Technological progress has streamlined everyday tasks and once-in-a-lifetime travels. What once took months can now be done in days, helping to expand our worldviews while making the world feel smaller. Evidence of this is seen on the highway from San Pedro de Atacama to the Argentinian border, a drive that winds through an arid, remote region of charcoaled soils and green plants contrasting with red mountains and blue lakes, occasionally dotted with visitors photographing the stunning landscape. Visitors, from east and west of the date line, sharing their pictures, at the push of a thumb, to those north and south of the equator. Rent a car and embark on this drive over four days, with perhaps an extra night for excursions into Bolivia, to witness the brilliance of the altiplano and appreciate the advancements that made it accessible.

Mirador Volcán Licancabur, Laguna Tuyajto, de Aguascalientes, Piedras Rojas, and various spots on the side of Highway 23 and 27