Road to Atacama

In September 2023, Nomadic Road's Road to Atacama expedition took a group of overlanders 2,500 kilometres across the high-altitude border region of Argentina and Chile over 12 days. The route worked through the Puna and into the Atacama Desert, the driest non-polar desert on Earth, with stretches of tarmac, dirt and long open salt flats. September is early spring in the southern hemisphere, with stable weather and big temperature swings between day and night. The Atacama side of the route delivered the iconic high-altitude desert imagery: blood-red and white salt flats, geyser fields steaming at dawn, and the kind of clear night skies that make Atacama one of the best stargazing locations in the world. The Argentine side pushed the convoy through the Puna, with volcanic plateaus, high-altitude lagunas, and herds of vicuñas on the open ground. Most nights were above 3,000 metres, with several above 4,000. Driving days were long, with several stages that climbed and dropped more than 2,000 metres of altitude. The convoy crossed an international border in the middle of the trip, a logistical detail that always slows expedition pace but rewards with a change in landscape and culture. Participants stayed in a mix of small hotels and one or two private camps, with communal evening meals and the usual mix of expedition fatigue and adrenaline. The September 2023 Road to Atacama delivered one of South America's most iconic 4x4 routes at full intensity, with the altitude, scale and silence the region is known for. For Nomadic Road, the September 2023 Atacama edition remains one of the most visually iconic South American routes in the catalogue, combining two countries, two deserts and a full crossing of the Andean cordillera.