Take a hundred-kilometer inland detour to explore the foothills of the Andes Dist: 187 km; Date: Mar 2014 Leave the costa city of La Serena riding inland on Ruta 41. After 63 km you’ll reach Vicuña. Here head south on unpaved D-445. For a couple kilometers you’ll pass along fields of what I believe are for olive and grape cultivation and then quite suddenly you’ll find yourself quite alone in the arid foothills. The D-445 is mostly wide and well-maintained dirt road that gent

Stay as close to the Pacific Coast and as far from the Inter-American Hwy as you can Dist: 579km; Date: Mar 2014 Pick up the Inter-American Hwy/Ruta 5 at the coastal town of Chañaral. Continue south for 91 km until you veer onto the C-302 at Bahía Inglesa. At or just before Puerto Viejo, merge onto the C-324 to continue your southward push for 109 km until you reach Carrizal Bajo where you’ll find provisions. Leave Carrizal Bajo riding south on C-470. Huasco Bajo, which is ju

It’s not off the beaten path but still a pleasant off-tarmac ride through an otherworldly landscape Dist: 111 km; Date: Mar 2014 Ideally this route should be done upon entering San Pedro de Atacama because you’re probably arriving from Calama and because it’s a great introduction to the many wild landscapes to come. Nevertheless, the visitors’ center is located at the San Pedro extreme of the route and I think I recall an entry fee. Just after you leave San Pedro on Ruta 23 a

Everyone knows that riding the Uyuni Salt Flats is a must but there’s more, much more… Dist: ≈100 km on the Uyuni Salt Flats and ≈150 km after ; Date: Mar 2014 There is no defined route across the Uyuni Salt Flats, which is part of the fun, so, once you’ve accessed the salt flat via Colchani, find the bearing for the Isla Incuahuasi (here), point your bike towards it, and ride as fast as you comfortably (and safely) can. Enjoy! From the small, rocky island, most riders head b

It’s really not so death-y as the name suggests but, of course, you have to do it Dist: 195 km; Date: Mar 2014 Set off early and you can do this route comfortably in one day. Leave La Paz on Ruta 3. The beautiful landscapes begin even before you leave La Paz but really get spectacular as you skirt Parque Nacional Cotapata and, immediately thereafter, Represa Incachaca. At the reservoir, you can detour off Ruta 3 for a kilometer or two to enjoy a less hurried view before retur

A great introduction to Bolivia that includes a historical site and off-road ride along Lake Titicaca Dist: 132 km; Date Mar 2014 We actually did this in reverse on an outing from La Paz but this would have been a great route immediately upon crossing the border. Crossing the border at Desaguadero, take Ruta 1 east until you reach the town of Tiwanaku after about 44 km. The ruins are divided into two groupings with a small area on the southwest side and another larger groupin

Ride out from Chivay to experience Colca Canyon and see the condors Dist: 42 km; Date Mar 2014 Enjoy the small town of Chivay and then set off on the 1SE highway to the southwest. After about 40 km of unpaved road through small towns and beautiful scenery you’ll reach the Mirador Cruz del Cóndor where, if your timing is good, you catch views of the condors swooping over and into the canyon. For an adventure that I wish I had tried, see if you can descend the hillside cross th