After a year of such stasis, we are predicting that slow travel is set to make a return to bucket list adventures. Continental and domestic flights swapped for South American adventure road trips, crossing countries the old-fashioned way: over land borders. Crowded transport terminals ditched for the open expanse. Travellers looking for ways to soak up as much of a destination as possible during the days of their vacation.
Preparing for these changes in travel habits has kept our Travel Designers busy over the last few months. Using expert knowledge to map roads that cross some of the continent’s most spectacular National Parks, pass through ancient villages and pinpoint remarkable pit-stops, from Inca ruins and secret lagoons.
Pair your unique road trip with overnight stays at some of our exclusive hotel partners, and you’ll have the perfect post-pandemic travel itinerary. From an eco-friendly beach-front boutique, where each one of its 18 rooms feature a terrace opening straight onto the rugged coastline of Chile’s extreme north. To a family-owned working hacienda in rural Ecuador, that produces tree-to-bar handmade chocolate, dulce de leche, honey and other farm-fresh products.
Let us take you over land and off the beaten track, with our pioneering, tailormade, adventure road trips, designed to showcase the open road.
1. The Vast and the Curious Luxury Road Trip – Bolivia and Northern Argentina
Beginning in the city of Sucre, in the southern highlands of Bolivia, this private journey explores some of the most untouched landscapes on earth. The route passes through Potosí, which at 4,090 meters above sea level stands at one of the world’s highest cities. Before reaching Bolivia’s breath-taking natural wonder – Salar de Uyuni. Here, the roaring log fires and sloping ceilings of Luna Salada offer cozy sanctuary from the dropping desert temperatures.
Half a day’s road travel through the vast landscape leads from the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve to the next milestone, Tupiza, a city nestled into the dramatic red rock formations of Tupiza River Valley.
It’s at day ten of this luxury road trip, that journey reaches its first border crossing. The village of Purmamarca, in north west Argentina, is set at the base of multi-hued mountain; ‘the Seven Colors Hill’.
It’s here, in this quiet ancient land, tended to by communities steeped in tradition, that arriving via the slow road feels so pertinent.
Get the full itinerary here.
2.The Salt of the Earth Luxury Road Trip – Northern Chile and Bolivia
To the west of the Atacama Desert lies Iquique, a coastal city in northern Chile and the starting point of our second over land journey. The route traces sandy roads through the expansive Chilean Desert, until the port city of Arica appears, like an oasis on the horizon. Here, a beach-front boutique hotel awaits guests for a night stay by the ocean.
Moving away from the coast, and into the volcanic hills of north Chile, the roads become steeper passing through spectacular National Reserves of Lauca and Las Vicunas. Navigating across borders and into Bolivia, the road continues for several hours before arriving at Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia’s mesmerising Salt Flats.
Exploring the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve via road offers a steady-paced way of taking in some of the most dramatic and otherworldly scenes of South America, then crossing back into Chile – this time arriving in the South of the Atacama Desert.
The moon valley, and its Martian landscape is the fitting end to this inspiring journey over land.
Get the full itinerary here.
3.Life’s a Beach Luxury Road Trip – Ecuador and Northern Peru
A journey over both land and sea, this voyage begins in Guayaquil, Ecuador’s largest port city and the gateway to the Galapagos Islands. It’s here that guests will alight one of our recommended Galapagos cruises, which will be home for the next seven nights. Days will be spent exploring the most bio-diverse eco-system on the planet, from wildlife to volcanic treks.
Back on dry land, the route picks up the road once again, journeying now to the Hacienda la Danesa. Located in the lush green coastal region of Ecuador on the edge of the Andes, this family-run Hacienda offers discrete luxury. The hotel is also built upon the possibility of a meaningful exchange between the traveler and the host – a premise that is surely the cornerstone to the very best of road trips.
The route will then pass into Peru, crossing the border at the north west tip of the country. From there the road traces the Pacific coast for seven hours, down as far as the white sands of Mancora. The final days of the road trip culminate in quint-essential luxury, in the suites of Kichic Boutique Hotel – the appropriate sanctuary for the well-traveled explorer.
Get the full itinerary here.
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To start planning your bespoke adventure road trip, get in touch with Marisol and her team of expert travel designers today.