Road Trip: Northern Chile Altiplano

| by Jason | 35 Comments » | Adventures, Chile, South America

Salar de Surire Chile

Monumento Natural Salar de Surire

Entering Northern Chile from Peru will most likely lead you to the coastal town of Arica.  Check out our article on discovering Arica to find out what adventure lies there, but for this article we are jumping right into Northern Chile’s great Altiplano!

Road Trip

Chile Roadtrip

Driving from Arica Chile to Putre on Day 1 of our 4x4 Road Trip

Northern Chile’s Altiplano is filled with varying landscapes including snow capped volcanoes, desert mountains, small adobe villages, salt flats, flamingos, vicuñas and pre-Inca ruins.  Arica will serve as your base camp for settling into the new country and planning your exploratory road trip.  Several vehicle rental companies exist in town with 4×4 vehicles.  Between the cost of your rental truck and all the gas you have to purchase, this adventure will definitely cost you additional money.

Route

4x4 Adventure Chile

Our Nissan 4x4 Rental Truck

The route you choose will also determine your fuel strategy.  There isn’t any places to fuel your vehicle beyond Putre, which is typically the first night’s location.  Some tours out of Arica take you to Parque Nacional Lauca to see Lago Chungara near the Bolivian border for a 12 hour round trip.  Another park, Reserva National Las Vicuñas, is south Parque Nacional Lauca and will require another day to visit.  At the southeastern most point of the Arica and Parinacota Region, you will find Monumento Natural Salar de Surire, a salt flat which lies furthest from Arica.  If you plan on visiting all three of these parks, you can possibly choose a loop route back to Arica.  The roads leading to Lago Chungara are good gravel roads, but beyond the lake it gets challenging.  If it’s been raining, your 4×4 might run into flooded dirt roads that are impassable.  If you are looking for a tremendous adventure, where you sometimes feel lost and wonder if you are going to make it out with enough gas and a running truck then drive the entire loop for 3 days.

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Cactus

Cactus Candelario Tree

Day 1

Our drive began at Arica, Chile where we rented an older 4×4 Nissan pick-up truck.  We were both excited to have such an independent adventure and to drive a vehicle again.  Typically we ride on buses from town to town.  The drive west on highway Chile 11 was incredibly unique to us.  The views of dessert hills extended for miles inland as we climbed steeply into the high plateau.

The highway is very well marked and mostly used by large trucks transporting goods to and from the Chile-Bolivia border.  A road trip means you have to stop and explore along the way.  One stop was to take a picture and attempt to climb the Cactus Candelario, a tall cactus tree.  Another was at the tiny village of Socoroma.  During our visit the town was having a festival where we enjoyed watching the people, covered in flour, dancing and singing in the roads between houses.

Best Sunset Pictures

Sunset in Putre, Chile from the Town

After 167 km we arrived to Putre (3,500 meters) our destination for the night at round 4 pm and found a tiny hostel to stay in.  Although, at $28 per night we found it incredibly expensive in comparison to the previous places we’ve stayed at outside of Chile.

Chilean Festivals

Festival in the Town of Socoroma, Chile

If you begin to feel any altitude sickness, be sure to spend an extra day or two acclimating in Putre.  The altitude will only get higher.

You might also enjoy… Discover Adventure in San Pedro de Atacama Chile

Day 2

Fotos de Chile

Driving to Putre from Arica

By 9 am the next morning we were on our way to Lauca National Park and Lake Chungara.  After driving for just under 45mins, we found wild vicuñas and guanacos (camelids) all around the hills.  Although we’ve been in South America for a few months we’ve yet to see these.  Llamas and Alpacas, which are both domesticated have been everywhere, so it was exciting to see these new animals in the wild.  After stopping for pictures we continued our drive.

