San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

The bus journey from Salta to San Pedro de Atacama took us over the Sico pass, reaching more than 5000m above sea level, over the backbone of the Andes and the altiplanic plateau. At these altitudes there is little life to be seen, only a few cactus, spiny grass called paja brava and, surprisingly, vicuña, a member of the llama family renowned for the value of it's skin. The route back down the western side of the pass took us into the Atacama desert, the driest place on the planet. The town of San Pedro itself is 2436m above sea level, a dusty, dry oasis in the desert, but a "watering hole" where travellers chill out between visits to the surrounding areas.