Salar de Uyuni distances?
 

Thinking of crossing the Salar from San Pedro de Atacama. Have done a search here and have the respective GPS co-ordinates, however I'd appreciate any info on distances, i.e. from the main road to the Salar proper, from there to Isla de Pescada and then on to Uyuni town. Any information greatfully received.

Thanks, Hamish

I didn't go to the southwest part of the Salar where you would be coming from, but I can tell you that from Isla Incawasi, to the easten edge of the Salar is roughly 30-35 miles. There is a little town there whose name I forgot. From there it is roughly 20 miles to Uyuni. There is gasoline at the island and the little town. Some people seem to refer to Isla Incawasi as Isla Pescado, and there is an Isla Pescado, but Incawasi is the one with a restauant and gasoline. Uyuni has all the normal tourist services.

I met you two at Hostel Argentina in Rio Grande in December, glad to see you are still on the road. I, on the other hand, am at work in front of a computer right now. Saving for my next trip though.

can you share the coordinates? You can send them directly to me if you prefer, ted at perljam.net.

Are street tires OK for the Salar? Is it relatively smooth, or better for true offroad bikes?

-ted (in Ecuador)

Skidmark Rick checking in.
 

Hamish, quoting Andy T (who I met in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires, Hi Andy), but I am also envious of you still being on the road. I am the guy on the KLR you helped with the broken chain and skid mark near Puerto San Julian. I too am back at work at the Harley Dealer. I am keeping sane by planning my next trip. A circumnavigation of Australia starting in late Aug/early Sept. 2008.
Oh, btw the Salar is a wonderful ride. I wasn't sure about going there but it was definitely worth it. I have some GREAT pictures.
Stay safe. Rick McDermed.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Andy, good to hear from you, we hope to hook up with you next year in the States.

Rick, good to hear from you also, check out our blog for info on Australia. We had a blast, spending most of our time in the outback. Feel free to contact us for any relevant info. In the meantime, try and get a copy of "Not all Ringers and Cowboys", by Drew Radford, do a search in: ABC Shop - Delivering the ABC to You, an inspirational read.

Cheers,
Hamish

Ahhhhh Bolivia
 

Coming from S.P de atacama, its not the distance of the salar or from the salar to uyuni you need to worry about. Its the distance from Bolivia entrance back to "civilization" in san jose. This stretch is some bad roads and will take you probably about 12 hours total riding. I sent you guys an email explaining in more detail how your route is going to look if you go from san pedro to uyuni via san jose and the salar. I cant express enough to anyone on this board how cool this stretch of the planet is. Its just a massive desert at 4,700 meters with the craziest lakes / rocks / dunes, etc. You really feel like you are on Mars for a couple days. Cheers friends

Place to stay in Southern Cal.
 

Hamish, searching for info on Australia when I got home, I found the blog . Was reading it and surprised to find out it was you that helped me. :=) I will reread it many times. If/When you get to Southern California (60 miles north of LA close to the beach) give me a call 805-985-9594. I have a 4 bedroom house all to myself (and you if you need it).
Rick

Definitely get in touch where you get nearer. You have a place to stay, and friends to show you around in San Antonio, Texas.

The Salar itself is extremely smooth, packed hard as asphalt. The roads to get there are another story, bad washboard for miles and miles. Of course I had the good fortune to be there when it was dry. I could see it being really miserable if it was wet. There are several places in Uyuni that specialize in washing the jeeps that they do tours with, but I would still worry about a bike on the salt if it was wet.

No help on Salar de Uyuni - but accom in Australia
 

Hi all,
Sorry for diverting the thread away from Hamishs original, but I couldn't help responding with a bit of social banter!

Hamish - we'll send you a separate email

Andy - good to hear you're plannig your next trip. Aasha & I (& the 1150 Adventure) are now back at home in Oz, in front of a computer also. We don't have another big trip on the horizon after South America, just trips within Oz.

Rick - For your info, we were with Emma & Hamish when you were on the side of the road with the chain drama. Good to hear all is well with you. When you get to Oz, you must come & stay with us. We are in Brisbane & there is always a bed & anything else you might need. We can help with ride planning & might even come along for part of it - we don't need much of an excuse!