Fotos de Chile

Reserva Natural Las Vicunas

Next we took an hour break at the town of Parinacota (4,400 meters) to see an old white colonial church that represents the transformation of region in the area.  One and half hours later we arrived at our destination for the day, Lago Chungara (4,500 meters).  The clouds had moved in and the sky was completely white, but it was a beautiful landscape with the twin snow capped volcanoes of Payachatas reflecting in the steaming lake.  We spotted beautiful pink flamingos and tried taking pictures, but they didn’t seem to like us being around them much.  You will need a strong telephoto lens if you expect to get some good pictures.

Fotos de Chile

Condor We Spotted Flying Overhead Near Putre, Chile

On our drive back to Putre Aracely spotted a large condor flying close to the highway and yelled for me to stop the car.  The great bird flew around the top of the hills so gracefully, scanning the landscape repeatedly with only a flap or two of its wings.

You might also enjoy… Discover Arica Chile

Day 3

Fotos de Chile

Lago Chungara in Parque Nacional Lauca in Chile

This was by far our most exciting day of the road trip.  When we left our hostel in Putre that morning destined for the Salt Flats of Surire, we didn’t know exactly how we would return to Arica.  We had read in Lonely Planet and heard from locals that there was a dirt road from the Salt Flats directly towards Arica that we could take instead of backtracking all the way back to Arica via Putre.  However, this road floods often and we were advised to ask the park rangers for some advice.

During our drive towards the Salt Flats we encountered some rangers and they told us that we should be able to make the journey to the flats if we used the 4×4 and never hit the breaks through the flooded road portions.  Feeling confident after speaking with rangers, we continued on.

Road Trip Signs

Driving Slowly Through Winding Cliff Roads in Chile

Either the rangers underestimated the bad conditions of the road or maybe overestimated the capability of our older 4×4 vehicle.  We arrived at our first flooded area.  I activated the 4×4 capability on the truck and went for it.  Half way through the 20 yard long pond of muddy water we felt the truck slowing down and getting stuck .  At this point we were 2 feet deep.  I revved the engine further and we made it past the second half safely.  It was a great relief.

Road Trip Pictures

Driving Through Flooded Roads of Altiplano

Just another few miles later we reached our second and hardest challenge.  I took one look at what was in front of us and thought to myself, “There is no way we are  making it through that, we have to go around.”  But, we couldn’t find an obvious exit from the road leading around the deep, long flooded road in front of us.  I decided to go for it.  I was feeling a bit nervous.  With the throttle to the floor we began to race through as quickly as possible.  Within 15ft of entering the road lake the water was splashing over the hood and the vehicle began to stall.  I quickly steered the vehicle off the road, up over the edge onto the muddy park grounds.  This was unfortunate, but there is no way we would have made it through the 50 yards of flooded roadway.

Road Trips in Chile

Flooded Areas in Northern Chile

This was the scariest moment of the trip.  After stopping the car on the higher ground, I realized it still wanted to stall.  I continued to keep my foot on the gas pedal in fear that if the truck stalled, we wouldn’t be able to start it again.  At this point, the severity of the moment began to set in.  I continued on the throttle until the truck finally began to move.  We cheered aloud in excitement.  The kind that would have looked really cheesy had someone been watching.  We were not out of this mess yet.  The area was still muddy and several small rivers had been created from the flooded roadway.  We sped alongside the road as fast as the truck would go bouncing around kicking up what seemed like bricks of mud from under the truck until we found a safe area to reenter the road.  After driving full throttle for 5 minutes the truck was back to good form, except for the extra 50 pounds of mud that caked our chassis.

Monumento Natural Salar de Surire

Fotos de Chile

Flamingos Flying Over Lake Chungara in Northern Chile

Avoiding further flooded roads, we arrived to the Surire Salt Flats and were rewarded with wild scenery including salt lakes, flamingos, vicuñas and snow capped mountains in the distance.  After getting directions from other rangers hanging out at the nearby salt mine we decided to take the direct road from the Salar de Surire to Arica.  The most important advice given to us was, “Look for a sign that reads something Hotel and turn left there.  It’s a small sign and if you miss it, you will get lost.”  I wondered how small was this sign and how risky was the drive.  It would be the most remote off the road drive we have ever experienced.  We were 6 hours from a town that would have fuel for our vehicle.  Driving through the mountains and canyons of the altiplano became the coolest video baja driving game I have ever played.  This was real!

