San Pedro Atacama to Uyuni overland. To do it or not to do it with kids that is the question? Given our plan to visit Bolivia it seemed the logical choice to go overland from San Pedro but given the high altitude reach nearly 5,000 metres above sea level there was a cautious approach and need for research. Research included reading blogs of families who had previously undertaken the journey https://jeeradventures.wordpress.com and investigating the many tour operators who offer the trip. The later was the most frustrating and confusing because there are so many and because there is so much information to sift through not mention the many horror stories of drunk drivers and terrible hostels. We settled for Cruz Andina Travel https://www.cruzandinatravel.com/en/ because of their reviews and they seemed the most thorough. The cost of the trip is about $200 AUS each. Once we decided upon the tour operator we then set about preparing for the trip which including acclimatizing by visiting places like Laguna Miscanto which is 4,000 meters above sea level and getting ready through purchasing gloves and hats, water, snacks, cocoa leaves and chachacoma, Bolivian dollars plus other bits and pieces.
Day 1 of the Tour: We were picked up from our hostel at 7.30am and transferred to the Chilean Border for immigration clearance and then on to Bolivian border for the same and also to meet up with the 4WD. Both border crossing were relatively simple and once we had cleared the boarders the driver made us breakfast. It was freezing cold but exciting all the same. We met our driver Amertereo and loaded our luggage on top of the 4WD and set off on the adventure with two other travelers from Brazil and Canada. The first stop was the White and Green Lagunas, followed by Dali Desert, Salt Lagoon Chalviry, Morning Sub Geyser Basin and Red Lagoon with Flamingos. All of these sites were amazing and well worth the visit. We arrived at the very basic hostel at Villa Mar at about 6pm. The biggest issue of day one was altitude sickness but we found that the cocoa and a couple of Panadol’s did the trick to keep it at bay. The kids were fine and probably more resilient than us. Altitude
Day 2 saw a 8.30am start after breakfast and a warm up. It was cold at the Hostel which was very basic but we survived. Day 2 saw us visit the Rock Valley, Inca canyon, and wetlands which were all amazing. We saw Alpacas, Limas and Flamingos. The boys climbed the rocks and enjoyed the freedom to roam. Our beautiful driver Ametereo prepared lunch in the back of the car and we enjoyed the breathtaking scenery while eating lunch. We also visited the Catal and Black Lagoons and finished the day at the train station which the boys loved. The climbed the old trains and were delighted when the actual train carrying the minerals came through. That night we stayed at the Salt Hotel which was great and a big step up from the night before. The boys played chess that night with our new friend Juno.
Day 3 was a nice early 5am start. The day had arrived to see the sunrise over the Salt Plains. We piled into the 4WD and set off with the appropriate named Chasing the Sun by Xavier Rudd playing on the stereo. There was an air of excitement and anticipation. At about 6.30am we stopped to watch the sun rise over the plains which went as far as every horizon. Spectacular and well worth the early start. From there we went to Cactus Island which we climbed while our driver made breakfast. From Cactus Island we ventured further across the salt plains stopping for some funny perspective photos and then onto the monument and souvenir stalls for lunch. After lunch we finished the trip with a visit to the train graveyard which again the boys loved. The climbed, ran and play imaginary cowboy games. Our driver then dropped us to our hotel called Hotel Casa Andino which is a salt hotel where we farewelled our fellow travelers who were returning to San Pedro and our fantastic driver who was patient, knowledgeable and spoke enough English for us to understand is guide information. Overall it was a fantastic trip and very suitable for children despite what some people may say.
The next two nights we spent in Uyuni which is a large desert town which acts and a gateway for travellers heading in the other direction to the Salt Plains. We used our time to get washing done and also plan the next part of our trip through Bolivia.
