Atacama, Chile

Paso Jamas is the northernmost road border crossing between Argentina and Chile. It connects the R27 (Chile) and RN52 (Argentina) and the cities of Purmamarca in Argentina with San Pedro de Atacama in Chile.

The road has been continuously tarmac'd since 2005. It was really pleasant to drive. At 4'200 m.a.s.l, it is a challenging altitude. In the Atacama, however, the road climbs even further up to around 4'753 meters above sea level and that's on the descent to Paso Hito Cajón, the entrance to the Laguna route in Bolivia

As soon as I had crossed the Jama Pass, I was already traveling through a semi-desert.

Along the R27 there were salars, bizarre rock formations and almost no traffic. The salars before the Salar de Tara were nothing unusual (you get used to them so quickly 🧐).

The Salar y Laguna de Tara is embedded in the La Pacana caldera and surrounded by dazzling mountains and I decided to stay here overnight.

About 5 kilometers above are the Monjes de La Pacana, stone pillars that stand vertically in the plain. Their name refers to their thin and random shapes, which resemble the silhouettes of monks. I found a spot in a hollow that was reasonably sheltered from the wind.

In the evening I made another attempt to organize a visit to the observatory. I had found a good overview of the observatories, as some are not open to tourists

But I received a cancellation from SPACE relatively quickly:

Unfortunately, we are sorry to inform you that we will be closed from April 3rd to 14th , coinciding with the full moon period and some vacations.

Sounded familiar, only the full moon is 5 days earlier than I tried the same thing in Vicuña

The next morning I photographed my first flamingo at the Mirador Quebrada Quepiaco, but it was the only one that day. I saw the Atacama Submillimetre Telescope Experiment (ASTE) from afar and knew that the Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA) and the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Survey or were nearby. Neither of which I would visit 😒.

A little later I saw Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina - Eduardo Avora on the left, not realizing that the Laguna was already in Bolivia. I drove a little ahead to take better pictures and was probably in Bolivia for the first time.

From the aforementioned descent to Paso Hito Cajón, at 4'753 m.a.s.l, it was almost a straight line for about 40 km to San Pedro de Atacama, at 2'424 m.a.s.l. I had never covered 2'300 meters of altitude in 40 km before and halfway there, during a photo shoot of Volcan Licancabur and Volcan Juriques, I noticed that my front brakes were smoking.

I traveled the remaining distance in 3rd and 4th gear and used the brakes less.

When I finally arrived in San Pedro de Atacama (SPA) I was surprised when I went shopping. I would say that SPA was like Calafate when it came to tourists. Calafate was fancier, but that was the only thing. There were either restaurants, shops or tour operators on every corner.

Once I had everything I needed, including empanadas, I looked for a parking space along the Ruta de Desierto. I ended the day in the shade of a huge tree and planned the next few days.

The region around the Salar de Atacama has a lot to offer. The first places I drove to the next day were Laguna Cejar and Laguna Piedra. Laguna Cejar looked dry and I wasn't interested in floating in salt water for an hour in Laguna Piedra, so I drove on. I had also forgotten to buy the entrance ticket online (15,000 CLP).

10 kilometers further on were the Ojos de Salar and the Laguna Tebinquiche. In my old age, I only had to pay CLP 3,000 here, not online but on site. The Ojos are two circular water holes and can be done in 5 minutes. Laguna Tebinquiche had some water, 2 flamingos and was a bit more photogenic.

But in the blazing sun, with 22 Celsius at 12.00, I continued after 30 minutes. I was beginning to realize that it doesn't have to be 36 Celsius here to make me sweat.

The third stop was Laguna Chaxa. I wanted to go there because ‘... is famous for being one of the best places in the Salar de Atacama to observe flamingos in their natural habitat...’. 12,000 CLP later, I had to get an online ticket on site (https://www.puntoticket.com/centros-turisticos-san-pedro-de-atacama-2024), got a short 10-minute introduction and walked through the lagoon on designated paths on my own. I reckon I saw 30 - 40 flamingos, 5 or 6 of which were close enough to take pictures.