Road Trips in Chile

Our Beat Up 4x4 Rental Truck Facing Big Storms Ahead

The road led us down to a gravel river bed.  The water was never more than a foot deep and didn’t pose any threats, but the river bed was wide enough that we couldn’t see where to pick back up the road on the other side.  We slowly drove through, excited of the adventure, but questioning our map reading skills.

We climbed back out of the canyon up to the tops of the high plateaus where wind and endless flat mountain tops dominated the landscapes.  We were driving on top of the world.  A nasty looking storm quickly moved in and darkened the sky, creating fear of flash floods.  We only caught the edge of the storm so the rains weren’t too bad.  Had this storm began before we crossed the river bed, I would guess we wouldn’t have been able to cross it.  That’s a scary thought.  We found the aptly described small sign and turned left with a great sigh of relief.  We were headed back home, or at least back to Arica.

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Proposal

Great Marriage Proposals

Our Engagement Photo in the Middle of Nowhere

This was also the road trip that would end with Aracely and I engaged.  I felt it was the furthest from civilization that we had ever been, and for us, who were escaping the day to day monotony of our modern busy lives, this seemed perfect.  Sister Golden Hair was playing on the radio, which in itself was peculiar out in this desolate area where only 1 or 2 stations were received.  I pulled off the road where a clear landmark might be remembered 10 years from now.  It was a giant rock on the side of the road.

Jason Proposed to Aracely Here!

We took some unsuspecting pictures and then I turned on the video camera and sat it on the hood.  I returned to the front of our beat up rental truck and knelt down on one knee and proposed.  Aracely said, “Yes.”  We hid a necklace under some rocks near the giant rock and mapped our GPS coordinates.  We will return someday in celebration.

Our weekend included 450 miles of some of the most unique scenery we have ever seen in a 3 day journey.

Fotos de Chile

Endless Dirt Roads in Northern Chile's Altiplano

As we drove back down the sand mountains headed to the Arica coast we felt a sense of accomplishment and excitement.  This adventure wasn’t a physical challenge, but still one filled with fear, panic a sense of being lost and most of all, a sense of complete freedom.

Fotos de Chile

The Desert Hills of Arica, Chile

For Budget Travelers

At $90 USD per day plus $100 for gas, renting a 4×4, believe it or not is the cheaper option.  A 3-day tour that includes a visit to the village of Putre, the National Park Lauca, Lake Chungara, and the Surire Salt flats costs about $300 per person with an organized tour.  When renting the vehicle consider renting from the local companies rather than the global brands that charge twice as much.  But, if you end up with a beat up, old, green Nissan, be worried, because we beat that truck to sh*t.

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Written by Jason

Co-founder of TwoBackpackers.com. Jason has been traveling, writing, taking photos and creating adventure videos since 2024, when he departed on his first year long travel backpacking journey. Jason is a full-time blogger and social marketing guru trying to find the way. Visit my website

35 Responses to “Road Trip: Northern Chile Altiplano”

  1. liz says:

    love your blog! i put you guys as a favorite on my own! keep up the great posts, hopefully i will be able to add from the road soon.

  2. Melvin says:

    Do you have a clue that you just started a new “gold” rush? Let’s call it a “necklace rush”!

    But it sounds you did it at a really cool spot! Nice article & the photos are really nice…again! :)

    • Jason says:

      No gold rush, I forgot to tell everyone the necklace is a coffee necklace from Colombia. I am not sure how much of it will be left in 10 years. It’s a unique spot, one we hope to come back to someday. Glad you enjoyed the pictures.

      • Melvin says:

        That was a really good idea to have a special place to ask! I’ve chosen the Kata Tjutas in Australia… a really mystic place. It was special as well! I’m sure we’ll go there again as well some day!

