Start of Laguna Route/Southwest Circuit | Tourist Attraction

For Motorcycles:
Some parts are nice offroad trails but it's mostly just a really shitty sand washboard road that's not fun to ride at all. It's doable on almost any bike but don't expect it to be nice. The views are spectacular though and if you're looking for adventure it's right route to take. maps.me works better than Google maps here.

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We drove the full SW Circuit from here to Tupiza via the Lagunas. (Rather than going to Chile) It was hard to find current information, we updated the pin in Tupiza if this is something you are interested in. 

The basics - fantastic experience, 650km of driving over 6 days. The route from the Lagunas out to Tupiza is currently in (relatively) great condition, however in wet weather it would be very treacherous as much of the 350 km route is on clay shelf roads. 

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We drove the track with a Sprinter 4x4, with diesel particulate filter and alone from north to south across Hedionda Lagoon. The track is partly bad, corrugated or stony sections. The whole route is well doable, beautiful, lonely at this time of year and very cold. Car and man made it through well.

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do yourself a favor and air down now. we did the loop with high clearance and never used 4x4. if you are 2wd or low clearance then you need to have a shovel and be prepared to stack rocks for the deep wash outs across the road. otherwise just slow going due to severe washboard. we never got above 30km the whole route. if your concerned about making it, take the route south like 35km east of here. it's just as pretty and much easier!

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I’m surprised no one mentioned the uphill drive on a creek bed through a quebrada. Perhaps I followed the wrong path? Hell of a ride. Got my adrenaline pumping with my ‘79 VW Kombi. So yeah, made it my 2wd Kombi with high clearance and off-road tires. Was an exhausting drive. Definitely not for the inexperienced but one thing is for certain it’s a true off-road adventure.

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The laguna route is stunning and absolutely worth the trouble of some bad roads. We did it with our 3.5 ton Mercedes Benz 310 van, 4x4 and only needed 4x4 once. Some parts are a bit sandy. Make sure you have enough fuel. In this altitude we needed 30l/100km of gas and we drove 400km inbetween gasstations (San Pedro (Chile) – San Cristobal (Bolivia)). I recommend to ha fuel for at least 500km (depending on the route) and expect much higher consumption due to thr altitude (everything is above 4000masl).

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We completed the track with a 2FWD Fiat Ducato. In retrospect, the track in dry conditions can be done with any car that has a certain ground clearance. There are a few key sections that can be mastered without any problems with a little off-road experience. As always in life, common sense is not harmful. 😁 Contrary to our expectations, sand was not a problem at all, although it was super dry. Basically, there is always a main lane that you can follow. Otherwise drive slowly (everything is completely offroad) and enjoy the view. 👍

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we went with a Nissan Xterra and it was alright. you mainly drive off-road, but we have had worse conditions before. we did not have to use the 4WD mode. I would not recommend it with any RV like vehicle as it gets very bumpy, but fine in a jeep like car. that's basically the same what the tours have

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Done it with a Dr650 and a Honda XRE 300. and worn out 70/30 tired. Tough road with lots of washboard and/or sand. We fell a few time in the sand. Slow going, but beautiful.
There are lots of tracks parallels to each other and it’s hard to choose the good one. It may look good only to change to deep sand 50 meters later.

I would do it alone on the Dr650, but I have no problem lifting my bike with all the luggage. Still alone is a bit risky. With care and extra water and food in case you have a problem.

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You do have a chance without 4x4 and differential lock.

We managed with a 2WD, medium clearance, small engined Fiat Fiorino with less than ideal tires. That said, we have a big sense of adventure and a little off road driving experience.

The first 5k south of this point is the steepest and rockiest bit. Beyond that, sand will likely be your next biggest concern in and around Laguna Colorada. Momentum and road selection is key there. There are many parallel tracks. If it looks sandy ahead, back up and take a different route. There are hard pack tracks available.

If you do happen to get stuck, likely you won’t have to wait very long, as we found out. Some jeeps passed within minutes and were more than happy to give us a little push.

