Thin air, always thin air, since our start over a month ago in the city of two million people, La Paz, the seat of Bolivia's government. There, at an altitude of almost 4,000 metres in the Andes, we had taken our time and practised the short huff and puff over two or three days, then got on our bikes and pedalled over plateaus with few inclines to the main ridge of the Andes mountain range.
No idea of the dimensions of the Andes
Luckily, we had no idea of the scale of the Andes before the trip, otherwise we would have been disheartened and stayed at home. Because it soon became clear: compared to the Andes, the Alps are like a doll's house.
But now it's too late for such insights, because we're already in the thick of it. We cycle to our first pass, the 4660 metre high Tambo Quemado, over which the border between Bolivia and Chile runs, rolling from one valley to the next at a gentle incline and on silky asphalt, thinking again and again that the summit will soon be visible on the horizon of the Andes. Then we stop thinking and allow ourselves to be absorbed by this expanse where the wind ruffles the barren steppe grass, day after day. The simple villages, where no car stops, are as sparse as the grass.
You can find the full travel report about the cycle tour across the Andes as a PDF download with these tours below:
From four thousand to zero: La Paz - Arica (492 kilometres)
The air is thin, the luxury road climbs gently and endlessly, behind the Paso Tambo Quemado wide, draughty plateaus open up, then the descent to the sea begins.
- STAGE 1 100 kilometres | La Paz - Patacamaya
- STAGE 2 152 kilometres | Patacamaya - Kilometre board 152
- STAGE 3 100 kilometres | kilometre marker 152 - Paso Tambo Quemado (4,660 m) - Lago Chungará - Putre
- STAGE 4 140 kilometres | Putre - Arica
Between the sea and the desert: Arica - Tocopilla (541 kilometres)
From Arica southwards, the dream road winds between the sea and the desert.
- STAGE 5 104 kilometres | Arica - Aduana de Cuya
- STAGE 6 74 kilometres | Aduana de Cuya - Tiliviche
- STAGE 7 131 kilometres | Tiliviche - Pozo Almonte - Iquique
- STAGE 8 96 kilometres | Iquique - Río Seco
- STAGE 9 136 kilometres | Río Seco - Punta del Urca Norte - Tocopilla
On the bus to the crest of the Andes: Tocopilla - Argentinian customs station at Paso de Jama (420 kilometres)
Due to constant rain and snowfall in the mountains, the journey to the Paso de Jama (4,300 metres) is by bus. 60 kilometres before the pass, the road reaches an altitude of 4,820 metres.
Snow volcanoes and tropical birds: Paso de Jama - Saujíl (1,013 kilometres)
Over the third four-thousander, Lipán, past salt lakes and down into the subtropical splendour of northern Argentina. From Concepción to Andalgalá there are two beautiful, tough 2,000 metre passes to conquer on a natural road.
- STAGE 10 116 kilometres | Paso de Jama - Susques
- STAGE 11 134 kilometres | Susques - Salinas Grandes - Cuesta de Lipán (4,191 m) - Purmamarca
- STAGE 12 156 kilometres | Purmamarca - San Salvador de Jujuy - Salta
- STAGE 13 101 kilometres | Salta - Ampascachi (detour to the Cabra Corral reservoir) - La Viña
- STAGE 14 105 kilometres | La Viña - Cafayate
- STAGE 15 118 kilometres | Cafayate - Amaichá del Valle - Paso del Infiernillo (3,040 m) - Tafí del Valle
- STAGE 16 90 kilometres | Tafí del Valle - Monteros - Concepción
- STAGE 17 63 kilometres | Concepción - Alpachiri - Paso de la Banderita (1,900 m) - Las Haciendas
- STAGE 18 130 kilometres | Las Haciendas - Alomito - Cuesta la Chilca (1,800 m) - Andalgalá - Saujíl
Turning round in the ballast bed: Saujíl - Chilecito (909 kilometres)
Perfect roads to the border on the Paso de San Francisco, but on the Chilean side a rough gravel track forces us to turn back to Argentina.
- STAGE 19 93 kilometres | Saujíl - Aimogasta
- STAGE 20 171 kilometres | Aimogasta - Tinogasta - Fiambalá
- STAGE 21 96 kilometres | Fiambalá - La Cortaderas
- STAGE 22 103 kilometres | Las Cortaderas - Las Grutas - Paso de San Francisco (4,726 m)
- STAGE 23 200 kilometres | Paso de San Francisco - Las Grutas - Fiambalá
- TAPE 24 142 kilometres | Fiambalá - Alpasinche - Andolucas
- STAGE 25 104 kilometres | Andolucas - Chilecito
Bus journey to the foot of the Andes mountains: Chilecito - Medoza (725 kilometres)
The next tarmac pass is so far south that we take the bus to the starting point in Mendoza.
On to the last pass: Mendoza - Los Andes (274 kilometres)
The Paso Bermejo is an easy three-thousand metre climb, therefore busy but still pretty.
- STAGE 26 105 kilometres | Mendoza - Uspallata
- STAGE 27 169 kilometres | Uspallata - Paso Bermejo (3,834 m) -
Los Andes: By bus to your destination Los Andes - Valparaíso (150 kilometres)
We prefer to see the traffic in the greater Santiago de Chile and Valparaíso area from the bus.
TOUR 11/2014 you can also order conveniently online here.
Downloads:
PDF: South America: Andes Passes
