In Chile a continues on the way to earth whose state varies among regulating and good, since it is constantly used and renovated by mining companies. From the frontier until Copiapó is 286 km and to El Salvador 246 km , for a road better. Both towns have supply of fuel and connection with routes paved toward the coast. Take picnic and it dilutes. The trip lasts 4 hs approximately from Fiambalá to San Francisco 's step and 6 h more until the next urban center in Chile .
This route is habitually traveled by vehicles with motor of 1.300 minimum cc. The step is enabled from October to March, I save during inclement times (rains). For further security, it is recommended: to tune the motor of the vehicle, since it will ascend to 4.800 meters ; to place antifreeze in the radiator
Consult the state of the roads in National Vialidad and the Retén of Customs officers from Chile . The summery rains cause problems.
In Chile there are several alternatives of roads. It suits to consult it better option in the retén of Customs officers of Maricunga.
Don't abandon the car if there are mechanical damages. If should make it, circulate for the route. Take food and it dilutes it stops more than one day.
Don't forget to consider coat. The nights are very cold and many windy days. Eat frugally and don't become agitated to avoid the wrong of height. or puna. If it is prone to that affects it (the children especially) takes cautions before leaving
Leave Fiambalá (km 0) for the RN60, it is a wide route and paved in the first tract 12 km . Soon after it will arrive to Guanchin, a small pirca village, last town of the oasis, with some watering channels, vineyards and boulevards.
While moves away from the river Abaucán the road it is rough and it ascends for the bolsón of Fiambalá until arriving, in the km 18, to a great barreal with the hill of Parrot-Huasi. There the route is narrowed and it undertakes a serpentine ascent among strong loamy reliefs that are like A small scale model of the imposing landscapes cordilleranos. Then it crosses several times the channel of the river, with little permanent flow that increases after the summer rains. In the km 34 will arrive to The Chañaral and, 2 km later on, to The Algarrobal, with capable groves to camp.
In the km 50, the river has been encased until forming a narrow rocky canyon 5 km long, with an intense coloring and full with curved, well-known as The Narrowness. This picturesque gulch opens up finally in the km 74, toward Chaschuil, with abundant bushes where the one perfumed prevails «stupid bird».
In this point, the road rotates toward the north next to the river and goes into in the new landscape of a valley cordillerano, only traveled by muleteers, fishermen and some travelers to Chile . After the hill Colorado (Chaschuil), put attention to a dangerous badén for the possible ones growing and for the marked bend.
The long valley of the Chaschuil extends toward the north more than 100 km . The route travels him in an endless straight line of soft slope, among the Andean skirts of scarce vegetation. In the valley (km 102) Cortadera is and, in the km 122, Big Cazadero, of special interest for fishermen for its good trouts. Cortadera is also a good place to stop to rest next to picturesque pastizales with crystalline water.
The road runs on the skirts cordilleranas, covered by pedregullo, fine and even. It is interesting to observe the furrows marked by the glides of the thaw water and the rains that will finish originating rivers after successive forks. The route runs for a transporting field, where they accumulate remains erosionados of mountains, disintegrated by effect of the big daily variations of temperature that reach the 45°C .
To half of the road the valley impresses for its beautiful and solitary aridity, where curious formations cactáceas only grow, in compact colonies and of little height that, from some distance, they seem rocks. In The Peeled ones excellent views begin toward the high summits cordilleranas, with the hill Hot Waters ( 5.517 m ).
When coming closer to the north end of the valley, closing it as a potent traverse wall, rises the mountain range of San Good fortune. It is the southern limit of the puna, vast and enigmatic highland that extends toward the north to Bolivia and Peru . To their feet, in a surprising extension to more than 3.000 metros , grasses of intense yellow color grow, in summer, upholstering plains and hillsides.
They are coirón vegas, a gramineous one very resistant to the height that retains for long time the water of the snow, when these have already melted. In these vegas, they pasture gumps at the moment. In the past and until the first decades of the present century they had great economic importance, since here fed the livestock that moved in foot to Chile . from the valleys precordilleranos.
In the km 181 the road rotates toward the west and, in a soft ascent of 8 km with a view to the towering hills Incahuasi ( 6.638 m ) and San Francisco ( 6.016 m ), it arrives to The Grotto, where the National Gendarmería is installed. From there they are 21 km of strong ascended by San Francisco's hill until the step, with 14 final km of wrong road but passable.
|