I reckon we could have gotten ourselves out of the sand without too much trouble. It wasn’t very deep.

It’s best to come with a shovel, boards, tow rope, air pump, spare tire and beer for the guys who help push you.

Make sure you have enough fuel, food, water and supplies in case it takes you a little longer than planned.

We enjoyed the trip, washboard and all, however if you are on the edge about whether or not to take this trip there is similar scenery throughout the region that is easier to access.

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We couldn't find information on how many miles it is, so we measured it to share: from the little town of Alota (east of here, where you can get fuel) it's 190 miles until San Pedro de Atacama where you can again buy fuel. We ended up carrying way too much fuel because we weren't sure how far it was.

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We were really, really happy we rented a car. Without 4x4, differential lock, going slow (5-10km/h) and sometimes a really good clearance you have absolutely no chance. If you do the trip by yourself, prepare yourself! Bring your own food. *water, spaghetti, sauce, fruits freeze in the night, cans, etc. the accommodations can prepare food for you but don't have something, to sell it to you. The tours bring there own food. We eat 2 days the remains from the tours. NOT the best experience.
If you cross rivers - please check the ground first. If it's sandy avoid it. You will get stuck. Nobody is around you, it's not worth. If there are rocks then you can be lucky. Be prepared and inform yourself then it's 'fun'

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We accidentally did the Laguna Route north to south after taking a wrong turning. Google maps said 3 hours. It probably took us 12. The road is horrible in places. Only trucks with great clearance could do this, and even then you should expect to break down.

Had to wild camp halfway along and despite a decent wind break, temperatures got down to -10 and our radiator froze...

I’ve attached a photo of a relatively representative section, not even the worst. By the end we were so tired of going 10kmph and constant jolting we didn’t even care about the scenery. Considering the amazing beauty north and south of this road, for us, it really wasn’t worth it. We would recommend the road east of here to anyone doing it again!

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don't come here without 4x4 and ready for a hard experience... at this time of there year it was a lot of water everywhere... we crossed with a 2wd kombi with lock, almost destroyed all the car... We crossed with a lot of car in the mud, engine down, all sorts of problems in the road... don't recommend! just for people ho want a heavy adventure. but... this is the really desert everyone wants to see in Atacama... ;) Lucky!

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We have a 2x4 2007 sprinter with stock suspension equipped with All terrain K02 tires and did this road all the way to the Chilean border. It was during the rainy season, but we were able to find a 4 day dry window and we did fine. We also did this road with friends in a 4x4 Land Rover discovery incase we got stuck, but it never came to that. We were even able to drive up to the camp spot by the ruins by Laguna verde. It was a bit of a challenge, but we have driven more difficult roads and I would not say that it is impossible. I think patience and preparation goes a long way. We also did this drive with an extra 30 liter jerry of diesel and was able to get through it without running out of fuel. If you are visiting Bolivia, I highly recommend this route because the views were breathtaking. Just take it slow, give yourself a few days and enjoy the bumpy ride.

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Some add-ons to previous posts:
We would not recommend this road for non 4x4 vehicles. Not because of traction, but because of necessary clearance! There are big rocks on the road going steeply uphill. We used Low 4x4 to not totally ruin our tires. Offroad tires is a must in our opinion!
There is one part were the road goes up a small river with very big and sharp rocks. Cannot imagine doing it with a 2WD car.
We only saw Toyota Landcruisers. No other vehicles! And we also saw 3 break-down Landcruisers. That might give you an idea about the road.
For sure the landscape is spectacular, but you will never be alone. There are tour cars EVERYWHERE and no matter what time :( Sometimes you have 20 different tracks to your left and right. The Tour-Land-cruisers just destroy the landscape by 'opening' new tracks every time they drive it despite the many 'prohibido' signs. It is a shame...
So think twice if you really want to do it. In our opinion, there are similar nice altiplano landscapes elsewhere where you feel alone and can enjoy the landscape and actually take pictures without tire-tracks on it.
Isnt this the advantage of us overlanders? We can drive where the tours dont go... ;)

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We did the Laguna Route from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama with our 2WD VW T4.
We have a bit high clearance, but had to drive often very carefully and slowly. Good tires, high clearance and patience are important . As Filzzontour said, in dry season 4x4 is not required. The surrounding is definitely worth the bad road (but just once 😜)!

