Book Trans Ricardo Bus Tickets

The very full minivan took off 20 min late, then stopped around the corner for fuel. My seat would not stay in either the upright or reclined position so I was flopping all the time. Good driver speeded a bit and made it to the border in time - the Bolivian border crossing closed at 1215 (Saturday). We then changed minivans and got even more crowded. But people friendly and helpful.

Things to look out for (Calama to Uyuni): 1. The bus was overbooked so some passengers were offered stools to sit on instead of seats. Others were simply not allowed on the bus. 2. 30 minutes late departure and 2 hours late arrival. 3. 1.5 hour delay at the border which admittedly is not within the bus company's control. However, the bus could have been reasonably scheduled to avoid the hours when the border control office is closed over lunch. Also, no public bathrooms were available at the Bolivian border control (no toilet on the bus either). 4. We changed bus at the border from a small and cramped mini van to an even smaller mini van where bags had to be placed on the roof. Seats were very upright and uncomfortable. 5. Departure location is unofficial/unmarked by the side of the road behind a shopping outlet. 6. Very poor value for money.

Avoid at all costs. The "bus" which was just a car with no proof of ID arrived in Atacama 45 mins late. We had to do 4 buses in total, with the border crossing taking 3 hours as we had to wait for the next minibus, which then did not have enough seats on it, so people were sat on top of each other. The final minibus then broke down by running out of fuel.

I wasn’t expecting to have to get on three different buses along the way

All good