Putre

Putre sits at about 3,500 metres on the road from Arica to the Bolivian border and functions as the staging post for everything higher: Lauca national park, Parinacota, Lake Chungara at 4,500 metres, and the salt flats south. The practical advice given by everyone locally is to sleep here a night or two before going higher, and it is sound - the road from Arica climbs from sea level to 4,500 metres in a few hours and people get seriously ill doing it in a day. The village itself is Aymara and colonial in origin, with terraced fields around it, a plaza, a sixteenth century church and a few dozen buildings.

What you actually see

• An acclimatisation stop at 3,500 metres - the reason most people stay.
• A colonial and Aymara village - church, plaza and terraced fields.
• The gateway to Lauca - park, lake and salt flats above.
• A road that climbs too fast - sea level to 4,500 metres in hours.

When to go

April to November; the summer rains close the higher roads. A full day.

Honest expectations

Even at 3,500 metres some people feel it. Services are basic - a handful of places to stay and eat. Nights are cold year round. Fuel and cash need planning; the next facilities are a long way in either direction.

Nearby

Lauca national park and Parinacota are east; Arica is down the road west.