Bolivia: Exploring the South Lipez by Self-Drive (page 17 of 21)

I thought I understood that with you, it's the opposite—it's your wife who blindly follows you... but in this case, that’s just reckless... 😏 😏 😏

In my opinion, compared to Marati, whose wife always trusts him 🏴‍☠️, a mountaineer is a walk in the park 😏

Yeah, but I thought I understood that Guillaume’s wife is going to leave him... for the good of the whole family 🤪, while Bruno’s wife is hanging on 😏.

I gathered that for you, it’s the opposite—your wife blindly follows you... but in that case, it’s reckless... 😏 😏 😏

In my opinion, compared to Marati, whose wife always trusts him 🏴‍☠️, Montagnard is a joke 😏

Yeah, but I got the impression that Guillaume’s wife is going to leave him... for the good of the whole family 🤪, while Bruno’s wife is holding on 😏.

She’s holding on because I listen to her... a little... And also, after 23 years, how do I put it, I know the boundaries I can push... But mostly, I don’t see myself traveling alone. I tried it once, and it sucked...

Yes, but I thought I understood that Guillaume’s is about to give out...,

It’s Franck’s that doesn’t want to travel with him anymore... too worn out, poor thing!

Wait, aren’t you exaggerating a bit 🏴‍☠️?? We’ve always made it back by 5 so far 😏!! But yeah, that time with the Sentinel Peak ladder in the middle of a storm or the hike in the snow was pushing it a bit. Though, like Max says, you only remember the good stuff. 😉

And then after 23 years, how can I put it, I know the framework where I can play....

Cool, in a year, I’ll have reached your level of wisdom...... or not 🤪 Yeah, '98 was the best year—with, in order of the best things I’ve experienced: the World Cup victory and meeting my wife. Or the other way around, I can’t remember...

And after 23 years, how can I put it, I know the framework where I can play....

Cool, in a year, I’ll have reached your wisdom...... or not 🤪

Wisdom at 42? You’re really going for it....

Hello. I’m still searching for wisdom. Wisdom’s great as long as you avoid being too reasonable😉. Bernard.

Wisdom at 42?

Huge clarification: I didn’t write "wisdom" but "your wisdom"... and about a very specific topic.

I wouldn’t dream of claiming any wisdom here... At the very least, a little listening goes a long way... 😉

18.10. Guadalupe – along the Rio Grande, night in the car

We leave Guadalupe at seven with Celia and take about half an hour to reach the first Mirador. The view of the Ciudad da Roma cathedral is stunning! We stay a little while before getting back in the car.



At the first Mirador

We stop several times to take photos. Then, Celia has us pull over below a hill with pretty rock formations. We hike up and move from one viewpoint to another. The panorama is exceptional!

Luckily, we have Celia with us—we wouldn’t have found all these viewpoints on our own. She directs us left, we climb a little further, and there we discover the second cathedral. We’d only ever seen one cathedral in photos, so we’re surprised to find there are two. The second cathedral looks even more like a real one—it’s incredible. We’re fascinated; these are without a doubt the most beautiful rock formations we’ve ever seen in our lives.











The two cathedrals The first cathedral

and the second cathedral

On the way back, Celia has us stop—she wants to show us an arch. Then, we drop her off in Guadalupe and take the opportunity to buy some eggs and a kind of corned beef before heading to San Antonio de Esmoruco. We don’t stop and take the track to Río Mojón. The track climbs in elevation; it’s wide, but the corrugated surface is everywhere. Along the way, we pull over for a second breakfast. From here, we can see the back of Ciudad da Roma. The view is pretty, but still not as beautiful as from this morning’s viewpoint.









One of the many cemeteries

After Río Mojón, we discovered extraordinary landscapes. We never would’ve thought we’d find such scenery in Bolivia. The colors are incredible—it’s a feast for the eyes! The track winds between rock formations, climbing, turning, descending, then climbing again and descending once more. It’s one of the most beautiful routes of our trip. For Benoît, it’s the most beautiful. What’s more, it’s very drivable, and we didn’t come across a single other car.

































