Much to our relief: at last arrival in the very North of Chile

Arica, a lovely harbour town

Break up into the Atacama desert climbing Paso Tambo Quemado...

... with emphasis on "up"...

... which meant break down while descending.

It is a climb from sea level up to 4500m.

Finally, the time of safe camping has come.

Nevados de Putre

Paso Tambo Quemado can be dusty too.

I was thankful to have a watering truck ahead.

We are in Chile and I enjoy the people who welcome us very much.

Beginning of Chilean part of Altiplano

Alpacas, are they not cute?

Reaching the top with Volcanoe Parinacota,...

... Chile's highest volcano (6348m) and perfectly symmetric...

... beside Laguna Chungarà

We were allowed to sleep in the border police station:

I felt at ease, he could have fallen only 10cm. :-)

The loooong lane of Bolivian trucks at the border station intending to reach the harbour of Arica.

It is time to put on a slip-proof tire.

Entering National Parc Lauca:

Moving towards the smoking vulcano Guallatire ...

... to a hot spring only for us

The algae make the colours.

After the hot bath our muscles felt a lot better.

Crazy situations...

... and sometimes the long hours gave me crazy ideas.

The colonial church of Guallatire

Where shall we camp?

Anywhere

At night the temperatures fall down to -15°C:

The water froze even in the inner tent.

Salar de Surire ahead

Absolutely worthwhile to ride out here.

Salar de Surire is a borax and antimony mine.

Rest at the nearby refugio

Vicuñas: in front, at the back...

... and sometimes you can observe them quite close.

Big birds on the ground (nandu)...

... and big birds in the sky: An eagle or a condor? Who identifies?

Standard roads:

Dimitri's attempt to escape the washboard conditions

Not concentrating just for a second can make you fall in the deep sand.

Approaching a huge plain:

The road cuts even the green border to Bolivia and reenters Chile.

The unforgettable moments of cycle touring

We might even have camped on Bolivian territory. It's a question of some meters.

A typical picture of the Altiplano.

Dimitri, chasse interdite! (hunting not allowed!)

Colchane, border town - Pedaling not necessary, the strong wind blew us over to Bolivia.