The final stop on the R23 was Cerro los Guardianes. The only point on my day trip that didn't cost anything. But it wasn't worth walking up close either

I skipped Lagunas Miscanti and Laguna Miñiques because I would have had to drive 50 kilometers further and pay 10'000 CLP. The same applies to Aguas Calientes Sur

My Laguna Chaxa ticket was also valid for the Valle de Jere. The valley supplies the Salar de Atacama and Toconao with water, but there wasn't much to see other than a carved river course.

I could have also visited the Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache for 15'000 CLP, but they were on the western side of the Salar and I didn't feel like driving an extra 100 kilometers that day.

After refueling the next day, I treated myself to the Valle de la Luna and looked for the famous Magic Bus Atacama. When I left the B241, the road turned into Ripio and 4 kilometers later it became rocky and very bumpy. If I had been looking for a parking space, I would have continued on, but I set off on foot and with the drone in search of the Magic Bus.

After an hour, I gave up. According to Google Maps, it was one kilometer, but I got totally lost in the terrain because I didn't want to walk along the track. Anyway, it was my first long walk in a desert at around 2'500 m.a.s.l

In the Valle de la Luna (I didn't have to pay to get there) there were a lot of sand and various rock formations that have been shaped by wind and water over the years. It looks quite similar to the surface of the moon, or at least that's how I imagined the surface of the moon. However, I like the name of the plain much better, Llanos De La Paciencia. You have to be patient here if you want to drive the 22 kilometers to Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache.

On the way back to Tatio, I had to make a stop at the entrance to the Valle de Marte / Valle de la Muerte. I didn't really understand the man at the entrance, but I wasn't allowed in.

I then traveled on the B245 to the Geysers Del Tatio. The first stop was the Cañon de Guatín with its many cacti. I found it quite idyllic in the gorge and at the car park you could buy water and use the toilets (for a small fee).

About 5 kilometers further on, opposite the Termas de Puritama, I met two overlanders from Germany in front of the Quebrada Escalera. Together we walked down into the gorge (-22.7380, -68.06247) and after a 30-minute walk we were rewarded with a pool surrounded by pampas grass. Here you could swim and relax. We weren't the only ones to find this spot.

I continued on B245 and at Machuca I came across the Laguna Flamingos and there really were flamingos here at 17:00, less than 30 meters from the road. After that, the road got much worse.

Before the Complejo Turístico Tatio Mallku, which was closed at 17:45 and so there was no onward journey, I found my pitch for the night on a ridge (4'200 m.a.s.l).

As I marveled at the mountains and volcanoes, I thought about how much money the tourists had left behind in the Atacama. Admission tickets were up to €100. Excursions with tour buses started at €30 and went up to €120 for a full-day excursion with lunch. All in all, I estimate around €300 to €400

The feedback on Tatio was ambivalent, but I still set my alarm clock for 6.30am.

After a fresh night (0 Celsius), the tour buses arrived at 6.00 am. I counted almost 27 sprinters from 6.30 to 7.00. I had decided to photograph the plumes of smoke from my pitch and saved myself the 15'000 CLP.

Later in the morning, tour buses parked next to me and served breakfast to their guests. I struck up a conversation with a few Brazilians and learnt that there wasn't much else to see downstairs. There took just a few cool selfies right in front of the plumes of smoke.

After a visit to the Geyser Blanco, we headed to Calama. In hindsight, I should have spent the night here and saved myself Tatio. Definitely the better location with a warm pool.

The 150 kilometers to Calama that day went through a landscape similar to that in Jujuy. Only the last 50 kilometers were a lunar landscape in the blazing sunshine. Calama itself had 4 large supermarkets and various other shops. I wondered why there were tower blocks here? The area around Calama is a mining area. To the north is Chuquicamata, a huge open-cast copper mine. Apparently that's where the money comes from. However, the mining and the various dried-up salars don't really make the region very pretty.

