The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is the driest place on Earth. Located between two rain shadows, the vast area includes the Salar de Atacama (Atacama Salt Flat), Cordillera de Domeyko, Cordillera de la Sal, and Andean Mountain Range. Here, the Andes consists of a chain of conical volcanoes rising to more than 6000 m (20000 ft) asl while towering above the vast altiplano (high plain), the most extensive high plateau in the world outside of Tibet.
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| A view of Serranía de Hornocal outside of Humahuaca, Argentina |
Remote, desolate, and beautiful, San Pedro de Atacama sits as an oasis in the desert, nestled against the rust colored waters of the Arroyo San Pedro. For most, the pueblo is the base of tourism in this isolated region of northern Chile.
A bus from Salta, Argentina transported us from the lush green valleys of Salta and Jujuy to the high desert and prisma color hills of Purmamarca. We passed through folded and faulted layers of sedimentary rocks, climbing steep switchbacks to a high pass at 4150 m (13600 ft). From this high saddle we drove across the barren whiteness of the Salinas Grandes, the largest salt flat in Argentina as we entered the altiplano. Our bus crossed the border at Paso de Jama (4230 m) (13900 ft) and we felt the cold thin air and blazing sun as we unloaded for our requisite passport stamp and search of our backpacks for fruit and vegetables.
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| The beautiful canyon walls on our way out of Argentina |
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| A few of the many steep switchbacks on our way out of Argentina |
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| More switchbacks |
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| Crossing the Salinas Grandes |
Entering Chile, we crossed the Salar de Tara, located within a the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, mesmerized by the expansive white plains of salt. As we climbed and descended the rolling hills of the altiplano, tufts of yellow grass, reminiscent of Troll hair stuck up from the ground in stark contrast to the brilliant blue sky and dark volcanic rock.
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| Crossing the altiplano of Chile |
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| The beautiful Salar de Tara and an altiplano lake |
Descending from the altiplano we observed apachetes, large piles of stones, on nearby hillside marking the ancient Incan roads that linked the once vast empire leading weary travelers to the capital city of Cuzco located in present day Peru.
Ten hours after our departure in Salta we arrived in the San Pedro de Atacama. Again, Cody found us a lovely AirBnB apartment, a quaint adobe building, whose interior was both modern and rustic, and cheaper than any hostel in the city. We spent our evening exploring the bustling downtown dominated by tour offices, souvenir shops, and restaurants. The streets were made of packed red dirt and the adobe buildings and walls were either whitewashed or coated with the fine red desert dust. For the first time in months we overheard conversations in English as we strolled down the streets seeking out hearty Chilean fare for dinner. Following a satiating supper of Campesino de Chanco (slow cooked piglet) and Mote con Huesillo (a drink of barley soaked in peach nectar served with home canned peaches) we retired to our adobe cottage excited for our first full day exploring the geologic wonders surrounding San Pedro de Atacama.
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| The adobe walls and dirt roads of San Pedro de Atacama |
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| A street in San Pedro de Atacama |
We slept soundly and enjoyed a casual breakfast in our bungalow. The previous evening we had made plans to meet a friend for lunch. We had met Simon, a tour guide in San Pedro, in Valle de Los Cóndores. He had invited us to join him on a visit with his family in the city of Los Ángeles. Unable to do so as it was too far off our rough itinerary, we were excited to see him again and hoped to climb with him before a bus took us back to Argentina four days later.
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Dinner and live music on our first night
in San Pedro de Atacama |
Before lunch we wandered the small town, this time in daylight, finding the streets less busy but equally fascinating. At the center of town, a cobble stone square hosted tall trees and an old adobe church. Entering the building we were impressed to see cactus wood supporting the lofted ceilings and relics from its nearly 500 year existence. The adobe structures of the city are iconic and necessary in the harsh climate of the high desert. Bricks of mud and straw create thick walls keeping buildings remarkably cool during the heat of the day and warm at night when the desert air drops to near freezing temperatures.
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| The adobe and cactus wood church in San Pedro de Atacama |
We met Simon in the square and he directed us to an authentic Chilean restaurant away from the main street. With his assistance we ordered phenomenal stews, unique to the region (cazuela with quinoa and patasca), and drank lemonade blended with ice and rica rica, an aromatic herb that tasted phenomenally refreshing in the hot afternoon. Simon recommended places to visit after lunch in Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon), before sharing the best news of the day. He told us we could hire his friend to drive us to a climbing area called Quebrada Nacimiento (Birth Canyon), located outside the pueblo of Socaire, approximately 100 km south of San Pedro de Atacama. Earlier that morning we had sought out public transportation and rental car options with no luck and had gone to lunch feeling defeated. Reinvigorated by Simon's news, we were excited for what was shaping up to be an incredible adventure in the Atacama Desert.
