A long way up in the Atacama, where the desert climbs into the high Andes of northern Chile, a worn path crosses the landscape between a place called the Portal del Inca and the Río de la Sal, the salt river. It is a segment of the Qhapaq Ñan, the great network of Inca roads, which UNESCO listed in 2014 across six countries. In Chile the road went south from the Inca heartland, crossing passes of over four thousand metres to reach the valleys of Copiapó and beyond, and traces of it survive in the dry air with striking clarity: stone markers, small shelters and the line of the trail itself.
The setting is remote and dramatic. The salt flats of the Maricunga region lie at around three and a half thousand metres, with flamingos in the shallow lagoons, vicuñas grazing on the sparse grass, and volcanoes towering over them, among them Ojos del Salado, at nearly seven thousand metres, the highest volcano in the world. The sky is a deep, dark blue and the air is dry and thin, with strong winds and brilliant sunlight. Nights are bitterly cold, even in summer.
This is a harsh place for motorcycles, with the main route being a mix of gravel and broken tarmac, and the altitude saps both engine and rider. Altitude sickness is a real danger, so spend a day or two acclimatising in Copiapó or on the way up, drink water and avoid heavy exertion. Winter storms can close the passes, and in summer a rain storm in the Andes can flood the dry watercourses. The best months are generally from November to April, but weather on the high plateau is unpredictable, and a warm layer and a windproof jacket are essential.
Copiapó, the regional city on the desert coast side, is the last reliable place to fill the tank and buy supplies, and you must bring reserve fuel, water, food and a repair kit of your own. Tell someone your plans, since mobile phone coverage is almost nonexistent, and consider travelling in company. For those who go well prepared, the reward is silence, space and a feeling of walking, or riding, on a road that has been used for six hundred years.