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Calama, Chile — South America Overland Guide
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posted by Chris Vasquez
Drive from Iquique: approximately 5–5.5 hrs. Leave the coast and climb into the interior Atacama, using Calama as a fuel-and-maintenance staging point before San Pedro. This stage is designed around the expedition rule that we never ask the driver—or our 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series—to grind through more than six hours of actual driving in a day. The reward at Calama is high desert, mining-country horizons and the Loa River region. The route itself is part of the story: we are watching South America change through the windshield rather than flying over the difficult pieces.
Adventure & stay: Keep sightseeing light, resupply carefully and save energy for the high-altitude desert ahead. Our preferred stay is Park Hotel Calama or similar full-service hotel. This is a strategic comfort stop: secure parking, good breakfast and easy access to fuel and supplies. The idea is never luxury for luxury’s sake; it is recovery that lets us get back outside the next morning. A real bed, a hot shower, a spa or a good meal can be just as important to a long overland expedition as another night under canvas.
Land Cruiser check & daily equipment: Fuel up completely, inspect air filter and cooling system, check spare tire and ensure recovery gear is accessible. For this leg we want extra fuel only where legal and safe, two-day water reserve, dust masks, tire plug kit and a full tool roll. The 100 Series is being used exactly as Toyota intended—quiet and comfortable on pavement, full-time four-wheel drive ready when the road turns to gravel, and mechanically conservative enough that preventative checks remain more important than dramatic modifications. We leave Calama only when both the crew and the truck are ready.
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