After lunch we rented mountain bikes. Making our way down dusty backroads we arrived at the entrance of Valle de la Luna, a national reserve managed by CONAF, grateful for the front suspension. We biked into the park facing a steady 20 mph headwind. Our sunglasses protected our eyes but sand and dust snapped against our fabric covered skin like sharp pin pricks and filled our ears, nose, and mouth.
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| Cody biking into the wind |
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| Entering Cari Canyon |
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| Cody at the entrance of Cari Canyon |
Following Simon's recommendations we turned off the main road before the first checkpoint to explore an area not on the map, the Quebrada de Cari (Cari Canyon). We set off across the desert on a well worn trail fighting crosswinds until a cliff dropped precipitously to a lunar landscape in the valley below. A steep trail led us into the valley where diapirs of silt covered salt rose like small plateaus from the flat valley bottom and white riverbeds crusted with salt led into the mouth of a tall narrow canyon.
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| Inside Cari Canyon |
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| Cool crystals and caves |
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| The incredible river of salt |
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| Walking down the winding salt road |
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| Cody and one of the many amazing featured walls of evaporites in Cari Canyon |
Like the yellow brick road of Oz the salt road beckoned us forward and into the canyon sheltered from the wind. Amongst the dusty surroundings the perfectly cleaved planes of translucent selenite (a mineral named after Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon), glimmered around us. Fascinated by the evaporite minerals and stunning geology I made my way slowly through the wild and twisting canyon constantly in awe of my surroundings. We followed the salt covered wash, amazed by its varied textures as the canyon enclosed around us. Long soapy blades of selenite grew in clusters from the canyon walls like celestial flowers and crystalline salt covered the canyon walls with formations that looked like the stumps on a clear cut forest slope. We wandered down the canyon astounded by the diverse textures of rock; waters runnels the size of tree trunks and salt crystals formed like the delicate skeleton of bleached coral.
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| Red water seeping through the salt floor |
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| Salt like sheets of tissue paper in the bottom of Cari Canyon |
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| One of the incredible textures of evaporite minerals |
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| The incredible salt road in Cari Canyon |
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| The salt felt like ice to the touch |
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| Cody and the coral salt |
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| A hand sample of the coral salt |
As we explored further we passed under a cavernous arch of sand, silt, and salt whose walls and roof looked geologically unsound and precarious. Only as the hour grew late did we wander back to our bicycles eager to ride deeper into the reserve. Departing for the beautiful canyon we gave silent thanks to Simon for directing us to a geologic paradise away from the many tour groups. Mountain biking back to the road, we flew across the hard pan desert and up and down wind scoured slopes laughing in delight.
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| Entering the massive arch |
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| Cody´s view of me... |
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| and my view of Cody |
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| Biking back to the road from Cari Canyon |
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| Biking into the storm |
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| Amazing textures of crystalline salt |
Back to the main road, biking onward was atrocious. At times I stopped to avoid being blown over by gusts whipping across the sand. To the south a large cloud of dust obscured the massive volcanoes. But determined to make the most of our visit we pressed on despite the dust storm.
Our timing was impecable and we arrived at our next stop, the Cueva de Sal (salt cave) just as a tour group was leaving. We wandered through the narrow slot canyon marveling at the crystalline salt walls carved smooth by wind and water. The salt deposited in cycles of evaporation lays underground stratified and cold like glacial ice. Delving deeper the slot canyon enclosed around us and we entered the pitch black confines of the cavern, a long tunnel of unseen beauty. Natural skylights from far above peaked daylight into the darkness. We relished being protected from the ferocious wind and took our time exploring the crystalline depths.
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| Entering the Salt Cave |
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| Inside the salt cave |
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| Cody gazing up at one of the skylights in the salt cave |
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| Wandering through the salt cave |
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| Exploring in the salt cave |
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| Cody leaving the salt cave |
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| Standing on top of the salt cave |
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| The wnd swept sands of La Duna Mejor |
Reentering the wind with added layers we slowly climbed a steep loose sandy hill on our bikes to our next stop at La Duna Mejor (The Great Dune). The tall sand dune rose majestically above the wavy lines of folded sedimentary rocks forming ridges parallel to the salt laden valley bottom. Cody and I, with tired legs, sore bottoms, and sand in every crevice of our bodies decided to not bike further and to enjoy sunset from this final stop. We climbed the lee side of the dune on a trail built along natural terraces of evaporite minerals. To our south, squiggling ridges of red folded sedimentary rock stood in contrast to the golden dune and salt covered plain. Reaching the summit we walked atop a ridge perpendicular to the dune overlooking small towers in the distance displaying impressive geomorphic features. An hour of wandering and photographs passed quickly. As the sun set behind the Andes we descended from our vantage point a top the dune hoping to not bike home in the dark.
