Cycling north out of Uyuni, Bolivia, we were surrounded by mostly-empty landscapes occupied by more vicuñas than people - where the wind whipped up towering sand storms that had us running for cover. As we got closer to La Paz, villages surrounded by dusty quinoa fields became much more frequent, and sheep replaced the vicuñas. Eventually we were able to immerse ourselves in the cultural kaleidoscope of La Paz - a heady mix of traditional mysticism and modern commerce - capped by a plunge by bicycle down the infamous Death Road.

Following in the footsteps of ancient llama caravans, we cycled onto the lofty heights of Bolivia’s altiplano - a massive plateau soaring roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) above sea level. Along the way, the arid grasslands were interrupted by occasional mining settlements, llama farms, and high ridges that had us gasping in the thin air - until we arrived at the vast, white expanse of the Salar de Uyuni, the largest concentration of salt in the world.

On the final leg of our cycling journey through Argentina, we climbed steadily away from the northern deserts to reach the lofty heights of the South American Altiplano - one of the largest, high-altitude plateaus in the world. Surrounded by rainbow-colored mountains, we followed an ancient trading route once traveled by Incan llama caravans. During six days of cycling, we would rise nearly 9,000 ft (2,750 m), stopping along the way to wait out windstorms and let our bodies acclimate to the increasingly thin air - eventually arriving at the border with Bolivia.