The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=9951061;a=9951061

We stop a few kilometers before Río Seco and go for a walk in a canyon. The rock formations are stunning—we feel like we’re in the Moab region of the United States.









After Río Seco, the rock formations are still really pretty, but they were even more beautiful between Río Mojón and Río Seco. When we reach Casa Grande, we can either take the track that mostly runs through the riverbed or the one that overlooks it. We decide on the latter. The track is fairly smooth and winds along the Río Grande. This river forms the border between Bolivia and Argentina.















We pass through several small hamlets with farms. At 5 PM, we settle by the Río Grande. The view of the mountains on the Argentine side is beautiful—what a perfect spot! We heat up a plate of pasta and freshen up in the riverbed. We’ve descended quite a bit in altitude, so it’s not cold at all.

Around 10 PM, the sound of an engine wakes us up. A large vehicle is driving through the riverbed and seems to be looking for a way out. We’re still half-asleep and don’t immediately understand what’s happening. We think of smugglers—we’re not exactly reassured. The vehicle approaches, lights us up with its bright headlights, slows down a little, and finally passes about twenty meters away without stopping. Phew, it was just a big tractor, probably a farmer heading home late. We can go back to sleep.











The rest is here: https://voyageforum.com/v.f?post=10000937;a=10000937

It's all really beautiful... and probably even more so in person than in photos ;) Muriel

Yes, this region is truly magnificent! We have no regrets at all about doing our "tour" of the South Lipez in this direction.

I think we’re the first on the forum to have gone between Río Mojón and Río Seco. Other travelers either turned back onto the main track (the track between Tupiza and Quetena Chico) or took the shortcut down from Ciudad da Roma directly to Río Seco.

Looking at your photos, I thought they looked like some spots in the USA, which you confirm 😉. It’s truly stunning—these landscapes are so different from the ones we saw earlier (lagunas, salt flats, volcanoes...). Wow! Bolivia has some amazing discoveries in store 😎.

I think we’re the first on the forum to have gone through Río Mojón

yep, on my map there isn’t even a track marked running along the Argentina border from Río Mojón. 😉

The track along the border is still just as stunning and in great condition. We’d also followed it, but only from Río Seco. It’s surprising no one goes that way.

Thanks for the gorgeous photos—definitely some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet, in my opinion 😛 🙂

Hi Carmen, What I love about your travel journal is that it’s truly a hymn to the beauty of rocks, earth, and lagoons—those unreal colors that add even more to the landscape. There isn’t a ton of vegetation everywhere that hides the beauty of the ground.

This part of the Americas around the desert regions (the U.S. Southwest and the Andes) will definitely be my playground for years to come. Thanks for these amazing discoveries. I’ll take note of the directions so I can head back to the South Lipez very soon. Thanks again so much.

Hi Carmen. Your photos are always stunning, thank you so much—what a joy! Bernard.

Hi Jean-François,

Yep, on my map there isn’t even a track marked running along the Argentine border from Río Mojón. 😉

I don’t know what map you’re using, but on Maps.me the track is clearly visible. It’s not right on the border—it’s slightly inland.

We’d planned to take the Guadalupe – Ciudad da Roma – Río Seco track, the same one you took, but Delhenry, who passed through in August, strongly advised against it. He had to move rocks several times, and the track was in really rough shape. After his message, I looked for an alternative. Via Río Mojón, it’s a longer drive, but the scenery is absolutely stunning. Plus, going that way lets you see Ciudad da Roma from the other side.

The track along the border is still just as beautiful and in just as good condition. We also followed it, but only from Río Seco. It’s surprising no one takes that route more often.

Yeah, the track after Río Seco is nice, but the scenery is even more breathtaking before (if you’re coming from Guadalupe) or after (if you’re coming from Tupiza). 😉 But following the Río Grande is really great—you’ll come across quite a few small farms.

It’s definitely, in my opinion, among the most beautiful landscapes on our planet 😛 🙂

I agree with you. 🙂

Carmen

Hi there,

You're absolutely right to go back. I imagine you'll be doing a self-drive trip to have a bit more freedom.

Carmen