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| Beautiful red rock glowing in the evening light with the dust storm looming in the background |
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| Walking the ridge at La Duna Mejor |
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| The amazing ridges of rock below La Duna Mejor |
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| The view from La Duna Mejor |
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| A view of the incredible landscape |
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| Breathtaking view from the ridge |
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| Valle de la Luna |
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| La Duna Mejor |
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| Selfie from the top of La Duna Mejor with the dust storm behind us |
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| The view from La Duna Mejor |
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| Loving life in the Atacama desert |
With the light fading quickly and the sky changing colors above us we road back to town grateful for mostly downhill topography and that the wind had died to stillness. Exhausted, we returned our bikes and enjoyed a delightful thin crust pizza before retiring for our final night in our adobe AirBNB.
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| Morning in our cozy AirBnB |
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| Moving accommodataions |
The next morning we moved accommodations lumbering down dirt roads feeling like a pack mule in an old frontier town. We made plans with Simon to go bouldering outside of town in the afternoon. At 2:30pm we met up with rental bikes, climbing shoes, and sore bottoms from the previous day. We followed Simon north of San Pedro down a gravel road that quickly turned to sand and dirt. On our bikes we repeatedly crossed the ruddy colored waters of the Arroyo San Pedro soaking our shoes and socks. Shortly into our journey we passed 12th-century Pukará de Quito, an indigenous fort that stood as one of the final bastion against the Spanish in northern Chile. The road followed the slow meandering river lined with "cola de zorro" (Pampa grass), red cliff bands, and green hills. Nearly an hour into our ride we passed a beautiful white church perched on a hill built for the numerous family living within the river valley.
After an hour of pedaling we stopped, left our bikes and hiked a short ways uphill. The boulder field lay staged next to a large yellow sand dune below a red cliff band. We had no crash pads but were fortunate find copious easy climbing on perfect featured rock. I scampered up more than a dozen boulders, simply to stand on their tops and take in the silence and impressive view. The rock was incredible with rainbow colored orbs eroding from the ignimbrite deposit, an ancient pyroclastic flow from one of the many nearby volcanoes. The three of us spent our afternoon isolated, climbing, laughing, and feeling connected to the beautiful and unique landscape. For the second time in two days we left at sunset as the cliffs and hills basked in warm evening light. Biking by braille under brilliant stars we returned to our hostel content with the day that was topped off with a traditional Chilean dinner of Pastel de Choclo, a hearty corn pudding.
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| Simon and I crossing the Arroyo San Pedro on our way to bouldering |
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| Cody and Simon crossing the red silty river |
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| Simon bouldering infront of the sand dune |
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| Cody and Simon hanging out amongst the boulders |
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| An ancient stone corral in the boulder field |
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| Biking back to town at sunset |
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| The little white church on the hill |
Anxious to leave for climbing the next morning we returned to our room, exhausted and ready for bed.
Unfortunately, our room shared walls with a karaoke bar, so rather than peaceful slumber I lay awake listening to poor renditions of Elton John and Celine Dion into the wee hours of the morning.
Our alarm went off early and I awoke feeling awful after the night of karaoke warbling in my ear and a midnight surprise of chills and digestive issues. I was not excited to go climbing at 12000 ft asl. We were picked up by Simon and his friend and gathered another climber, Pauli on our way out of town. I slept through the car ride, exhausted, awaking periodically to hear snippets of conversation. We passed the ALMA radiotelescope and stone ruins, corrals, and ancient terraces built by pre-Incan civilizations as we gained elevation and entered the altiplano.
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| Leaving San Pedro de Atacama for Socaire! |
We arrived in Socaire in midmorning and made our way to Quebrada Nacimiento 7 km from town. The narrow canyon cut through an ignimbrite deposite creating vertical and overhanging walls of cracks and featured rock. The sun was already fierce but the shade was perilously cold. We started climbing in the sun and could feel the altitude, huffing and puffing as our arms grew tried and forearms pumped. In the afternoon we moved from the heat of the sun to the shade where I stood shivering as Cody climbed. That night we camped on the sandy floor of the picturesque canyon next to rock rimmed cacti and shrubs of the fragrant rica rica and copa copa plants. As we finished dinner the four of us sat on a rib of rock watching the horizon burn orange and fade to midnight blue.
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| Our camp in Quebrada Nacimiento |
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| Looking through one of the many amazing featured rocks in Quebrada Nacimiento |
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| A view of the climbing surrounding camp |
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| Looking through the window from the stonewall refugio cave |
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| Sunset at Quebrada Nacimiento |
The night was cold but before retiring to bed Cody and I walked back to the canyon rim to gaze up at the star filled night sky. The Milky Way glowed above us, a magical river of twinkling light swept across the broad altiplano sky. It was indescribably beautiful.
