More than 300 km off-road at a constant altitude of over 4,000 m - an adventure that needs to be well prepared
Extreme cold, challenging tracks and the high altitude are tough
Thermas de las Polques - a perfect bathtub in the middle of the plateau
Laguna Colorada or a sea of flamingos
Finally we continue to Bolivia. After more than 2 weeks in San Pedro de Atacama we can set off. We're fed up with workshop stays and cities. We are drawn back out into nature and solitude. Nothing is better for this than the famous lagoon route. It's an approximately 300 km long route across Bolivia's Altiplano, a plateau with countless lagoons. Here you can see flamingos all year round, pass geysers and bizarre rock formations in a landscape characterized by volcanic activity. However, the route also has its pitfalls. It is constantly at over 4,000 m, so you can't avoid spending the night at this extreme altitude. Added to this is the bitter cold, at night there are often double-digit temperatures below zero, now in winter -20° or more. And then there is the route itself. It is mostly sandy tracks in very poor condition, sometimes only accessible with 4x4, and in absolute isolation.
We have been interested in this route for a long time. Since we were traveling in Argentina's high desert, the Puna, we knew that we could definitely go on such an adventure with our car and also with Diego. However, everything needs to be well planned. Failures can cost dearly. The Diesel heater mustn't fail, the engine should start in the morning and of course we need enough water and food. In order to better tolerate the altitude, we slowly acclimatized, i.e. overnighted at higher places for several days. We also chew coca leaves during the day and drink coca tea in the morning and evening. This helps to improve oxygen absorption and thus prevents altitude sickness. Beyond that, only respect and solid preparation helps. It's time for us to finally get started. In Chile we filled our tanks to the brim again. Because, apart from the generally poor availability of Diesel in Bolivia, there is obviously no possibility of refueling on the lagoon route. And at altitude our car will definitely have a much higher consumption. Together with the frequent use of 4x4, probably almost twice as high. To prevent the Diesel from flocculating in the cold temperatures, we added 10% gasoline. Since our engine doesn't have a turbocharger, this is the only option. There is no winter Diesel in South America and additives don't work reliably, so they say.
The Bolivian border is already at over 4,000 m; an experience in itself. You have to ring the bell and wait for the border officials to open the door. This can take up to half an hour. The officers are super nice. All they are interested in is the chassis number of our vehicle. Nobody cares if we have fresh food with us. The whole procedure takes us about 3 hours. We're ready for a break. Good thing we're right on Laguna Blanca. The name says it all. From a distance the lagoon looks completely white, probably because of the high salt content. We don't drive all the way further down to Laguna Verde. However, this can be clearly seen on the aerial photos.
After our lunch break we continue towards Laguna Chalviri where we want to spend the night. Even though it's only about 25 km, it takes us over 2 hours. The bumpy track is super difficult to drive; we're getting a good shake up again. On the way we pass the so-called Desierto de Dali, impressive rock formations made of pumice stone.
Shortly before sunset we reach Laguna Chalviri, just in time for a few photos in beautiful light. There are also the Thermas de las Polques, natural thermal springs. The water is heated up by one of the nearby volcanoes and cooled down to a perfect temperature of 38 degrees. It is even drinkable and contains neither salt nor sulfur. That means Diego can also take a bath. However, we save the fun for the sunrise. It's a good thing Diego wakes us already up at 6:30 a.m. From 7 a.m. all the guides arrive with tourists, who then have 30 minutes for their “morning swim”. The water temperature is perfect and the air temperature is okay too. We hardly had any temperatures below zero at night. What a lovely start into the day. The night wasn't that great for either of us. We didn't really get a good night's sleep at 4,300 m. Micha felt sick at night and I couldn't breathe. All in all, not surprising at this altitude, despite acclimatization. Diego, on the other hand, slept well.
After the morning swim, we continue towards Laguna Colorada, probably the most famous lagoon on the route. On the way there is the Sol de Mañana geyser field, at around 4,900m making it one of the highest geothermal fields in the world. It's not quite as big as the El Tatio geysers we recently saw in Chile, but not less impressive. The earth is torn open everywhere, mud pots are bubbling and geysers are blowing sulphurous smoke into the air. Up to that point the “road” was okay. It is “only” 35 km to Laguna Colorada. But the track now is so bad that we can only drive at 5 km/h. We are afraid for our shock absorbers. A test of nerves. About 3 hours later we see Laguna Colorada from above. It quickly becomes clear where it got its name from. It shimmers in different colors, but especially in red. Up here you have little sense of dimension due to the barren landscape. What looks close can be far away. So does the lagoon. The way down is long. Only around 4pm we reach the viewpoint. The view is magnificent. There are countless flamingos cavorting in the water. Right now towards evening they are very active. A beautiful spectacle.
The next morning we drive along the west bank of the lagoon to get different views of the lagoon. From here there are two possible routes that take us north towards Uyuni, both scenic. We choose the western of the two. This one is only recommended for 4x4 vehicles, but is said to be in quite good condition. According to some guides, the other route would destroy our car (a Toyota!). So the choice is made . The route takes us past the so-called Arbol de Piedra, a volcanic rock formation that looks like a tree. There are several more such bizarre formations in the Siloli Desert. The 7m high “tree”, however, is probably the most impressive.
We mainly drive on sand tracks. Actually quite pleasant, but unfortunately there are a lot of faults that make the journey really difficult. I'm at my wits' end. As a driver, it's extremely tiring to constantly choose the best track (which of course isn't the best at the end). We have to take a break at least every 2 hours. After all, Diego doesn't want to sleep all the time. And when he's awake, he's on the passenger seat. A full-time job and not bearable for more than 30 minutes. Diego doesn't just sit on your lap, he wants to shift gears, wind the windows, empty the glove compartment, etc.
It is late afternoon until we reach our destination for the day, Laguna Honda. There is simply “nothing” between the highlights on the route. Just desert, lots of open space and no wind protection. At the lagoon we park a bit lower, on the beach. There are countless flamingos . And all of this against a picturesque backdrop of high mountains that glow in the last sunlight. I go for a walk for an hour and the stress of the day is forgotten. It's bitterly cold as soon as the sun is behind the mountains, but it still feels so good. Diego sleeps in the baby carrier and I enjoy the peace and the spectacular landscape.
Now it is only 15 km to the “main road” left. We don't know what that means. In Bolivia it is said that only 5% of the roads are paved. We reach it around midday. It's not paved, but it's in really good condition, we can move at around 60 km/h. And so we spontaneously decide to continue driving the almost 200 km to Uyuni. Uyuni is the next largest city at around 3,600m altitude. It's still very high up, but in our experience anything below 4,000 m really makes a difference. Now we need to recover and process our impressions. Of course, the first real “contact” with civilization in Bolivia is also an experience for us, more on that in our next blog.
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