Page 88 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

84 4 MORE SOUTH AMERICAN TREKS TO RIVAL THE INCA TRAIL

GREAT JOURNEYS

Inca ruin at Samaipata, at the start of the Che Guevara Trail, Bolivia
Che Guevara

Trail

NEED TO KNOW
LOCATION The trail runs The expansive, pristine salt plains of the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
through several towns in the south
drenched in evening sunlight
of Bolivia’s Santa Cruz province
1&36
VISITORS PER YEAR #3";*-
An estimated 1,000–4,000 #0-*7*" Salar de Uyuni This extraordinary wilderness draws trekkers who
travelers pass through parts -B 1B[
of this trail every year 4BOUB $SV[ are in search of solitude and adventure. Most
$)& (6&7"3"
CLIMATE The area is generally 4VDSF 53"*- NEED TO KNOW require a 4WD to complete the journey across the
hot and humid, with sub-tropical flats, which measure 93 miles (150 km), but which
temperatures between 68°F (20°C) 1"3"(6": LOCATION In Bolivia’s
and 86°F (30°C) for most of the year southwestern Potosí province, often seem ten times that distance because of
$)*-& "3(&/5*/"
about 50 miles (80 km) east the daunting emptiness of the place. Sunlight
of the border with Chile 1&36 reflects so brightly off the salt that you’re likely to
#0-*7*" #3";*-
A challenging trekking route with a political twist, VISITORS PER YEAR -B 1B[ be dazzled for much of the journey. This bright
10,000; this is Bolivia’s fastest-
the Che Guevara Trail cuts through subtropical growing tourism destination 0SVSP 4BOUB $SV[ and pristine landscape is interrupted only by one
valleys and rocky hills while retracing the footsteps CLIMATE Temperatures range 4VDSF or two rocky “islands” full of cacti, the occasional
of the revolutionary leader Che Guevara during from 68°F (20°C) on a dry day in 3!,!2 $% 595.) blood-red flamingo or long-tailed chinchilla, a
summer to a bitterly cold low of 1"3"(6":
his final days. The route is generally considered to -13°F (-25°C) on winter nights $)*-& haunting antique train graveyard, and weird and
start in the beautiful highland village of Samaipata, "3(&/5*/" wonderful mirages that come and go in the
the site of an important Inca ruin, and ends in the distance. You might also see the odd miner
equally picturesque town of Vallegrande. The long Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni defies adequate description, panning the flats for salt, a centuries-old tradition
trail measures 93 miles (150 km), and most visitors although calling it a blinding, surreal expanse of that is still going strong today. The atmosphere
opt for a 4WD to cover the more difficult stretches. endless pure-white flatness that must be seen to here is considered by many scientists to be the
To make the most of your trip, you should allow be believed comes very close. This eerily silent purest on the planet, and the air is so dry and free
at least a week to complete the route and book and awe-inspiring salar (salt flat) is one of the from variation that the Salar de Uyuni is used as a
into one of the rustic campsites along the way. most otherworldly environments on earth, and calibration point for satellites far above the earth.
all that remains of an enormous inland sea that Although the traditional end-to-end trekking
evaporated thousands of years ago. Covering an route can be covered in one day by 4WD, the
Practical Information
area of about 4,250 sq miles (11,000 sq km), these majority of visitors prefer to span it out over three
Getting There The trailhead at Samaipata is reached by road from the city
of Santa Cruz, in Bolivia’s Santa Cruz province. All but a few experienced sun-baked plains hold enormous quantities of or four days to make the most of the region’s
trekkers require a 4WD to cover parts of this long trail. salt – 10 billion tons, in fact – and are home to wonders on their own two feet and at their own
some of the most fantastic wildlife in South pace. Most drive to one of the several trail heads,
When to Go The best time to visit the normally humid and hot central
valleys is between April and September, when the temperatures are cooler America. And for those intrepid travelers who walk as much of the distance as they wish, and
and the rains are still a month or two away. want the full experience, there’s even a hotel here arrange for a pick-up a few miles from the other
Website www.boliviabella.com/ruta-del-che.html built entirely from blocks of salt. end. Watching the sun rise and set, tinting the

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