The breathtaking road to Portezuelo Sairécabur
Portezuelo Sairécabur is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 5.541m (18,179ft) above the sea level, located northeast of San Pedro de Atacama, on the border of Bolivia and Chile. It's one of the highest roads of the country.
The road to the summit is an abandoned old mining path. The surface of the road is gravel and sand and you can get there by 4x4. The road to the summit is called B-221. Due its unique location and the climb in elevation over thousands of feet, and passing through remote areas, it is important when driving in these conditions to be prepared. All food must be taken from San Pedro, and it’s best to carry all water from there too as that on the mountain is said to be contaminated with sulphur. 4x4 vehicles only. It's one of the highest roads of South America.
The weather on this zone is harsh and highly unpredictable and it does not take much time for the bright sun shine to change over to moderate to heavy snow fall. It is really windy and cold. The climb is simply terrible, with a notorius lack of oxygen that tests the organisms and a high degree of steepness. If you don't acclimatize for that mountain, you can get a serious altitude sickness, such as cerebral edema or pulmonary edema. It is a hard climb especially if you never reached that altitude before.