GREAT hearing from you!
 

Sorry also but had to say "HI". Cords and Aash. I sm SO looking forward to my OZ trip but it is going to have to wait till 2008. I have to take the girlfriend on a little cruise to Fiji and Tahiti this year so....
I plan on coming over in late August/Early Sept. 2008 and spending 4 months riding "around" and up to Alice. Thank You so much for the invitation. I will get in touch when it is a little closer and keep you informed. Save my info also and you have a place to stay in Southern California ANYTIME.
btw, I just received that book Hamish recommended and am loving it!
"Skidmark Rick" :=)

San Pedro de Atacama - Uyuni
 

Hi Emma and Hamish
I am back in Argentina again! Better steaks here :-))
I should have the whole track vom San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni on my GPS. I will send you the information.
When I remember correctly, the total distance was 540 KM.
Have fun! Hope to see you later in Paraguay, Uruguay or Buenos Aires...?
Cheers Marcello
BTW: I would not drive on the Salar when it is/was wet...:scooter:

Marcello,we´re getting close to Bolivia. We are planning like Em & Hame to cross the salar and ride to San Pedro de Atacama. Could you kindly email me the GPS way points if possible?Could be useful!

Em, Hame,where are you now? When are you planning the crossing?
Cheers,
Maria

San Pedro - Uyuni - San Pedro
 

Hello Maria,

Me and my son are from Chile.
We will do San Pedro - Uyuni - San Pedro, starting August 13th.
I do have all GPS info (all details).
Let me know your email and I'll send.

Fernando

I did SPDA-Laguna Colorado-Villa Alotta-Uyuni using only Garmins Worldmap, it actualy had most of the tracks we needed which was a bit of a surprise. The paper maps you can buy of Bolivia are pretty laughable to be honest, a lot of the towns are generallyin the wrong places!

Also have your waterproofs handy as mine got soaked putting it all on and I was literally freezing by the time we reached Villa Alotta. I also remember covering a whole 25 miles in 2.5 hours from Laguna Colorado, that was fun....

Anyway, you'll totally have a blast, just bring some spare fuel though. I brought 10L from SPDA and bought (syphoned) some off the owner of the hotel in Villa Alotta out of a bucket. Mmm, and all before breakfast.

Now in Sucre
 

Hi Maria,

We're now in Sucre. Tried to cross the Paso de Jama a few weeks back in an attempt to reach the Salar from the Western side, but were turned back at Argentine customs as the pass was closed as a result of snow. Full story on our last blog.

Instead crossed into Bolivia via La Quiaca. Heading towards Santa Cruz after more Spanish lessons here in Sucre and on to the Pantanal via Corumba. Will return to Bolivia late next month (?) via Paraguay and cross the Salar then. Hopefully it'll be a little warmer and less windy by then, going by recent reports!

Drop us a mail if you're in the area, would be good to catch up for a beer...or two!

Cheers, Hame & Em

Now?
 

Anyone nearing Uyuni soon?

I am waiting 2 days for parts in La Paz and then heading there in 5-8 days depending on whether I go via Potosi.

cheers

Fernando we are currently in Arequipa, planning to cross the border mid next week. You can email me at: maria "at" franglais-riders "dot" com.
We may be around Uyuni at the same time that you guys. Keep in touch if only to meet for a beer! :funmeteryes:


MikeS thanks for the tips. We´ll see how it goes there! I´m not too rubbish at dirt but sand or dip gravel terrify me so I think I will be going through a big learning curve and cursing all the way!!! :scared:
How did Michelle managed? IF a girl did it and tells me it´s fine it will do a lot for my confidence! I´m not like you guys with long legs and big muscle! I´m only little and on a bike too big for me :scared:

Hello all,

I am in Huaraz, Peru looking forward to my visit to the salar when the situation around Lima & Ica clears up. Expect to be there somtime in the next 2-4 weeks and hope to bump into some of you in the these parts too.

