Bolivia > Crossing the border into Bolivia

At night, it indeed turns out to be quite chilly in the room. Outside, the temperature drops slightly below freezing, and indoors it’s around zero. Still, I wasn’t really cold in my sleeping bag and under a few blankets. It’s a different story in the breakfast room, though, sitting on the cold chairs. We finish breakfast quickly. Outside, our luggage is being loaded onto a pickup truck, and a little later we board the bus. We leave San Pedro de Atacama, heading toward the Chilean border. The Chilean border post lies just outside San Pedro de Atacama. When we arrive there shortly before eight o’clock, the border isn’t open yet. We have to wait, standing comfortably in the sunshine against a small building and sheltered from the wind. Technically, we’re already on the other side of the border. At eight, the post opens, and it takes a while before all the formalities (stamps, visas, etc.

Bolivia - Laguna Verde

) are completed. Once the customs officer has processed all the passports, we can cross into no man’s land. We drive along a long, straight, but steadily ascending road for about forty kilometers before turning toward Bolivia. We’ve gained considerable altitude and are now above 4,000 meters. Just before reaching the Bolivian border post, the asphalt ends, and we continue on a sandy track. The Bolivian border lies in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere. Again, we fill out visa forms and get our passports stamped — the whole ritual is starting to feel routine. After about an hour, everything is arranged, our luggage is loaded onto four jeeps, and we set off into Bolivia. The bus returns to San Pedro.

Bolivia - Sol de Mañana

With the jeeps, we drive into the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve in southern Lipez and visit the first highlight: the Laguna Verde. The lake, situated above 4,500 meters, is partially frozen. Corrie ventures a bit too far out onto the ice and ends up with her feet through it. Fortunately, she has her luggage nearby with dry shoes inside. We take a short walk along the lake’s edge. I can tell that the altitude is taking its toll — my stamina isn’t great at this height. I have to remind myself to keep drinking plenty of water. It’s recommended to drink one liter per 1,000 meters of altitude, which means four liters today. Cheers! We continue driving through the mountain landscape and past several lakes. Along the way, we pass beautiful rock formations sculpted by the wind — the same surreal shapes that inspired the painter Salvador Dalí. The desert is therefore called the Desierto de Dalí. At Laguna Chalviri, we stop for lunch. Next to the lake is a natural hot spring where we can soak our feet. The water is about 25 degrees Celsius, but because of the cool wind, it’s not exactly inviting for a full swim. We then drive on to the geysers. Just before visiting the Sol de Mañana geysers, we cross a mountain pass at 4,950 meters — my personal altitude record. At the geysers, it’s simply cold.

Bolivia - Laguna Colorada

Bundled up in layers, we walk among the bubbling mud pools, the rising steam, and the smell of sulfur. The scene is surreal and deeply impressive — something that no photo can truly capture. We continue our journey to Laguna Colorada, a mythical lake. The water is a beautiful blood-red color, caused by algae, and surrounded by volcanoes. To complete the perfect picture, a herd of llamas happens to pass by the shore to drink. From Laguna Colorada, we continue over rough and bumpy roads to our overnight stop in Villamar. The constant jolting in the jeep doesn’t help. Several of my fellow travelers are already suffering from headaches or nausea due to the altitude — myself included. Upon arrival at the farmhouse, Kristina quickly prepares coca tea to ease the headache. I rest for a while on the bed in the dormitory. Dinner looks delicious, but few of us have much appetite. One person feels nauseous, another has a headache — almost everyone is struggling with altitude sickness in some form. To make matters worse, a group of locals comes into the dining room to play music for us, which we’re really not in the mood for. Fortunately, they agree to leave without playing. By nine o’clock, it’s bedtime for me. In my sleeping bag and under three blankets, I’m well prepared for the cold. It can freeze quite hard here at night.