In Calamate, I learnt from an overlander couple that the diesel problem in Bolivia had worsened. At the next stop, Volcán Poruñita, I searched a little more specifically and found articles like this one

So, I thought to myself, I would take the Dog.O.Mobil all the way to Uyuni. My tank should then be about half full. If I could get diesel there, I would continue via Potosi to La Paz. If not, then I should be able to get to the next petrol station in Chile, around Iquique on the Pacific, with my 40 liters in reserve canisters. Nowhere near the border between Bolivia and Chile was there a petrol station on the Chilean side. But you can find people selling 20 liters of diesel at the front door!

I was sitting comfortably with a cup of coffee 100 km from the Bolivian border when I found this article from Bolivia from 5.4.25

https://www.biobiochile.cl/

I will skip Uyuni! Didn't need the stress and risk

I looked to see if and how I could get further north to La Paz and Lake Titicaca without reaching the limits of my petrol tank.

Alternative 1: Distance from Iquique petrol station to La Paz approx. 700 km; border crossing at Pisiga (R15 Chile to RN12 Bolivia)
Alternative 2: Distance from Arica petrol station to La Paz approx. 500 km; border crossing Fronterizo Tambo Quemado (R11 (Chile) to RN4 (Bolivia), near Sajama National Park
Alternative 3: Distance from Arica petrol station to La Paz approx. 425 km, border crossing between Visviri, Chile to Charana, Bolivia (A23(Chile) on F19 (Bolivia)

Either way, I had to get out of the mountains again, because there were too many warnings in IOverlander along the B15-A. I just don't have a 4x4 Sprinter and didn't want to push my luck.

The next morning I climbed my first volcano in South America, the Volcán Poruñita. It was a nice hike. At 3'400 m.a.s.l

So back to Calama and down to the Pacific. Along the Ruta 1 I could still decide where to go back into the mountains!

After Calama, I was able to take a close look at the open-cast mine before Chuquicamata. Huge lorries were transporting earth from a large hole through the area. I had thought that Chuquicamata was a town, far from it, it was a company site.

The Ruta 24 climbs up the mountains and when you finally reach the top, it's almost a straight 110 kilometers through a plateau at 32 Celsius. Spooky! Power lines, gas pipes, lorries, descents to mines and a junction with the R 5. Not really much traffic.

At the end, we descended over 1'000 meters in altitude to Tocopilla on the Pacific. The landscape remained desert-like, even along the Ruta 1 to the north. The Cordillère at 1'000 meters to the right and the Pacific to the left. 500 kilometers to Arica on the Peruvian border

I spent my first night at the Tocopilla Golf Club. Just like north of Santiago, there was a lot of rubbish lying around. North of the golf club, at the 8th hole, it was relatively clean. The surf drowned out the few lorries that were on the road at night.

The towns along the R1 are, I believe, actually seaside resorts with beaches. They consist of colorful wooden huts and a few shops, but almost all of them were closed in April. Between Tocopilla and Iquique, apart from a few fishermen and people collecting seaweed, there weren't many other people to be seen.

I don't know what it really was, but on a headland a 2 meter high wall enclosed a rock in the surf (-20.83580, -70.17889). There was a colony of sea lions, pelicans and many other birds offshore. But it stank terribly of guano. The area behind the wall was also apparently misused as a rubbish dumping site.

Puerto Patache was the first really ugly place on the coast. I saw big vessels either being unloaded or loaded. But I didn't have to stop here and continued on towards Iquique. South of Diego Aracena International Airport, I found a dune landscape where it was easy to find the perfect pitch for my Dog.O.Mobil (-20.581505, -70.190446).

