Dreams Road: Chile by motorcycle, a dream itinerary

The Dreams Road journey continues. In Chile this time, along the immense Pan-American Highway

An adventure through sand and stone, in search of lost civilisations and hidden treasures. This time, for Dreams Road, Emerson Gattafoni and Valeria Cagnoni have pushed on to Chile aboard their Multistrada 1260, crossing miles and miles of valleys and deserts.

Along the Pan-American Highway, the infinite road that flanks the continent’s Pacific coast, Emerson and Valeria have witnessed the country’s most suggestive soul, where traces of pre-Colombian populations are entrenched in surreal lunar landscapes.

The long track through the valley

The journey begins in Valle del Encanto, a canyon known for its rock carvings, left to us by ancient indigenous populations. There are strange shaped rocks everywhere we look, full of spirituality and mystery. All around, sand dunes dotted with green shrubs and, at the centre, an asphalt track, that cuts through the valley and gently hugs the hills.

From this magical place, we take the Pan-American and travel more than 100 kilometres north to La Serena. Founded in 1544, it is the second oldest city in Chile. The churches and monuments tell of its colonial past, while the songs of the street musicians are a snapshot of a boisterous, cheerful present. There is just time to be charmed by this corner of Chile before climbing back on board. Our next destination is the city of Coquimbo, just over ten kilometres away.

A world of fishermen and miners

The little yellow, blue and red boats that dot the Coquimbo sea are a sign of the vital role fishing plays in this community. As we cross the city, we come across monumental rocky landscapes, while our journey towards the centre brings long stretches of asphalt that weave between spectacular murals. The city tour over, it’s time to move on to the next destination, so it’s back to the Pan-American, and north bound. The journey is long and arduous, but at the same time wonderful: a 400-kilometre adventure along a majestic road, surrounded by an arid landscape that nevertheless bursts with life, dominated by sand dunes dotted with green shrubbery. We reach Tierra Amarilla, in the Atacama region. This “yellow land” is one of clay, minerals and miners. A Martian-type world, in which the soil is illuminated with brown, coppery reflections and a touch of gold. The area’s mining history is recounted in the Miner Museum, home to a spectacular collection. A short distance away is regional capital Copiapò, famous for its copper and silver mines.

In the most inhospitable desert.

From here, the journey continues through the Atacama Desert, the most arid on the planet but perhaps the most magical too. Having covered many miles, and having flirted with this dry land, we finally reach San Pedro de Atacama, an Andean village close to the border. The area surrounding the village has a rugged, stony appearance, but it is also home to canyons and valleys with suggestive names, like Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) and Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley), and surreal salt flats populated by delicate pink flamingos.

The Dreams Road Chilean adventure ends here, but Emerson’s and Valeria’s bike is always ready for the next adventure.  

Adventure Tour

The world like you’ve never known it! To enhance the trip offer, Ducati has introduced an important new addition:
The Adventure Tour

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