Cheers,
Daren

We are currently in Sucre. We should get to Uyuni in a of couple of days if we can leave town (lots of streets protests and road blocades here!).
We plan to go around the Salar but have decided against the ride to San PEdro de Atacama.It is just too hard for me. We will ride to Tupiza and from there cross the border by Villazon.
Anyone could put the coordinates of the Isla Pescado here? I don´t have software for my GPS so it is useless for me to get in a format other than Wx.xx.xx and Sx.xx..xxx if you see what I mean!
Anyone around Uyuni in the next few days?
Cheers,

Ah Maria, no worries - don't need GPS coords for Isla Pescado. From Uyuni you go north to Colchani. Just follow the tracks straight east from town out to the Salt Hotel. From there any tour driver can tell you which track to follow to the Isla. I stayed on the tracks pretty much, figured it would cut down on the salt being thrown up from the tires. From the Isla, you follow another track back to where you want to wind up. Trying to make your own route off the Salar, you're likely to get into the mudflats that surround the Salar, so stick to the tracks to exit.

Have fun (maybe I'll see you in Mendoza?)

Chuck thanks! We´ll follow your advice.
We made it out of Sucre today, with difficulty due to at least 20 blocades on the way. It was not that easy to squizz through but we managed and in one we pleaded "we´re only tourists!" and they moved a car. No way we could have gone through otherwise!
We should head for Salta once we cross the border. Are you still there? Did you fix your bike? We don´t have precise plans after that. Maybe spend a bit of time in northern argentina (testing the local wines!) before going to south Brazil for a while... keep in touch!
Cheers,

Maria:

I'm in Mendoza, Arg. where there's a BMW bike dealer, along with lots of BMW riders (policia use the 650, so good supply of common parts for your bikes). Also, some good other BMW mechanics. I'm having work done at one now (RPM, on Francia, off Beltran), bike will be ready tomorrow (all the work I described earlier, nothing else found). I broke my sidestand (hit a rock on Ruta 40, broke off the welded tab that the springs connect to, so without spring tension, it fell off). With that gone, bike was a pain (since I also broke my center stand in Ecuador).

I'm planning on staying here in Mendoza a couple weeks, for some R & R. Currently in Hostel Independencia, off Plaza Independencia.

Maybe you'll catch up to me here? After Bolivia, you'll find the food and vino to your liking - prices are reasonable (after Bolivia, everything else is....well, expensive).

I have a cell phone so if interested PM me and I'll give you the number.

Ride across the sucker? What borders are staffed?
 

I was reading this for route planning as i`ll hit that area in probably 2 days, and found that all the town names/routes mentioned in the thread are not actually across Salar De Uyuni. Doesn`t anybody ride across it for fun, or is that a given?
Or just ride across it until you`re bored and then the really good part is the route of Uyuni to SDPA?

I`m riding southbound in Chile and so my preferred route would be to enter near San Pablo de Napa, west of the lake, and then i guess; Empesa, San Pedro de Qeumos, San Juano,
Alota, Quetene Chic, Campamentio Ende/Laguna Colorada. (i don`t have the map in front of me so please excuse the spelling)
Is there a road west of Laguna Colorada to Linsor (not on my map), or is it only possible to continue southto Hito Cajon, and then West to SDPA?

Anyone know if the border near San Pablo de Napa has officials there/staffed, and if so, permissable for foreigners? And what about the border near SDPA? If San Pablo isn`t staffed then it would be easier to re-enter Chile at a point with no offiials since i would not have had permission to enter Bolivia.

Thanks

Everyone rides across the Salar for fun - its a given. Riding across the salar is easy - its the worlds biggest parking lot. Its getting there, and leaving again that's the challenge.

This is the main 4-wheel jeep tour route. Its got all the good stuff on it, that the tourists are paying to see - arbol de piedra, salvador dali desert, the flamingos, lagunas, etc. Otherwise, not much to stop and look at. Lago Colorado has overnight accommodations - important if you don't have a sleeping bag that is good down to -20C - or a bike that will start after sitting out all night in that cold and the wind. Its 3 days to go from Uyuni out on the Salar and down to SP de Atacama. Day two from San Juan to Lago Colorado is a long, tough-ass ride.

There is no gas out there. Uyuni and San Pedro de Atacama are gas points and its over 350km between these two points. Other people have come from the north and west - there's jeep tracks across the salar from those points. but where do you fill up with gas? I can't answer that for you.

