Paso Sico — San Antonio de los Cobres to San Pedro deAtacama.
Distance
340 km
Duration
1 day
Climb
2,200 m
Paso Sico — San Antonio de los Cobres to San Pedro de Atacama.
A raw puna crossing from the Argentine altiplano to the Atacama desert. Route 51 climbs past Olacapato, one of the highest villages in Argentina, to the 4,092m Sico pass on the Chilean border, then descends the paved Chile Route 23 past Atacameno villages to San Pedro de Atacama. Remote, rough on the Argentine side, and staggeringly beautiful.
Quick facts
SurfaceMixed
Distance340 km
Days1
Total climb2,200 m
DifficultyChallenging
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The route.
San Antonio de los CobresStart · Dusty mining town at 3,775m on the Tren a las Nubes line. Last dependable fuel and food — the crossing ahead is empty.
OlacapatoScenic Point · One of the highest inhabited villages in Argentina at 4,090m, adobe houses ringed by 5,000m volcanoes. Salt flats spread west.
Paso Sico (4,092m)Mountain Pass · The border on the Andean divide. Argentine RN51 to here is gravel and washboard; the Chilean side is smooth paved Route 23.
SocaireRestaurant · Atacameño oasis village with stone-terraced fields and a colonial church. Good spot to eat and refuel the body before the final run.
TalabreScenic Point · Tiny relocated village below Lascar volcano. The altiplano gives way to the vast Salar de Atacama basin ahead.
San Pedro de AtacamaEnd · End in the adobe desert hub. Cold beer, hostels and the Valle de la Luna on the doorstep.
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