San Francisco Pass

The San Francisco Pass is a pass over the Andes Mountains which connects Argentina and Chile. The highest point of this pass is at AMSL.
The pass is historically significant as it is through this pass that Diego de Almagro's expedition is generally thought to have used to enter the territory of present-day Chile in early 1536. An alternative view is that the pass used by Almagro's party is that of Pircas Negras.

Location

The pass is located at and connects the Argentine province of Catamarca with the Atacama Region in Chile. In the Argentine side, route N 60 ascends from Fiambala at AMSL in a deep valley formed by mountains. In the last sinuous, the route climbs from about in Las grutas to more than at the border.
On the Chilean side the route CH-31 connects Copiapó with the ChileanArgentine border. On the way it passes next to Maricunga's salt flat on the Nevado Tres Cruces National Park and Laguna Verde. The area is surrounded by volcanoes and high peaks as the Cerro Falso Azufre, the volcano San Francisco, the Incahuasi and highest volcano in the world, Nevado Ojos del Salado, among others.