The crossing of South America, which takes us from the plains of Brazilian Pantanal at 5,000 metres on the Bolivian Altiplano. Designed as a point-to-point trek, we will cross the remote region of the Chiquitania in Bolivia and we will gain height in the colonial cities of Sucre and Potosí, finally touring the incredible landscapes of the Andean high deserts, to end in the Chilean town of San Pedro de Atacama And fly back from Santiago.
The Pantanal do Mato Grosso a often eclipsed by the Amazon north, the Pantanal silently houses the highest concentration of wildlife in South America. It is part of the national park and part of the world heritage UNESCO, and an estimated 325 species of fish, 159 species of mammals, 656 species of birds, 53 species of amphibians and 98 reptile species live in this hotbed of biodiversity.
I'm sure on more than one occasion you've heard the saying of “You are worth a fortune” which indicates that something has enormous value, but how did it come about? It was popularized by Don Quixote, and comes from the Cerro de Potosí, the largest mine in the world in its time, located in present-day Bolivia, in a city of the same name and in the Eastern Andes. From the city of Potosi, also, the caravans were leaving with the silver coined in the great Royal Mint, listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, towards the viceroyalty of Peru and also toward the south, the Rio de la Plata.
The salt flats of Uyuni are the largest in the world, covering 10,582 square kilometers at an altitude of 12,000 feet. Magical yellow, green and red lagoons coloured by species of algae, with geysers, interesting geological formations and volcanic peaks for incredible photographic opportunities.
Sucre is a splendid colonial city with numerous places to discover: the Museum of the House of Liberty, cradle of independence, revealing the country’s colonial and republican history, the museum of ASUR (textile art of the Tarabuco and J’alka communities around Sucre), the viewpoint of Recoleta and the Church of San Felipe Neri, the only neoclassical style in the city
Atacama’s geography and location create an extraordinary variety of places that seem to belong to another planet. There are valleys, hot springs, lakes, salt flats, mountains, unusual rock formations and sandy desert.