Santiago
Best American Coffee - Luna Salada hotel at Uyuni Salt Flats
Would we come back? We never want to visit La Paz again. Uyuni and Atacama are incredible but one-and-done kind of places. We will definitely return to Chile to visit Easter Island and Patagonia.
This was the first trip that I used the Priority Pass benefit of the American Express Platinum card to enter the airport lounges in airports without an Admirals club. None of the clubs were luxurious but all had good WIFI, comfy chairs and decent snacks. You have to do all the little things to make travel bearable.
Our flight to JFK is ontime so things are looking good.
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