13 Day Cycle Chile & Argentina: Atacama To Salta

Those on our group flights will arrive to Calama airport today, after connecting in Santiago de Chile. There will be a group transfer from the airport to our start hotel in the nearby town of San Pedro. For those people who have booked Land Only and made their own travel arrangements, you are welcome to meet the group transfer should you wish (and have informed us in advance). Otherwise the meeting point is at the start hotel in San Pedro anytime in the afternoon/evening.

This morning we get on our bikes for the first time and go on an acclimatisation ride. We will depart the town of San Pedro and cycle to the Valley of the Moon. Here you will feel as if you have landed on another planet, as it is often compared to Mars due to its red coloured rock formations and dunes. Afterwards we will cycle to some salt caves, before heading back to San Pedro town.

Today is a very early start as we depart our hotel in San Pedro and set off towards the impressive Tatio Geysers, the third largest geyser fields in the world and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. They are located at 4000 meters above sea level. Departing early gives us an opportunity to watch the sunrise in one of the most important geothermic fields in the world. On arrival we will enjoy breakfast in this beautiful setting, providing us with the perfect way to warm up. On our way back to San Pedro we will see beautiful sites and stop off in the village of Machuca, an Atacameño village of 20 houses which are built from clay, straw and cactus wood. We will head back to town in time for lunch. In the afternoon we have a short ride to San Isidro’s Chapel, stopping along the way at famous landmarks like the Devil’s Throat.

Today is a long travel day so we will get up early in order to say goodbye to Chile and cross via the Jama Pass (4275m) into Argentina (approx. 2.5 hours). We will be making some stops along the way at viewpoints to stretch our legs and take some photos during the journey, including a stop at some lagoons in Los Flamencos National Reserve. Once we clear immigration, we will continue our transfer to the town of Jama (approx. 2.5 hours). In Jama we will have lunch before we get on our bikes and cycle alongside the Jama Salt Flats. We then have another transfer (approx. 1.5 hours) to our destination for the night, Susques.

Departing Susques, we transfer (approx. 1 hour) to the small community of Cerro Negro. Here we will unload the bikes and start cycling towards the Salinas Grandes Salt Pans. Here you will have the opportunity to experience riding on salt before making a stop for our picnic lunch. After lunch we have a short transfer to the viewpoint of Abra de Potrerillos (4170m). From here we will enjoy a fast-downhill ride with amazing views of the surrounding coloured hills and rock formations until we arrive at the famous Hill of Seven Colours. After taking some photos we have a short ride to our hotel located just outside the town of Purmamarca.

We start the morning with a transfer (approx. 1 hour) to the small town of El Carmen. Today’s ride will feel completely different as we cycle on a paved road through a rainforest heading south towards Salta. This was the route that joined the two main and largest cities in the province, Salta and Jujuy. This is definitely one of the most spectacular cycling stages as you will encounter a serpentine road surrounded by lush rainforest on either side. We will stop for a picnic lunch near the town of La Caldera before boarding a transfer to our destination for the next 2 nights, the beautiful city of Salta.

Spend today at leisure and enjoy exploring beautiful Salta. We recommend you visit the high mountain archaeological museum (MAAM), located in the centre of town. Here you will find three mummies of children from the Inca civilization, who were sacrificed at the Llullaillaco Volcano. Only one of the mummies is on display at any one time, as they are changed every 6 months. Please ask your tour leader and they will help you to arrange it. We can also organise a bird watching trip to Finco Cielo Verde.

Following breakfast, we transfer (approx. 1 hour), to the abandoned Alemania village and train station. After exploring this fascinating village, we will get on our bikes and start cycling along the Conchas River. We will pass many interesting rock formations which have over the years received names like the Amphitheatre and the Devil’s Throat. Today is our longest ride but we end in the tranquil town of Cafayate, which is renowned for its wine production.

This morning we cycle towards the Sacred City of Quilmes. These are Calchaquí native ruins, from a tribe who once lived amongst the Calchaquí mountain range. It is considered as the largest pre-Colombian settlement in Argentina. We will have a guided tour of the ruins before having lunch and then transfer (approx. 1 hour) back to Cafayate. On route we will stop at Las Arcas de Tolombon Winery for some wine tasting.

After breakfast we set off on our bikes towards the Calchaqui Valley passing through the old town of San Carlos. This is one of the oldest towns in Argentina. After lunch we will take a transfer (approx. 1.5 hours) to Molinos but will be stopping off at the best locations to get great photos. Everywhere you look you will see horizontal rock formations which look like they have been fired at Earth from space. We will pass a few sleepy small towns and hamlets along the way.

After breakfast we will start cycling straight from our hotel and head on the old National Route 40 to Seclantas. This is a very scenic route as we will be cycling along the Calchaquí River. When we arrive to El Colte, we will stop and appreciate some of the art displayed by the side of the path produced by loom weavers. Afterwards we will carry on cycling until we arrive at our hotel for the night.

For our final day of cycling we will have a short transfer (approx. 30 minutes) to our starting point in Los Cardones National Park. The name comes from the hundreds of cardon grande cactus which are everywhere throughout the park. From here we will have our final biking stage, downhill along the mesmerising Bishop’s Slope. The last leg of our journey is completed with a transfer back to Salta.

On our final morning, we transfer to the airport to catch our flight to Buenos Aires. We will arrive in time for the evening flight to London. Land only portion of the trip ends at Salta airport.