Pachamama Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Pass???

Has anyone used the Pachamam bus pass- the Atacama Desert route? Would you recommend it? Is it good value? Do you meet lots of other travellers?
And finally how long did it take to cover the entire route?
Would appreciate any advice!!!

Rachel :)

Hi Rachel

My friend and I did the Pachamama bus just a couple of weeks ago although we did the Lake District route as we went to Torres del Paine afterwards.
I really enjoyed it. Its more of a mini bus so you dont meet loads of people but we had a good group who we are now meeting up with in Buenos Aires.

The southern route takes 7 days if you stay on the same bus and go back to Santiago. You can get off anywhere and wait for the next bus to pass through in a couple of days time. There is no time limit on your ticket so you can stay in any town for as long as you like and jump on the next bus months later if you wish!

Its a tad lazy and I am sure it works out a little more than organising buses to different towns but it was good, hassle free and they make little stop offs at places you wouldnt get with a bus company. If you get a nice bunch of people it makes it much better and worthwhile.

Thanks for your help!

It sounds like quite an easy way to do things especially because I don’t have much time!

One last question… did they drop you off at specific hostels or was it up to you to choose and book through hostelworld.com etc.

:)

They recommend a hostel but you can book anywhere you want and they will drop you off.Yo dont miss out on anything as they will pick you up if there is an evening excursion or let you know of anything going on at the hostel like dinner, BBQ or just going out for drinks.