Argentina & Bolivia: Salt Flats & Desert

This is a route across three countries in nine days, starting in Salta and finishing at the Uyuni Salt Flat, taking in some of South America's most dramatic high-altitude landscapes along the way.

You move through the Argentine northwest first — Salta, the high desert town of San Antonio de los Cobres, the Salinas Grandes salt flats and the village of Purmamarca — before crossing the Andes via one of the world's highest international passes into San Pedro de Atacama. From there, three days by 4WD take you across the Bolivian Puna, past coloured lagoons, geysers and remote Andean towns, ending at the vast Uyuni Salt Flat.

This is a private, self-guided itinerary that can be tailored to your dates, budget and interests, with the option to extend into Bolivia toward Potosi, La Paz or Lake Titicaca, or add on Mendoza, Patagonia or Buenos Aires.

What you'll do

• Explore Salta and the high desert outpost of San Antonio de los Cobres
• Walk the white expanse of Salinas Grandes and the village of Purmamarca in the Humahuaca Gorge
• Cross the Andes into Chile via one of the world's highest international passes
• Visit Moon Valley and the Tatio Geysers from San Pedro de Atacama
• Spend three days by 4WD crossing the Bolivian Puna past coloured lagoons and Andean towns
• Arrive at the Uyuni Salt Flat, the largest in the world