Don't know anything about Linsor - not on my map either. Can't be much of a place, since most of the places that are on the map "aren't much of a place".

I have no firsthand knowledge about SP de Napa.

There's an immigration station near Hito Cojones, but no aduana for the bike. TheBigJ turned in his bike paper here on the way out of the country; they said they'd take care of it - turn it over to the aduana people. I turned my papers in about 60 km before the border crossing, just north of the Geiser sol de Manana, at an official aduana office at a mine. There's a sign along the road to/from Lago Colorado for the mine (which mentions aduana as well) - the mine is about 8km "off route". They can issue papers on the bike there. If you get into the country without doing the temporary import docs at either the border or the mine, it may be possible to do it in Uyuni, but that's just something I heard, not something I can say for certain. Ask the immigration guy at Hito Cojones.

Again, in summary: Whatever route you take, you have to figure out where you are going to stay in the cold, what to eat, deal with the gas situation. The easy part is riding the Salar. The hard part is all the rest.


Here's some GPS points/elevations

HTML Code:

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Salar de Uyuni (island)  S20.24091 W67.62763    3672m
San Juan                  S20.89965 W67.76643    3700m
Arbol de Piedra          S22.05193 W67.88298    4588m
L. Colorado (No huts)    S22.16737 W67.82033
L. Colorado (So huts)    S22.26378 W67.82033    4346m
Mine/Aduana Office        S22.44164 W67.80683    5035m
Geisers                  S22.43438 W67.75760    4860m
Hot Springs              S22.51405 W67.64818    4419m
Border (Hito Cojones)    S22.88102 W67.79839    4487m

---

Visiting the Salar from Chile
 

Thanks for the response quastdog. I read it before i left Arica and so carried and extra 2 gallons from Pozo Almonte, just east of Iquiue. The last fuel station heading east from the Chilean cost is Pica, but this is of little advantage since it is a longer route.

I intended to enter Boliva at San Pablo de Napa, but when i got to Pircas de Coposa i wasn`t sure of where the track started (tarmac until then) so rode to the SW corner Salar Coposa or advice at the only building. It turned out to be the Frontier Police and the guys out front had already seen me so i thought i better stop at them and ask. They advised that crossing at San Pablo de Napa is illegal as not officially a crossing and no border staff on either side. They recommended i cross at pueblo Ollague, and showed my their detailed maps as encouragement. And topped up my 2 gallons of fuel (160km to that point), and gave me water and a police issue balaclava for the cold. Basically they knew they couldn`t stop me from crossing where i like but were instead really nice guys, and so i couldn`t really cross at San Pablo de Napa after that as they`d see my dust going north even if i road around the lake, and plus incase something went wrong and i had to come back to them and look them in the eyes! If you do want to cross at San Pablo de Napa the trail starts next to the weather station, so just don`t visit the Frontier Police first! I´m sure you cross between Chile and Boliva wherever there is a low point between the mountains (roughly the border line) as there are many trails made since the valleys are reasonably flat and treeless.

The track to Ollague too about 2 ½ hrs and was well signposted as i think the Frontier Police are paranoid about people crossing the border on another track, and otherwise most of the land west is owned my mining companies. The restaurant also had a few good rooms with bunkbeds and hot showers. If it wasn`t cold enough, the wind in each afternoon was fierce! The 70km from Ollague to San Juan is easy enough as all tracks basically keep the train line in sight and is 4th/5th gear across salt pans. I was recommended by San Juan residents to visit Salar De Uyuni at the trail across it, which goes roughly from the northern part of the track to Aguaqizz, where this track runs alongside the lake, to Colchani. Where the track runs alongside the lake is a (dodgy) hotel by the name of Chullpas S20`36”.313, W67`35”.008 that has a raised earth car road going about 5km toward Cholchani i you don`t want to ride on the salt for to long but get more toward the centre. Probably the best way to see the lake would be to ride across it from Colchani to Chullpas, although you would have to go slow on the west side at least since there are wet areas that would be very boggy. And you`re bike would be as salty as riding in the UK in winter (they put a lot o salt on their roads).

