Day 1: Chicago to Calama
Starting in Chicago on Saturday, it took just a little over 24 hours to get to Calama. We left home following the usual routine: walk to bus, take bus to Blue Line, take Blue Line to O’Hare. The… Read More
Category: Bolivia
Day 2: Cordillera de la Sal
Our stay in Calama was not too eventful, but that was the point. Our pick up was at 10:30, so we had plenty of time to sleep in, get breakfast, and say goodbye to the Geotel. Our Explora… Read More
Day 3: Horses & Bikes
Today was the day of rides — horseback riding and bike riding. But first, breakfast! We had our usual Explora breakfast of omelettes and cappuccinos to fuel up for the day. Our morning exploration was horseback riding. We… Read More
Day 4: Hot Springs & Rocks
This morning’s exploration was to Puritama in the region of Guatin. Since we were scheduled to leave at 7:30, we were able to catch the sunrise, the moon, and Jupiter before breakfast. Both Carlos and Nico were our… Read More
Day 5: Volcán Blanco
We left early again this morning to drive to the Volcán Blanco hike. Along the way, we stopped to see flamingoes. Because the temperature was below freezing last night and this morning, the water in their pond froze,… Read More
Day 6: Atacama to Ramaditas
Today’s agenda was an early wake-up call at Explora Atacama followed by a drive across the border into Bolivia heading north to the Ramaditas Mountain Lodge. The drive takes about eight hours, including a few stops. No problem!… Read More
Day 7: Volcán Ascotán
One of our missions in Bolivia was to climb some high-altitude volcanoes! Our first chance is Volcán Ascotán, location directly behind the lodge here in Ramaditas. Volcán Ascotán lies on the border of Chile and Bolivia and its… Read More
Day 8: Ramaditas to Chituca
Today we left our lodge in Ramaditas to drive to the lodge in Chituca. To break up the drive, we made a few stops and went on a short hike along the way. The first stop was Laguna… Read More
Day 9: Volcán Irruputunku
Our quest to climb all the volcanos in Bolivia continues today! We started the morning with a quick breakfast and a two hour drive to Volcán Irruputunku. The volcano sits on the border of Bolivia and Chile. We… Read More
Day 10: Chituca to Uyuni
We woke up on our last day in Chituca to another glorious sunrise. We had a leisurely breakfast, packed up the land cruiser, and headed north toward the Solar de Uyuni —- aka. the Uyuni Salt Flats. Along… Read More