SCOUTING BOLIVIA, CHILE & ARGENTINA (SPT1005)

AT A GLANCE

A tour in the heart of South America.

HIGHLIGHTS:

The trip to the Altiplano (the Andean highlands) is a unique experience. The mountain pass road winds up inexorably towards Bolivia. Surrounded by green terraced fields, Putre nestles at the foot of the snowcapped peaks of the Nevados de Putre (19100 ft / 5825 m) at an altitude of 11480 ft / 3500 m.
The next day the road still winds uproads, higher and we cross the border to Bolivia at an altitude of 14760 ft / 4500 m. The air up here is pretty thin! In the shadow of the mighty volcano Sajama (21460 ft / 6542 m) our path leads towards La Paz and we look forward to every foot of descent.
La Paz, Bolivia's main city and seat of government is a fascinating city. Altitude: Between 10170 ft / 3,100 m and 13450 ft / 4100 m. In contrast to our homeland, everybody is happy to live in the valley and enjoy the comfort of more oxygen.
The next two days are totally dedicated to the Yungas (tropical valleys). The eastern edge of the Andean highlands falls steeply into the basin of the Rio Beni and hides the main attraction on this tour. La ruta de la muerte, the death road takes us within a few miles from Abra La Cumbre pass (15250 ft / 4650 m) 9840 ft / 3,000 m down to Coroico. Breathtaking, these curves and views!
Coroico is a dead end for us and so we set out on the next day to defeat once again the road of death, passing La Paz in the direction of Argentina. Along the way, we have the opportunity to explore the silver mines of Potosi. This mountain, with its indescribable amount of silver, helped the Spaniards in the 16th century to fill their hopelessly empty government coffers. History repeats itself! Today, the silver reserves are largely exhausted, the mountain is full of holes like Swiss cheese, and only private miners try to snatch the mountain’s last silver reserves with a handful of dynamite. An amazing situation: The dynamite is sold in Potosi on the roadside!
The next day the world's largest salt lake, Salar de Uyuni, awaits us. A rest day is an opportunity to thoroughly explore this fascinating landscape. It goes without saying that we will stay in a salt hotel.
Once we leave the Altiplano and move on to Tarija, Bolivian university town on the Rio Guadalquivir. With its surrounding vineyards and the palm-lined plazas it is a welcome change from the barren Altiplano.
The next days we are totally immersed in northern Argentina. Our first stop is Salta. With a good number of historic buildings, parks and squares, it is also known as La Linda, the beautiful one.
Next on our schedule is the Cerro de los Siete Colores, the mountain of seven colors and the old Inka village Purmamarca. Here we spend two nights and have the chance to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the gorge Quebrada de Humahuaca.
Hard to believe, but the journey is coming to an end and we will again cross the Andes on the Jama Pass (14430 ft / 4400 m) to return to Chile. The last night before the tour ends, we spend in Calama and have the opportunity to visit the largest copper mine in the world.

A TOUR IN THE HEARTH OF SOUTH AMERICA!

The heart of South America is one of the last, fairly unknown regions on this planet Edelweiss has yet to discover. It’s now time to do so. Come with us, to explore the high mountain plateau of Bolivia with the world’s biggest salt dessert Uyuni, historic, interesting towns like La Paz and ride with us the highlight number 1 of this tour: The Road of Death through Bolivia’s jungle-covered high mountains.

* The first and last day mentioned in the itinerary are the arrival and departure days for tour start and end. Depending on the country you start in you may have to leave a day early, respectively you will arrive one day later back home. Book your flight accordingly!



This tour starts in Arica and ends in Antofagasta. Book your flight accordingly!

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