Alternate route to Antofagasta | Warning

April 18th, 2024 by postcardforyou.com

This road seems now to be the main road between Antofogasta and Antofalla. It is freshly prepared and in a very good condition. Normal gravel road. We drove it today with 2x 4WD cars but I think you don’t need it. The 2 passes have very steep sections up and down so be prepared with good breaks and a powerful vehicle. The pass near Antofogasta is about 4250 m high. It took us 3.5-4 hours, driving nice and slowly (with some pictures and drone shots) - you will easy make it in 3 hours.

March 23rd, 2024 by sbodach

Yes, I agree, it's flatter than the other one. We did it today, and the conditions of the road are far more better! It seems as if the machines were working just the day before and that we were the first in passing next. Although the distance from Antofagasta de la Sierra to Antofalla is 32 km more using this road, but it's worth it.

March 4th, 2024 by Fatbikeboy

I took the south road with my bicycle and went from Antofalla to Antofagasta.
it's around 111km long with 1600m of total climbing.
their is construction work right now to improve the road.
in my 2 days riding maybe 15 cars passed me. one of the cars was a Peugeot 206. no need for 4x4.
the last km before the highest point has 10% climbing. but that's it.
coming from Antofagasta the last 3 km are about 10-15% climbing.

for the cyclists.
the ride south of Antofalla is very nice. no big deal at all
the climbing was mostly fine. only pushed twice. when you reached the top 4250m altitude you have a 8km downhill to 3650. from there it's another 200m uphill which you mostly cover in the first 3km (150m). from there it's a nice ride down to 3500. shortly before Antofagasta the road is a little more sandy but still doable on a regular bike.
on the whole route are not many good sleeping options. I marked the best one in a different spot.
overall it took me around 9h from Antofalla to Antofagasta.

January 20th, 2024 by dkinyua

We asked in Antofalla about the 2 roads going to Antofagasta. The one goes up to 4600m via a pass and this one is supposed to be flatter with a smaller pass. We opted for this one. will update after crossing it.