Now from San Juan to Laguna Colorada i took the wrong track at some point so found a new route that way too! About 40mins south of San Juan the road split with the east directtion stating San Augustin, and the south direction Cococobana. Once i got to Cocobana (21`14".303 W67^47".839) a guy there advised me that Villa Alota was about 10km due east of there, but to get there you had to go some distance south and then north as mountains in between. I had intended to buy fuel at Alota (said possible in San Juan) but now just continued on and this trail provided some excellent scenery. I passed 3 lagunas, with one of them being about 3 times the size of Laguna Colorada and only a mining company owned house on the shore (S21`41"974, W67`47".050). There was a young employee of Borax mining company living there, as a caretaker of the laguna from what i could work out, and he happily let me stay in one of the rooms overnight. It was 3hrs from San Juan. I then kept guessing my way south for 2hrs until i hit the east-west track between Laguna Colorada and Quetena Chico at a mining camp, about 20km east of Laguna Colorada. By this point i`d done 650km and had about 1 litre of fuel left(!) but this mining camp would only give me 1 more litre to get me to Laguna Colarada, at where i saw no occupied building and so no fuel(?). A few people travellers recomended i continue south but then i ran out of fuel on the top of the mountains and had to wait a while for a gasoline 4wd that would sell me 1 litre to get me to the mine processing plant where aduana is, and there they appear to have a system in place to sell anything from their workshop to passers by, including fuel.

The road from here to the Chile border is wide and recently graded, so also very easy in 4th or 5th gear. Most of the trails i was on in the Salar de Uyuni area were in good condition and fast, so i think many have been graded recently for mining trucks to use. Only a few areas was it sandy, and you`d be a little nervous and slow i 2 up on a twin, but otherwise i hope no one avoids the area thinking it will be difficult.

And most of the towns and mining camps have fuel, it`s just finding the person with it or persuading them to sell you some that is difficult! So stock up on fuel and food and enjoy!

One comment on Simon post.
It is not a good idea to cross Chile - Bolivia border in unauthorizes pass.
The reason is that due to serious problems in the past between the two countries, there are land mines fields at least on the chilean side.
Be careful

That is a very persuading point Tires. I will make sure to use the proper road when I get there...

We carried 10L each spare gas but I got us some more gas (about 15L) in Villa Alotta from the wee hostel place we stayed in, the folk who live there need gas too so if you ask around, I'm sure someone will sell you some, perhaps at a slightly higher rate than you normally would pay. I also had to siphon the gas out a barrel before breakfast too!

The other thing is that the tour jeeps carry fuel too and a German guy we were traveling with also stopped one and bought a few liters off one off them.

Crap, that's pretty cold. Is that regardsless of season? Also, does that mean that most people travelling the Altiplano don't tent it and have to plan their stages between town accomodation instead?

The easy way to do it is to clip yourself to one of the dozen or so of daily 4WD tours that take 4 days to go from Uyuni to San Pedro or reverse. Slip them some cash and go along vaguely with them. They will do your navigation, take all your luggage, cook your meals, carry your fuel, and have pre-arranged accomodation. Leaving you free to have fun, zip up ahead, tag along well behind, and take a lot of fotos.

If crap happens, your jeep driver becomes your breakdown and recovery service as well.

From memory its not that seasonal ... its only 20 degrees south, about the same distance from the equator as Townsville mate. Its cold cause its all 4000 - 5000m up (so thats cold to start with) and then the night time factor ... the thin air does not retain heat at all when the sun goes down. By 6 in the morning its insanely cold

You'd have to ask the guys who drive the 4-wheel vehicles about other "seasons". For those of us on the HUBB, its a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, so we're not "experts" except for the couple days we spent there. My experience was in mid-August (winter/dry season).


Well, I didn't see any other people traveling the altiplano, except when I passed the occasional bus. The few people I did see out there, looked like they lived there.

So yes, most people travel town to town (most travelers you see are backpackers traveling by bus!). You see the altiplano and you'll understand. You'll have to carry all your water, nights are long even in summer [its the latitude], its cold and windy much of the time, and no fuel for fires. International moto travelers - the ones you must be picturing traveling across the altiplano - are rare here. If you see any, its a rare sighting - not like you're going across the altiplano and there's this pack of bikers parked near the road, pitching tents.

