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TourSur – Info – The Salares
Introduction
This page gives detailled information for other cyclists about the route we took in April 2014 from Pisiga (border town to Chile) heading south to cross the 2 big Salares (Salar de Coipasa and Salar de Tunupa). Then to Chile at Ollagüe. 400 kilometers in total, nearly completely on unpaved roads (or no roads at ll on the Salares).
We have not been using GPS devices on tour, so the information does not contain any GPS data. With a map, a compass and this information you should be fine anyway. I additionally put some photos 
online, which should help to find directions.
WARNINGS:
- be fully acclimatized. do not underestimate the altitude. you will always be at about 3.800 meters.
- carry always enough water and food. do not rely on a single supply point!
We partly used information from the following 2 websites (they are providing GPS data and sketch maps as well). Thank you very much for your effort!
On this website, additional information about this route can be found here:
Description
Please note that i have taken all information carefully. But nevertheless i will take no responsibilities for any wrong information or mistakes. The situation can also change during the time. Check carefully with locals before heading off.
NOTE:
- the given altitude is most likely not exact in absolute terms, but should help in relative terms
- the location of the linked orientation photos are also exactly marked on the
Situation in April 2014
| point no. | point | km | km total | altitude (m) | road condition | remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pisiga | 0,0 | 0,0 | 3760 | excellent pavement | border village. several shops, restaurants, money changer, hostals, no public internet, vegetables&fruits (behind the new building, last block) | |
| 2 | Pagador | 11,0 | 11,0 | 3745 | excellent pavement | probably good for water (?), begin easy climbing | |
| 3 | top of ridge | 14,1 | 25,1 | 4090 | excellent pavement | sign says 4.041 m altitude | |
| 4 | turn off Salar de Coipasa | 14,9 | 40,0 | 3790 | gravel road | if you do not need to go to Sabaya, turn right here for Salar de Coipasa. we continued on main road to Sabaya. | |
| 5 | turn off Sabaya | 3,2 | 43,2 | 3790 | dust road | turn left on dust road for Sabaya | |
| 6 | Sabaya | 1,1 | 44,3 | 3790 | paved | shops, hotels | |
| 7 | turn off short cut Salar de Coipasa | 1,3 | 45,6 | 3790 | gravel road | go back to main road and there for 200 meters to the right. take small gravel road heading straight across the plain of direction 200 degrees (ignore other tracks until you hit the main road from point no. 4 at a small wind wheel) | |
| 8 | join main road to Salar de Coipasa (from point no. 4) | 3,4 | 49,0 | 3790 | gravel road | turn left on main gravel road (near wind wheel) | |
| 9 | Buen Retiro | 12,2 | 61,2 | 3700 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | some small settlements along the way (probably good for water (?)), „Buen Retiro“ is written on a small sign (right hand side of road) and on small church to the left (see ) | |
| 10 | turn left | 0,2 | 61,4 | 3700 | dirt track, good cycling | leave main road and head to the left on small track heading to Salar | |
| 11 | leave dirt track to the left | 8,0 | 69,4 | 3700 | salt surface of Salar, good cycling | when there is plain salt on the left of the track after about 8 km, we left the track to the left and headed straight south on our own. we then joined a track heading to Isla de Coipasa, and stayed on this track until the island and pueblo Coipasa. for orientation: head to the 2 characteristic small hills at the left (east) side of the island, in between lies Coipasa (see ) | |
| 12 | Isla de Coipasa | 16,0 | 85,4 | 3700 | sandy road | on the shore a small, very sandy track lead us after about 1 km to the main road to Coipasa | |
| 13 | join main road to Coipasa | 1,0 | 86,4 | 3720 | gravel road | turn left on main road for Coipasa | |
| 14 | Coipasa | 5,0 | 91,4 | 3735 | gravel road | water, basic shops | |
| 15 | Salar de Coipasa | 0,0 | 91,4 | 3720 | Salar surface, good cycling | leave Coipasa heading east onto the Salar. keep near island and head for the 2 small islands just off the main island. | |
| 16 | between 2 small islands | 4,6 | 96,0 | 3720 | Salar surface, good cycling | head now to the obvious „nose“ of the main island just about 2 km ahead | |
| 17 | „nose“ of main island | 2,6 | 98,6 | 3720 | Salar surface, good cycling | now keep always direction of about 165 degrees (head for right slope of biggest mountain ahead, see ) to get to southern shore of Salar de Coipasa | |
| 18 | southern shore | 38,5 | 137,1 | 3740 | Salar surface, good cycling | last 2-3 km difficult, found dirt track heading to the right (west) | |
