Description
Norte Grande is the region in the north of Chile that contains the Atacama desert and the cities of Antofagasta, Iquique, Arica and the tourist town of San Pedro de Atacama.
I rode in the Norte Grande in the months of June, July and August of 2006. I started the main part of the ride in Antofagasta Chile and finished in Iquique Chile. I rode through San Pedro de Atacama, Bolivia including Parc National Edaurdo Avaroa and Uyuni Salar. I also road across some National Parks in the Northeastern corner of Chile.
Route
I started riding at the airport in Santiago (SCL). I rode for a couple hundred of kilometers in the area around Santiago northwards. I took an overnight bus from La Serena to Antofagasta and started riding from there.
The trip consisted of the following segments:
- Antofagasta to San Pedro de Atacama
- San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni Bolivia through Eduardo Avaroa National Park Bolivia
- Uyuni to Lauca National Park Chile
- Lauca National Park to Arica
- Arica to Iquique along the Pan American Highway (Route 5)
I took a 24 hours bus from Iquique to the Santiago airport and flew home from there.
Stats
Minimal Altitude: 0m
Maximal Altitude: 4900m