Calama is 1,568 km north of Santiago, 761 km from Copiapó and 389 km south of Iquique. You can get there:

By plane:
There are daily flights from Santiago national airport to Calama. From here you can travel to the towns in the interior of the desert and to San Pedro de Atacama.

By car:
To get to Calama from the north you have to travel south on Ruta 5. The distance from Iquique is 389 km and from Arica 603 km.
If you are traveling from the south you have to take Ruta 5 towards the north. The distance is 761 km from Copiapó, 1,095 from La Serena and 1,568 from Santiago.

By bus:
There are daily buses to Calama from Iquique and Copiapó. There are also services from the bus terminal in Santiago; you should inquire about departure times.