Our second day of climbing at Quebrada Nacimiento was as wonderful as the first. The rock was bullet proof, filled with pockets, huecos, and otherworldly features. We climbed until sunset, hiking to the canyon rim in twilight. Cody and I wished we had more time to explore the wild canyon and other unique landscapes surrounding San Pedro de Atacama.
On the drive back Simon had the driver stop the van along a lonely stretch of road and turn off the car. In the twilight it looked as if we were about the climb one of the many rolling hills that stretch across the altiplano. The car while off, was in neutral and when the driver removed his foot from the break we began to roll up the hill, or so it seemed. The optical illusion of the gravity hill was convincing and only my firm belief in the laws of motion told me that I was being tricked by my surroundings. Irregardless the experience was facinating and incredibly fun as we slowly appeared to roll uphill in neutral.
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| Cody and I pose down in front of the mountains rising up from the altiplano |
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| Driving back to San Pedro de Atacama after a long day of climbing while cruising "up" a gravity hill in neutral |
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| The mountains at sunset as we prepared to leave |
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| Our final dinner in Chile |
Our final night in Chile was enjoyed with a three course meal and a bottle of wine that included a delicious and interesting take on a hamburger. As we went to sleep I felt sad that our time in the astounding country had come to a close. The next morning we boarded our double decker bus and found our seats in the front feeling for the first time regret, for leaving a place too soon.
The bus ride back to Argentina was a beautiful in reverse. We disembarked in the village of Purmamarca, disappointed to find its famous Cerro de Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors) in the shade. We bought a bus ticket north to Humahuaca and wandered the tourist town looking at the brightly colored woven fabrics.
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| Entering Purmamarca |
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| The Cerro de Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colors) in Purmamarca |
Arriving in Humahuaca after dark we followed signs to the nearest hostel and were pleased to find a beautiful room filled with bright colors and art. We awoke the next morning feeling rested and eager to see the pueblo described in our guidebook as the "most handsome" settlement along the Quebrada de Humahuaca. Cobblestone streets guided us through rows of whitewashed adobe buildings. The main square surrounds a 17th-century church and the city municipal building complete with a clock tower and cast bells that ring on the half hour.
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| One of the many cool facades in Humahuaca |
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| A view of the clocktower from the main square |
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| The clocktower and municipal building in Humahuaca |
Off the main square a long stone staircase led up to the most impressive bronze statue we have ever seen, Monumento a la Independencia. The statue, standing on a beautiful stone pedestal commemorates the contribution of the indigenous community to the fight for independence from Spain. We explored the staircases encircling the monument amazed by the craftsmanship and stunning view of the city below us.
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| The stairs leading up the the independence monument |
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| El Monumento a la Independencia in Humahuaca, Argentina |
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| Cactus and a small adobe monument |
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| The fierce indiginous warrior in profile |
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| The amazing variety of potatoes in the Humahuaca market |
After lunch we took a private taxi to an overlook of Las Serranía del Hornocal and its Cerros del Catorce Colores (Hills of Fourteen Colors). The view point was located at over 14000 ft asl and despite the sun a bitter wind cut through our clothing. The drive up from town was beautiful as we passed ancient stone corrals and vicuña grazing and running in the altiplano fields. From the parking lot the view of the colorful mountains was impressive but as we cruised down the 1 km trail our appreciation of the colorful rock escalated. Layers of reds, whites, greens, and grays snaked across the broad hill slopes as if drawn as the result of a psychedelic dream. Chilled, we returned to the truck happy and blessed by our small glimpse of natures beauty.
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| The winding dirt road to the overlook |
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| A view of the most beautiful hillside in Argentina, La Serranía de Hornocal |
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| Having fun in the sun |
Our final afternoon in Argentina was enjoyed wandering the souvenir booths and buying trinkets. Humahuaca while small and quaint is beautiful and bustling with life. We watched old women walk the streets dressed in brightly colored skirts and shawls, long black braided hair covered by wide brimmed hats. Children laughed and played in their parents stores and people moved through their day with a tranquil slow pace.
The next morning a three hour bus ride took us to the Argentina border town of La Quica from where we walked a short ways to the Bolivian border and city of Villazón. After four and a half months of exploring Argentina and Chile we had finally made it to Bolivia. We have a map that has tracked our journey from the Straight of Magellan to the Bolivian border. It seems like an impossible long distance and we still have so much further to travel. We are fortunate to share this experience with one another and with the amazing and diverse friends we have met along the way. Our lives feel surreal, with every experience increasing our appreciation for each other and for the ongoing adventure we share.
