South America - Part 3

With the pass cleared, we had a problem free, albeit slow, crossing into Chile. The aim - hit the coast, head north, visit some of the inland valleys (and the home of Pisco), then return to Argentina via Paso San Francisco (about 800km north). Our first night was spent in a pleasant sea-side camping area (we were the only customers), after which we headed inland to investigate the home of the national drink in the cactus-filled canyons. After the canyons we followed the dry (and dramatic) Atacama coastline before heading inland for our next border crossing. We stopped for the night at the regional city of Copiapó where we were informed that the pass had been devastated by the previous week’s storm and would be unlikely to open until the end of spring. Two options - head 800km south to the pass we crossed a few days earlier or 800 kms north to Paso Jama. While contemplating our next steps we had one of our phones stolen. Costly, but more of a pain and worry due to the information on the phone (passwords to be changed, SIM to be cancelled etc). Another tip - the Atacama region has been the worst so far (in our South American experience) for petty crime. We decide to head north, taking in more of the stark desert scenery before heading back inland at the Chile’s second largest city - Antofagasta. We finish this section of the trip with a camp in the remote desert, at a point where we managed to get a 50mm piece of steel embedded in one of the rear tyres. That’s enough bad luck for the time being!Read more