Trip of the week: off-roading from the Atacama to the Andes
It’s now possible to traverse two of the harshest and most spectacular regions on Earth
Side by side where Chile and Bolivia meet lie two of the harshest and most spectacular regions on Earth. The Atacama is the driest of the world’s non-polar deserts, a barrier between the Pacific and the Andes “far worse than the most turbulent ocean”, in Charles Darwin’s words. The Andean Altiplano – the largest high plateau outside Tibet – is scarcely more hospitable.
But today, you can cross them both in a 4WD, says Jamie Lafferty in the FT – and even sleep in comfort along the way, thanks to the adventure tourism company Explora. Last year it opened three small luxury lodges in “extremely remote” locations, to support a multi-day, guided crossing it calls the Travesía – an off-road journey from Chile to the fabled Bolivian salt flats of Uyuni.
From the town of San Pedro de Atacama, the route climbs towards the Licancabur volcano, soon rising above 4,500m and never dipping below 3,000m thereafter. At such altitudes, it’s wise to move slowly and stay hydrated. Crossing the Bolivian border, you reach Laguna Colorada, a lake that looks like “melted ice cream”, marbled with streaks of black, blue, red and white. Thousands of James’s flamingos feed in its mineral-rich waters, huddling together against the desert wind.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then come the Sol de Mañana mud geysers, and not far beyond, the first of Explora’s lodges, Ramaditas. Like the others, it has a simple, “industrial” exterior, but is cosy inside.
There are hikes to enjoy along the rest of the route, along with more flamingo-filled lakes, “outrageous” sunsets, giant cacti and lots of vicuñas (llama-like creatures with famously soft fur). Near the village of San Juan is an ancient necropolis where the bones of pre-Incan people lie untouched in open-sided crypts. And not far north, the salt-encrusted plain of Uyuni stretches to the horizon like a vast ice field – a “bleached void” of such “terrible brilliance” that the distant mountains seem to float over it like islands.
Visit journeylatinamerica.com and explora.com for more information
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
What's next for US interest rates?
The Explainer Stubborn inflation forestalls anticipated rate cuts
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
Tom Crewe's 6 favorite works that challenge societal norms
Feature The novelist recommends works by Margaret Oliphant, Patrick White, and more
By The Week US Published
-
On the trail of India’s wild lions at Sasan Gir National Park
The Week Recommends The sanctuary is a 'roaring' conservation success
By The Week UK Published
-
Recipe: almond marmalade cake
The Week Recommends This syrupy cake can be toasted for brunch
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: houses with enchanting gardens
The Week Recommends Featuring pretty homes in Hampshire, Devon and West Sussex
By The Week UK Published
-
Venice Biennale 2024: from the good to the bad to the downright 'bizarre'
The Week Recommends Central exhibition features the work of some 330 artists
By The Week UK Published
-
Sunset Song: gripping theatre that's 'close to magic'
The Week Recommends Morna Young's 'first-class adaptation' of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's classic novel
By The Week UK Published
-
Challengers: 'the most purely pleasurable film of the year so far'
The Week Recommends Zendaya plays a former tennis player turned coach in this 'almost ridiculously' sexy drama
By The Week UK Published