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For cyclist: from the north to paso sol de manana prepare yourself for hard cycling on the rocks, push on the sand and dance all day on the bumpy dunes.
2.2 mtb tyres or fat bikes is better than slick touring tyres.
Early morning and late afternoon is full of tourist.
You can choose almost 20 different road trying to cycle on the best one.
The amazing landscapes you can see gives you motivation for pedal again!

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We did it with 2WD Eurovan. Definitely no 4x4 required in dry season, a lot of ground clearance is really nice to have. Our car didn’t so we had to move some rocks but even then took some hard hits. Good deflated AT Tires will be helpful to reduce corrugations and give you more grip. But overall just a long washboard road with amazing landscapes.

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Uyuni to This Point - Bumpy hard packed road. Second half much smoother with some potholes.

Entering Laguna Route -  Expect large rocks and slow rough road for first half of drive to Laguna Hedionda.  Not technical but very rough.  2nd half is a mix of sandy corrugations with smaller rocky sections.

Laguna Honda South - large sections of open sandy/gravel corrugations with some deep tracks mixed with sharp rocky segments.  One section of large rocks similar to the beginning.

Arbol Piedra South -  Sand/gravel corrugations (some very rough) and sharp rock segments all the way to Laguna Colorada.  Bad corrugations south of Laguna Colorada gate.

Very bumpy and rough drive until after the southern gysers.  Corrugations change based on how recently the road is graded and which track you choose (there are hundreds).  Good clearance and good tires highly recommended.  Sharp rocks took small chunks out of the edges of our tire tread.  Many soft sand/gravel sections.  Windy every day and below freezing each night.  All camp spots are over 4000m.  Very dusty drive.  Incredibly beautiful landscapes in a harsh environment.

Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama (using this route) 285 miles/459 km.

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Just our 2 cents of the route, as many further down have commented mixed reviews. We did this route all the way passed Laguna Verde in our mid-sized SUV that is a 4x4. It be done without 4x4, your vehicle just needs to have some power. Our vehicle doesn't have a lot of clearance, so we took it slow and moved loose rocks when we needed. We had to "surf" a lot between the deep ruts that the Landcruisers cause. There is a lot of washboard, many rocks, and ruts so if you don't like bad roads I wouldn't suggest it. There was a bit of snow but most had melted and you just had to find a way through the maze of tracks. I was glad we did it. Felt like a real adventure and the Lagunas are spectacular from the colours to the many flamingos. We broke it up by staying at Los Flamingos, the first night, and then at the thermals, the second night which to me worked out good. It was 150 Bol pp at Flamingos which was pricey for us but the wind was absolutely howling and it got passed -10 at night. 60 Bol pp at the thermals to stay the night. We went through the aduana at the geysers late in the afternoon on the second day as we had read the southern one wasn't reliably open. It was open the next day though and they hassled us at that one. We got through mainly because they were dealing with some other things. If you are going out the next day and go to the geyser aduana then maybe mention it to them and have a written note. They definitely don't like when you have handed off your TIP the day before without a note. It was a Sunday so I think the most southern aduana is probably open all the time now. You need to stop at the new Chilean hut to get your passports stamped. Eventually the aduana will be there as well but as of now it is still in San Pedro. Enjoy the adventure!

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No problem with our 2WD Dodge van. High clearance and good tires help indeed.
Note that now, in the end of May 17, winter is coming and everything south of Laguna Honda is blocked by snow. Still worth going, for what you can see.

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Attempted this in a VW T3 and failed. Turned around after less than 1km. Very good clearance required.

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This is the most common point to turn off the main road when beginning the Laguna route.

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