        • Jason says:

          Wow, I just looked up that place on Google images. Very cool. I actually didn’t know I was going to propose where I did or when I did. I didn’t have a ring either, which was sort of funny. We purchased the rings afterwords in Bolivia and it was still great.

  3. Carole says:

    Loved this post. Enjoyed following your adventures in realtime and found that revisiting the trip with the additional pics and info was charming hope to get an update when you return to the spot of your engagement in the upcoming years!

    • Jason says:

      Thanks Carole, glad you enjoyed the post. We actually have so much still to write about and post. We just couldn’t keep up on the road, especially after the computer broke. And sometimes when traveling, you are just too tired to write. I have lots of time to do that now!

  4. Hello, This was a lovely post with lovely photos. It nearly put tears in my eyes! Keep enjoying your time together.
    Miriam

  5. Greg says:

    Hi; another great post that really gets me in the mood to travel again soon. My wife and I took a train across the Peruvian altiplano to Puno and Lake Titicaca but we didn’t make it to Bolivia or northern Chile. Hope to someday. Thanks again for inspiring fellow travelers!

    • Jason says:

      Hey Greg, thanks for reading. I imagine that train ride had some incredible views. The high plateau (altiplano) is a wonderful environment, as long as you can get out.

  6. Nancie says:

    What a fantastic sounding trip. Love your photos.

  7. Jason says:

    Nice post and congratulations on getting hitched. The pictures are very nice and your descriptions make me want to jump on a plane.
    Jason

  8. Andi says:

    What a GORGEOUS story!!! CONGRATS! How romantic!

  9. Laura says:

    Wow, that sounds like a fun but challenging trip! Thanks for sharing your proposal story – it sounds completely romantic being so isolated!

  10. Theodora says:

    Congratulations to you both! What a brilliant place to choose. I really hope you come back for your tenth anniversary…

  11. Penny says:

    CONGRATS on the engagement! What a memorable and amazing way to start your married life together. I loved this story and it kept me reading the whole way through. It sounds like you’re having the best time in Chile!

  12. Congrats on the Engagement you guys!!! Am I invited to the wedding?

    • Jason says:

      We actually already got married as soon as we returned from Ecuador, but we have a tremendous backlog of articles and videos to release. Still, thanks for the Engagement congratulations!

  13. Wow! Just stumbled across this blog and instantly bookmarked. Sounds like you are having a fantastic time. Dying to about hear more of your adventures. I was in SA in 2024 and spent quite a while in southern Chile in Patagonia. Loved it! It’s great to read about some of the places I didn’t get to. Next time maybe… :)

  14. Magda says:

    Stunning! It seems to be very much like Altiplano in Bolivia, so I am sure it was amazing :)

  15. This is all really amazing. May i suggest another location i think it is top to visit on the planet, that is the mountain gorillas of Bwindi.Looking deep into the expressive brown eyes of these gentle giants is surely the most exciting and poignant wildlife encounter that Africa has to offer.

  16. Wow! It looks a lot like New Zealand’s North Island. Fascinating!

  17. more great shots from some of the best travel photographers on the web today!

    • Jason says:

      Well those are big shoes to fill. Thanks Michael for the compliment. We still have tens of thousands of pictures to take and learn, someday hopefully, we will get there.

  18. Andrea says:

    So romantic…congrats! We are planning a mo th in northern Chile in June…your post is making me think we should drive instead of taking buses…hmmm

    • Jason says:

      If you plan on visiting Lake Chungara or Salar de Surire, the most fun and challenging option is a truck, however it is expensive. You can take a bus to Putre at the foot of the highlands and then take a tour to either site. This might be a cheaper option. I am not sure to be honest.

  19. Nancie says:

    Congratulations! I doubt many others can say they proposed where you did! Beautiful photographs.

    • Jason says:

      I don’t think anyone can or ever will! I had to use GPS coordinates so we could remember where it was and also look at it on google maps.

  20. Gorgeous photos and what a cute story! :) Congrats!

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