Did you camp on the side of the road there though, or time your ride and stay in accomodation?

Never camped - went town to town. Its easy to find inexpensive (<$10USD) accommodations with secure bike parking.

Really? I always imagined the Altiplano to be a reasonable un-inhabited place similar to Kazakhstan. We struggled to fine any accomodation in the regional areas.

Well, you got the reasonably uninhabited part right, but I'm guessing you'll find the altiplano a more harsh environment than Kazakhstan. Let me know, I'm curious to find out. For me, Kazakhstan is a couple years away.

Will do. I won't be there untill start of next year. I'm flying into BA on the 6th of November and will be heated towards the south from there.

Talking about distances than, what are the rough distances between accomodation on a day to day base?

San P.De Atacama to Yuni
 

Hello,
My boyfriend and I are thinking about taking the route from San Pedro de Atacama to Yuni in a few days. Sounds like maybe you have taken the road recently? and sounds like you had some GPS coordinates? We have a GPS, but no cable to put maps on it, so we are just hoping to find some coordinates.
We were wondering if you could share your coodinates, or know where I can find them...
Also do you happen to know if there is another gas stastion other then the one on the island? Would you happen to know the distances from the Atacama to Yuni? and how it worked out for you?
Thank you very much,
Jola and Brad
jolaglabek@hotmail.com
Home

I added GPS coordinates to another posting (see above, or below, depending on how you display thread messages).

AndyT posted a message on the very beginning of this thread about gas on the island. I spent a couple hours hanging out on the island - its a stop for all the 4-wheel vehicles. Its a "ranger station" - they charge to walk on the island, have concessions, toilets, maybe even a small overnight sleeping facility. I did not see any gas there (the facilities are up on the island - everyone parks down on the salt and you walk up to the facilities).

A lot of motorcyclists are doing this ride with inadequate gas to do the distance between San Pedro de Atacama and Uyuni (via the salar, San Juan, Lago Colorado), expecting to be able to bum it off the 4-wheel tour vehicles. The tour operators realize that its dangerous to leave someone stranded, so eventually you'll find a 4-wheel that will provide you with a bit of fuel to get to the next "place". Other travelers have reported (in blogs and guide books) that the 4-wheel vehicles sometimes run out of gas, which is why they are reluctant to provide you with their limited supply. Don't be surprised to hear "no" when you ask.

Your best bet for gas may be to ask in San Juan. I was told there wasn't fuel there, but there's a bunch of hospedajes and hostels, a few tiendas and bars - maybe someone will sell you gas (and don't be surprised its at a ridiculously inflated price).

Not exactly, since I didn't ride to S.P. de Atacama - I had enough gas (37 liters) to make it to Argentina via Paso Jama. But its roughly 375 kilometers S.P. de Atacama to Uyuni via Lago Colorado --> San Juan --> the Salar.

Its not easy riding on the washboard tracks, and the loose gravel is soft and thick when you try riding out of the ruts. Not something I'd suggest trying two up but I suppose its possible. Its an incredible landscape, definitely worth seeing.

Keep in mind, there's not "one route". There's lots of routes, and lots of different 4-wheel tours you can do that go different ways to different places, so you can hear different things, depending on who you talk to, where they went. The route I described is basically the "main" route the majority of the 4-wheel tour groups take.

Sounds fun
 

THank you for all the advice. Hopefully we will not run out of water or fuel or freeze to death..but it does sound like fun.
I just found your coordinates too, thank you!

Had a question what does L. Colorado (So huts) mean?
THank you!
jolanta
p.s. Luckily we are not two up anymore, I bought a Suzuki DR 250 in Santiago and have been learning how to ride since, so this should be fun ;), but I did get to practice going down to Ushuaia and back up.

