The crossing through the Andes between Cachi and San Pedro de Atacama is across the same unforgettable route. On the Chilean side, using Hotel de Larache as a base, guest explore the Altiplano, its volcanoes and the desert oasis Atacama, the driest of the world. From here, by horse, foot or bicycle, guests can travel immense extensions of land and mystery, where they will find remains of the past that have allowed local cultures to maintain their traditions. For thousands of years, these lands have been the crossroads of commercial routes between villages in Bolivia, Argentina and the Pacific Coast.
The Hotel de Larache is a link between man, impermanent space and the mysteries of nature. It is a base for exploring with freedom and security.
This travesía crosses the Andes mountain range between the Atacama Desert, Chile, and Salta, Argentina.
Travelers to this region are given the opportunity to experience the beauty of volcanoes and salt flats interwoven between lakes and marshes throughout territory that rises higher than 4,000 meters. The trip can be taken from Argentina to Chile, or vice versa. In Argentina, guests can visit Salta, one of the oldest colonial villages in Argentina, and also travel the ancient route used during colonial times between the Viceroyalty of Peru and the Viceroyalty of La Plata. Travel through the Calchaquíes Valley, another ancient route and one that features an imposing landscape with traces of the Atacaman Indian culture and other pre-Columbian cultures that once inhabited this region. The Cachi and Molinos villages here are important testaments to Spanish colonization.
Location
How to arrive
Leaving San Pedro de Atacama, the second part of the journey uses Cachi as a base, the word meaning “salt” in the Quechua language (the Calchaquí River is salty, and Cachi is the original village in the area). This village is located 157 km from Salta, the capital of the province (1,650 km from Buenos Aires).
To Santiago, Chile, in an international flight, and connect with a 2 hour flight to Calama. explora transfers guests to Hotel de Larache by van, about a 1-hour trip.
After crossing the Andes and traveling through the Calchaquíes Valley, the journey ends in Salta. An explora van takes guests to the airport, from where they may take a flight to Buenos Aires (about 2 ¼ hours).
The trip can also be taken in the reverse direction, leaving from Argentina to Chile. An explora van picks up guests at the Salta airport. Finally, after the stay at the explora en Atacama, explora staff transfers guests to the Calama airport.
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