The locals had put up a few crosses, or should I call them lighthouses. It wasn't the first time I'd seen Chileans letting their dogs out of the car and then driving on. The dogs ran after them. Also a way to go for a walk!

In Iquique (population approx. 200'000) I saw the most high-rise buildings I had ever seen in a coastal town in Chile. As I drove into the city, I wondered how many people would be swimming on these long beaches, as the water of the Pacific was not really warm and the waves were more suitable for surfers.

I had thought that I would be able to park in the car park of a Jumbo or Lider like in Calama and go shopping. Sounds easier than it turned out to be. The car parks at Lider and Jumbo were only for cars and all the spaces on the road were taken. I had to do one or two laps until I found a space. For a town on the edge of a desert, 200 kilometers from the nearest town and almost no villages nearby, I didn't expect so much car traffic.

In Iquique, the Ruta 1 left the Pacific and for about 25 km I traveled on a good road from sea level up to 1'000 meters above sea level and back into the desert on Ruta 5

170 kilometers later, with only a barracks and the descents and ascents into the valleys of Cuya and Pisagua providing a small change, I found a parking space in Caleta Camarones directly on the Pacific. The small town was pretty deserted out of season, or was only inhabited by a few people. Apart from a few cars at the side of the road, I didn't see anyone walking around. Later in the evening, I saw fishermen taking a boat out. The sunset and the surf were better than the German TV.

Arica (approx. 225'000 inhabitants) was the contrast program to Iquique. There were a few high-rise buildings, but the whole town was more rural and didn't give the impression of being a seaside resort on the Pacific. Two valleys caught my eye on the way down: Azapa and Lluta. Here I saw a lot of greenhouses producing citrus fruits or olives.

There were beaches, supermarkets and petrol stations, but everything looked a bit simpler. Arica is a harbor town, has a Museo Histórico y de Armas and a cathedral. Not that they really catch the eye! Neither reason for me to stop.

While refueling, I spotted the Terminal ASOCAPEC, the biggest market I'd seen in South America so far. I couldn't stop marveling at all the vegetables, fruit, meat etc. on offer. In a fit of what-else-ever, I didn't get empanadas or grilled chicken, but a stew (Guatita) with rice, chili sauce and jelly. The dish was served in style in disposable plastic crockery. I couldn't say for sure whether the stew was served vegetarian or with tripe. It tasted good anyway!

I spent the rest of the day driving all over the neighborhood. First a new bridge was being built, then the A143 was closed and I had to drive 30 kilometers back to Arica. On the diversions, I found another street market on the Ruta 5. This time it looked like clothes.

After what felt like an eternity, I drove along the Ruta 11 between lorries towards Bolivia. Arica is the nearest port for La Paz and so lorries drive back and forth day in, day out. 7 days a week!

The first 1'500 meters in altitude were in the same desert-like region as before. From the Aerodromo de Socoroma onwards, two things happened. Firstly, the landscape turned green and secondly, there was a full road closure until 17:00. So I spent 2 hours in the queue and continued listening to my audio book.

When I drove to the Termas de Jurasi at 4'094 meters above sea level near Putre at 18:00, I was once again the only one, but was able to enjoy a dip in the hot thermal baths for 5,000 CLP. The outside temperature was 12 degrees, but the sun was about to set. This was my 3rd time bathing in thermal baths and I was slowly getting used to it.

I didn't feel like traveling to Bolivia the next day and treated myself to a day of relaxation at Lago de Chungara at 4'562 m.a.s.l. For me, the landscape in the Parque Nacional Lauca is unreal. I took endless pictures of volcanoes, lakes, green mountains, flamingos and even ducks

When I started up my drone, I saw the warning message and ignored it! This time, however, I managed to fish my drone out after it crashed into the lagoon. The first gust had blown it out of the sky. I decided to only use the drone below 4'000 meters.

After 4 hours of drying, the battery and chip were fine again. I will try out the drone in Bolivia finally.