San Pedro de Atacama → Termas de Polques

San Pedro de Atacama → Termas de Polques

Date: Sunday, April 18, 2027 · Distance: ~64 mi · Driving time: ~2h 45m (excluding stops) · Open in Google Maps

Road surfaces
Unpaved · 33 mi · 51%
Asphalt · 30 mi · 46%
Paving stones · 1 mi · 1%
Ground · 1 mi · 1%

There is a version of this crossing that unfolds gradually — altitude gained politely and in stages over many days. This is not quite that version either. A day and a half acclimatising in San Pedro de Atacama helps, but the body will still have gone from sea level to above 4,400 metres (~14,400 ft) in under three days. Today is the hardest step of that climb. Take it slowly.

Provisions, Fuel, and Cash

Before leaving San Pedro, prepare deliberately. Once across the border there are no shops, no ATMs, and no reliable opportunities to resupply for several days.

Carry three days' worth of lunches, plus snacks that can be eaten cold: sandwiches, empanadas, bread, hard cheese, nuts, chocolate, and energy bars all travel well. Plan to carry 35 litres of bottled water at departure — enough for two people for four days in extremely dry air. Appetite fades before energy needs do at altitude, and dehydration arrives quietly.

Exchange and carry 2,000 bolivianos in cash for two people before departure. Cards are not accepted inside the reserve, and there are no ATMs beyond San Pedro.

Fuel requires equal forethought. Expect the full crossing to Uyuni to require approximately 120 litres. Leave San Pedro with a full 70-litre tank and a full 20-litre jerry can. This is sufficient to reach San Cristóbal, where fuel is typically available from drums and serves as the normal refuelling point before the final leg to Uyuni. Do not assume fuel is available anywhere earlier along the route.

Dinners and breakfasts are normally provided at the refugios and lodges along this stretch, including at the Termas de Polques. Lunch, however, is always your responsibility.

Border Crossing

Ruta 27 CH climbs steadily east from San Pedro toward the high Andes, gaining altitude quickly as the Atacama gives way to bare volcanic plateau. The Chilean exit post at Complejo Fronterizo Hito Cajón (4,480 m / 14,698 ft) is reached late morning; formalities are usually straightforward.

A short drive beyond completes Bolivian entry and payment of the reserve fee for the Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. The reserve is named after Eduardo Avaroa, a soldier who became a national hero during the War of the Pacific — he died in 1879 defending the Río Loa crossing against Chilean forces, reportedly refusing to surrender. The war cost Bolivia its entire Pacific coastline. Crossing from Chile into Bolivia here carries a quiet historical weight that most travellers feel without quite knowing why. Keep your receipt; it may be checked later.

Laguna Blanca & Laguna Verde

Within minutes of crossing, the reserve announces itself with twin high-altitude lagoons: Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde. Laguna Blanca takes its pale, milky tone from borax deposits; Laguna Verde gets its shifting emerald colour from suspended concentrations of arsenic, copper, and magnesium — nothing lives in it. The near-perfect cone of Volcán Licancabur rises behind them at 5,916 metres (19,409 ft).

A viewpoint above the lakes makes an excellent first stop. If the wind is calm, reflections are sharp; if not, the colours change constantly. Either way, this is a good place for lunch — sheltered slightly among lava outcrops and already high enough to encourage an unhurried pace.

Desierto de Salvador Dalí

Beyond Laguna Verde, the track turns northeast into a landscape of ochre sand and wind-sculpted rock formations known as the Desierto de Salvador Dalí. The name feels earned. Surreal shapes sit isolated against wide volcanic plains at more than 4,300 metres (~14,000 ft).

Short walks are enough; conserve energy.

Arrival — Termas de Polques

By mid-afternoon you reach the Termas de Polques, perched at 4,394 metres (14,416 ft) beside the Salar de Chalviri. Two simple thermal pools fed by geothermal springs offer water around 28–30°C (82–86°F) — an improbable luxury at this altitude.

On a first day above 4,000 metres (~13,000 ft), the soak is restorative. Bring warm layers for after; once the sun lowers, the temperature drops quickly.

Accommodation tonight is at the Termas. Lodging is basic but functional. Dinners and breakfasts are typically provided. The evening light across the salt flat is extraordinary, and if the sky clears, the stars appear close enough to touch.

Rest early. Tomorrow goes deeper into the altiplano.