Tambo Quemado is a border post on a road that runs across the roof of the Andes, and it is more a place you pass through than a place you visit. It sits at about 4,600 metres on the frontier between Bolivia and Chile, on the highway that links La Paz with the Pacific port of Arica. On the Chilean side the post is called Chungará, named after the nearby lake, and the customs sheds, trucks and little food stalls make up most of the scene. The air is thin and cold, and the wind blows constantly.
What makes it special is the setting. To the south rise the twin cones of Parinacota and Pomerape, snow-capped volcanoes of around 6,300 metres, and to the north, in Bolivia, stands Sajama, at 6,542 metres the highest peak in the country. They are among the most photogenic mountains in the Andes, with their reflections trembling in the lake on a calm morning. Chungará Lake, at some 4,500 metres, is one of the highest in the world, and its shores hold flamingos, giant coots and flocks of vicuñas.
Sajama National Park, established in 1939, is Bolivia's oldest, and it protects a high plateau of grassland, hot springs and geysers. The park has some of the highest forests on Earth, groves of queñua trees growing at over 5,000 metres, and herds of llamas and alpacas graze on the bofedales, boggy meadows, green in a brown landscape. Aymara herders live in small villages here, and a few stone houses and a colonial church add to the sense of a long human history.
The road is paved on both sides, which is a mercy, but the altitude is demanding: engines lose power, and a rider can get headaches or worse if they come up too quickly from the coast. Spend a night at middle height before crossing, drink water, and go slowly. Fuel is a real problem in this region, so fill the tank wherever you can before you get here and carry extra if you are able. Queues of trucks at the border can stretch for hours, and paperwork for foreign vehicles takes time, so start early, bring your documents and be patient. The best view of the volcanoes comes at dawn, when the light turns them pink.