Salar de Uyuni (island) S20.24091 W67.62763 3672m
San Juan S20.89965 W67.76643 3700m
Arbol de Piedra S22.05193 W67.88298 4588m
L. Colorado (No huts) S22.16737 W67.82033
L. Colorado (So huts) S22.26378 W67.82033 4346m
Mine/Aduana Office S22.44164 W67.80683 5035m
Geisers S22.43438 W67.75760 4860m
Hot Springs S22.51405 W67.64818 4419m
Border (Hito Cojones) S22.88102 W67.79839 4487mates

At Lago Colorado, there's housing for the tour groups on the southwestern (So) end of the lake, and then again at the northwestern (No) corner, where there's a gate/fee station for entry into the park . When I came from the north, at the fee station they told me to go to the south housing - don't know if the north end was full or not - I just did what they said. So coming from the south, you may want to stop at the So unit and find out if there's space available before heading to the north end.

Essentially the huts/beds at both ends are there for the 4-wheel tour groups - bikers are unscheduled extras. Beds are 30 Bolivianos ($4 US) - essentially concrete platforms with a foam mattress on top, with about 6 heavy wool blankets. At that altitude (and being the old-ass I am), I couldn't breath under the weight of the blankets - had to sleep on top in my sleeping bag.

There's a park entrance a short distance from Hito Cajones if coming up from the south. I don't remember what the park fee was (50B?).

There's a small "store" at the So unit with some basic canned goods, pasta, drinks (cerveza and vino along with water and sodas). Its essentially a room with shelves where some woman lives with a child so don't look for a sign - you'll have to ask. I thought the fee I paid at the north gate included my lodging - so I tried to spend all my Bolivianos at her store for some beer, water and cookies that night since I knew I was leaving Bolivia the next day. The next morning when she came around to collect for the bed, I only had about 20B remaining. She wasn't thrilled about being 'stiffed' out of 10B.

There isn't any kind of currency exchange at the border near Hito Cajones - its simply a "middle of nowhere" immigration post. You probably want to try to find some currency exchange in S.P. de Atacama - get some Bolivianos for the park and the housing - and gas? Dollars are also accepted - can't say about Argentine or Chilean pesos.

THank you, but now we have a small DR 250 problem
 

THank you for the info,
Hopefully we will still be able to go

We have ran into a bit of a problem... We were coming to San Pedro across from Argentina, just north of Salta...Maimara I think was the town name. Anyhow my little Suzuki DR 250 has never been at that altitude (4700m or so), with me anyway. Anyway it went fine with just a few farts over the first 4100m pass, but then once we came down the pass a bit and all the way to San Pedro it ran like crap. We took the air filter out and it helped a little, but still in places going up the hill my boyfriend had to push it along with his feet to get it to move. So little by little, very slowly sometimes 30km per hour we just made it right before dark. Man it was cold up there...

Anyhow we were talking to someone about putting a different jet in the carborator, but we don´t have a jet...Think we´ll go to Calama, a bigger town 100kms from here and see what they have....any ideas?
Help...
THank you,
jola

Yep, Calama is your best bet as they have some mechanics there.

Sorry but can't remember any names/addresses but if you see any cops on bikes, maybe ask them as a couple of them were hanging out at the bike mechanic I found. We were looking to find some valve shims for a KLR and after being told by several places we'd have to order them from Santiago, the guy in the bike mechanic place I found told me where I could get the originals ground down (!)- Well they actually worked out great and I even got my own police escort to the metalwork shop!

Thank you, Jet size?
 

THank you,
My boyfrind just came back from Calama yesturday and we managed to get our carborator part fixed, and we were also looking for a smaller jet, but all they had was a size 108 and ours currently is a 115...not sure if this would be too small? ANy ideas?
Thank you,
jolanta

we tried putting a wire into the jet and it helps but still does not run that great so we thought we{d look for a smaller jet.

We made it..
 

Hi there,
Just wanted to say thanks for all the tips everyone and we made it to Uyuni....We did not find a battery in SPDA, so we push started my bike all the way to Uyuni, i would not recommend it...
We had a great ride to the hot springs where we stayed the night in the hut above the hot springs and the next day went to San Juan, which was another story. We underestimated how long it would take us. I had a couple of nasty falls, broke the rest of my windscreen off and broke my clutch, while Brad got a flat, so we rode two hours in the freezing air trying to get to San Juan, me without a clutch and Brad pumping up his tire every 10 minutes. But we made it.
Thank you again,
jola
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