| 19 | Tres Cruces | 2,5 | 139,6 | 3750 | very sandy road | when we saw a village to our left (Tres Cruces: water, basic shop) we went straight to it. alternatively you can stay on the sandy track heading west. | |
| 20 | Challacollo | 28,0 | 167,6 | 3800 | dirt track | leave Tres Cruces to the west, track leads to edge of Salar again. for about 23 km you always cycle at the edge of the Salar. cycling not that bad, sometimes sandy. 3 villages along the way on your left – ignore (probably good for water (?)). keep west (straight) all the time, do not take right options out to the Salar. The road then turns more and more to the left, leaving the Salar. road then gets sandy and bad a few kms before Challacollo (probably good for water (?)) | |
| 21 | junction | 1,1 | 168,7 | 3810 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | take the most right option | |
| 22 | junction | 4,4 | 173,1 | 3800 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | keep straight for Llica (a 180 degree turn to the right would lead to Chacoma) | |
| 23 | top of ridge | 2,4 | 175,5 | 3825 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | first view at Salar de Tunupa | |
| 24 | Llica | 3,2 | 178,7 | 3800 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | shops, hotels, internet, restaurants, money change | |
| 25 | entering Salar de Tunupa | 12,3 | 191,0 | 3795 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | leave Llica at a military checkpoint and stay on main road (you could take 2 shortcuts at the edge of the Salar) heading to Salar | |
| 26 | Salar de Tunupa | 0,0 | 191,0 | 3795 | Salar surface, good cycling | you should be able to see Isla de Pescado (see ). otherwise head direction of about 130 degrees | |
| 27 | Isla de Pescado | 51,0 | 242,0 | 3825 | Salar surface, good cycling | nice, quite island (not inhabited). proceed heading direction of 130 degrees for Isla de Incawasi. | |
| 28 | Isla de Incawasi | 24,1 | 266,1 | 3825 | Salar surface, good cycling | water, beverages, restaurant, sleeping (everything more expensive). we camped on the backside of the island for free. | |
| 29 | leave Salar to the south | 0,0 | 266,1 | 3825 | Salar surface, good cycling | head for direction of about 175 degrees for San Juan until you hit a dam | |
| 30 | dam | 40,5 | 306,6 | 3810 | Salar surface, good cycling | turn right on the dam for the shore | |
| 31 | Puerto Chuvica | 5,0 | 311,6 | 3810 | gravel road | probably good for water (?), turn 90 degrees to the left for Colcha „K“ | |
| 32 | turn off before Villa Candelaria | 6,1 | 317,7 | 3895 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | turn left for Colcha „K“ (Villa Candelaria: 2 basic shops, water, hostal) | |
| 33 | junction | 11,3 | 329,0 | 3850 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | keep right (straight) for Colcha „K“ up on a hill. we kept left for bypassing Colcha „K“ | |
| 34 | join main road from Colcha „K“ (from point no. 33) | 4,7 | 333,7 | 3875 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | keep left on main road | |
| 35 | junction | 1,5 | 335,2 | 3875 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | turn left (sign says: left for Santiago de Chuvica, straight to Mañica) | |
| 36 | join main road from Mañica (from point no. 35) | 2,7 | 337,9 | 3850 | bad gravel road (washboard, stones, sand) | keep straight (south) | |
| 37 | junction | 4,7 | 342,6 | 3860 | dirt track on Salar, good cycling | left for Julaca. turn right for San Juan. after about 1 km another sign pointing to San Juan to the right (indicates wrongly 24 km). turn right (west) here, leaving the Salar! | |
| 38 | San Juan | 16,2 | 358,8 | 3890 | good maintained gravel road | hotels, shops, no restaurant, no internet. | |
| 39 | IMPORTANT | 0,0 | 358,8 | please note, that we obviously did not take the direct road to the Chile border. This seems to be leading across the Salar. Nevertheless the following route describes OUR way we cycled, which is nice -but more kms, more climbs and bad road. But it points out where to turn off for a possibly better route (see point no. 42). Please comment if this correct or wrong. | |||
| 40 | leaving San Juan | 0,0 | 358,8 | 3890 | gravel road | take the main road heading west | |
| 41 | junction | 14,2 | 373,0 | 3880 | gravel road, turns more and more into a stony,bad road | turn left (sign says: left for Avaroa, straight to San Pedro de Queméz) | |
| 42 | IMPORTANT | 0,0 | 373,0 | for a possibly better route (see point no. 39) turn left on the first path leading to the Salar, and stay on the Salar, heading more to the other side of the lake to Chiguana and on to the end of the Salar | |||
| 43 | junction | 34,6 | 407,6 | 3910 | gravel road | turn left (the other road goes straight and then a little up) | |
| 44 | Avaroa | 23,0 | 430,6 | 3960 | good gravel road | bolivian immigration, water. nothing else | |
| 45 | Ollagüe | 4,4 | 435,0 | 3960 | gravel/tarmac road |
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