Day 1: Welcome
Reception at La Rioja Airport or Bus Terminal. Accommodation in a hotel in La Rioja.
Day 2: London, Belén, Laguna Blanca and El Peñón
We will pick you up at your accommodation in La Rioja. We will go to Aimogasta, passing towards the province of Catamarca to visit London, the Inca Ruins of Schincal and Belén.
Afterwards, we can go to visit the Río Belén Gorge, going towards the Cordillera de los Andes, we will visit the Puerta de Corral Quemado, Villavil, Quebrada de Indalecio and Barranca Larga, up to hill of Randolfo which is located at 3,000 meters above sea level in the Altitude Biosphere Reserve Laguna Blanca. Here, we can observe the beautiful wild vicuñas and stop to admire the landscape.
We will continue through the plateaus in 4x4 vehicle where we will begin to see important Volcanoes and extensions of lava, passing through the Peñón town, to arrive at Antofagasta de la Sierra Valley. We will have some stops to take pictures of this place and appreciate its beauty. In El Peñón or Antofagasta, you will stay in a hostel with breakfast included.
Day 3: Campo de Piedra Pómez
We will pick you up at your accommodation, and we will go to the incredible Campo de Piedra Pómez. There, we will have an easy trekking through its labyrinths and rocks of impressive geoforms. We will continue in the 4x4 vehicle towards the Carachi Volcano, traveling through the high plains of the Andes where we can observe large expanses between salt flats, we will stop by to get to know the magnitude of this place, walk through the mountain ranges, as well as observe numerous volcanoes, lava flows and basalt rocks.
Later on, we will approach ancient indigenous settlements such as Pucará de la Alumbrera, where we can walk around, rest for a while and get to know the Antofagasta Volcano and the Petroglyphs of Peñas coloradas. In the afternoon, we will take you back to your inn.
Day 4: Salar de Antofalla or Galán Volcano
In the morning we will pick you up at your inn and leave through the Cordillera de Calalaste, until reaching the highest point to observe a spectacular panoramic view of the Salar de Antofalla with more than 200 km long in a 4x4 vehicle.
As we descend, we will go to the town of Antofalla where its Volcano is located. Following that, we will visit the Ojos de Campo on the edge of the salt flat. There we will find beautiful lagoons, La Botijuela, a lovely town in an oasis. We will pause to rest, recharge energies, and capture this unique scenery. In the afternoon, we go to Antofagasta through the Portezuelo del Diablo to return to the accommodation.
In case of good weather conditions, we can visit the Galán Volcano.
Day 5: Return to La Rioja
After breakfast, we will start the return to the city of La Rioja to take you to the Airport or Bus Terminal of La Rioja.