BIKEPACKING ATACAMA (with support vehicle)

After our first bikepacking group experience in Patagonia, we’ve decided to return to Chile and cycle across the Atacama Desert. After all, the Atacama is a very special place for us—it was here in 2001 that the idea was first born to start our own bike travel agency!

Chile, with its geographic diversity, gives us a good opportunity to visit places like the Andes, the Atacama Desert and the Altiplano lakes while retracing the roots of ancient cultures such as the Atacamaña, Aymaras and Mapuches people.

The Atacama Desert is the driest in the world, protected from humidity on both sides by high mountain ranges with the Andes along the interior and the Coastal Range towards the Pacific Ocean.

Hundreds of years ago, caravans crossed the Atacama Desert, looking for new lands to explore—Now it’s our turn.

We will travel through this remote territory by bike to enjoy the beauty of its geological formations and natural phenomena. We will ride 700 km, starting at sea level and gradually climbing to reach 4,000 meters—our final altitude will be over 4,500 meters!

We will gain altitude progressively to allow ourselves safe, steady acclimatization, camping in the middle of nowhere and in the small villages that we will find along the way.

Of course, for this expedition to be truly successful, it is absolutely necessary to create a strong team spirit amongst all our travelers. No rider will ever be left alone or find themselves individually facing difficulty for any reason. It will be the responsibility not only of the guides, but also of the individual participants to help problem solve throughout the duration of the trip, working together to make the most of our adventure as a team. It will be an unforgettable cycling experience and journey, but also a unique opportunity to educate ourselves on group consciousness and the ability to share—be it joy, fatigue, planning, organization, coordination, defeat or success.

And in this case, success will not be defined as arriving at the final destination but setting off and doing our best to arrive all together.

Before the departure date, we will organize a virtual meeting where we will explain the trip and what kind of equipment our guides will take.

If, for logistical reasons you cannot make it to the meeting, we will contact you via e-mail and you can ask us any questions you may have. A rider list will be made from all the people who want to participate in order to form as homogeneous a group as possible. If you are not selected for this edition, we will notify you when a group with similar characteristics is being formed. To help us make this selection, we have prepared a short questionnaire, located at the end of this trip’s technical sheet. Fill it out and send it to us before you register.

• Dates

  17-31 October, 2026

• Duration

  16 days

• Stages

  9

• Length

  700 km

• Elevation

  10.000 m

• Difficulty

  Hard

Arrival in Antofagasta, Chile must be before 2.00 pm. We will organize your hotel/airport transfer. Bikes need to be set up. In the late afternoon, we will have a briefing to get to know the staff and all participants.

Finalizing trip prep, we´ll go to the market to buy our meals for bikepacking, and after everyone’s bikes are assembled, we’ll go for a short shake-down ride around the city to make sure that everything is working properly.

We will begin our adventure in Antofagasta, following roads to cycle deep into the desert.

Leaving behind the sea, we´ll see how everything changes as we ride toward the mountains and the vast Atacama Desert.

After the previous day’s approach, we´re now going to truly enter the desert. It´s an all-day climbing stage where we´ll be gaining altitude and… solitude!

We will spend the whole stage cycling through the desert! We will pass different mining companies, cross different types of rocks / sands /colours. In the background you will see the wagons that slowly carry the copper panels to the  commercial port of Antofagasta. 4×4 vehicles with armed guards on board, monitor from afar to prevent malicious assaults.

It seems to be in the Far West where the cowboys escorted the stagecoach. After a break at the entrance of the Mina Escondida, we will reach the much loved Salar de Imilac with its springs in the end. Yes, fresh water. And where PA-Cycling, in the heart of Willy Mulonia, took shape way back in June 2001.

This is a hard stage: we will face some tough climbs, made harder by the relentless sun. But the views are so incredible, it will all be worth it as we keep pushing our pedals until we reach an area close to Campamento Negrillar, where we´ll spend the night.

Finally, we are going to descend… but depending on the state of the sand, it will be either a quick path or a challenging one.

Either way, we´ll end our day resting in the spectacular natural swimming pools of Peine. There, we´ll spend the night under a roof, sleeping in proper beds and having dinner at an actual table.

After our day off, we´ll visit the Salar de Atacama, the largest salt flat in Chile (3.000 km2) and also the world’s largest and purest active source of lithium… an impressive territory.

After the Salar Flats, we’ll cycle up to Socaire, reaching 3,300 meters above sea level, where we´ll see ancient agricultural terraces and impressive views from that altitude. That evening, we´ll sleep in beds and have a good dinner in the village.

We´ll visit Las Lagunas Meñique and Miscanti, a brackish water lakes at 4,200 meters above the sea level.

The lakes are part of one of the seven sectors of Los Flamencos National Reserve.

An overwhelming landscape where we´ll notice the altitude in our muscles.

We´ll spend the night at the same hotel, so we´ll be able to climb all the way up to the lakes without our baggage over the bicycles.

QUEEN STAGE.

Today we´ll climb up to 4,400 meters above sea level. It will be tough, but we will not be carrying our bikepacking bags and the prize – the views and experience of the Lascar Volcano – will be well worth the effort.

First, we´ll face an 11 km long, hard climb. We´ll catch our breath as the road levels out before   we continue climbing another 10 km surrounded by lunar landscapes. After that, we´ll descend to Toconao, where we´ll sleep in good beds and… perhaps share some beers?

Last stage.The last stage. The first half of our day will be downhill. It will be a light day to finish in the characteristic village of San Pedro de Atacama. We will still pass through El Salar de Atacama before entering San Pedro de Atacama,
our final destination.

Our adventure wi l l end in our comfortable hotel located in the center of the village. A hot shower and a celebratory dinner await us. We made it!

We will visit El Valle de la Luna: sculpted by wind and water, where we will be able to appreciate an impressive range of colors and textures. Very similar to the lunar surface. So much so that NASA tests its means right here.

Then, just relax and enjoy this special village and the mix of emotions that you´ll find at the end of this great adventure.

This night, we can enjoy the incredible and unique sky of San Pedro de Atacama.