Calama: Rent a car from 8€/day

Calama Airport is located in the Atacama desert, which is an interesting site to explore. It is a very unusual tourist destination, with surreal landscapes, boiling geysers, and the magnificent Los Flamencos National Reserve. After seeing everything the Atacama has to offer, you can hop in your rental vehicle and explore the remainder of Northern Chile, from Incan ruins and ancient settlements in the interior to surf resorts on the Pacific coast.

City facts that are useful

San Pedro de Atacama has a chilly desert environment despite its elevation of 2,400 m (8,000 ft). The days are warm all year, with a peak temperature of 19°C (66°F) in June, the coldest month. The temperature at night, on the other hand, may get quite cold, and it often falls below 0°C (32°F) in the winter.

With almost no precipitation, the Atacama Desert is one of the world's driest regions. NASA, the European Space Exploration Program, and others have conducted study in the area because it is the most comparable environment to Mars known on Earth. NASA's High Lakes project is also doing research in the region to learn more about how various living forms adapt to survive in harsh weather conditions.

Despite the harsh weather, humanity have lived in the Atacama Desert for thousands of years. Although the ancient Chinchorro civilisation was largely focused on the shore, it did travel interior (they are known for their unique mummification practices and some of the mummies can be observed in different Chilean museums). The Atacameo people then settled in the deserts and altiplanos of Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. The region was ultimately included by the Incan Empire, then the Spanish Empire, and finally independent Chile (and its neighboring countries). Today, the Antofagasta Region (which includes the majority of the Atacama Desert) has a population density of 4.8 persons per square kilometer, which is equivalent to Mongolia's and lower than Australia's.

Important: Because many of the attractions in the area are positioned 4,000-5,500 m (13,000-18,000 ft) above sea level, altitude sickness is a genuine risk that can affect any tourist. Avoid difficult ascents, do not travel to isolated regions without a reliable guide, and maintain the contact information and address of a local San Pedro de Atacama doctor on hand.

Calama One-Way Car Rentals

The following are the most common one-way rental choices for pick-up in Calama and drop-off in another city:

From Calama to Arica, starting at US$130 per day.

From Calama to Antofagasta, starting at US$113 per day.

From Calama to Santiago, starting at US$155 per day.