The Lagunas Antiplanicas

Probably one of the most popular day trips, the lagunas antiplanicas is on many travellers' lists. We got picked up bright and early to start our drive and have breakfast in a local picnic spot just off the road. Nobody else was there and we could see other minivans cruising past as we enjoyed a simple breakfast prepared by our driver. Before the meal, he had dropped us off about a 10 minute walk away to savor the scenery and observe some owls nesting nearby on the ground.

Our first official stop was the village of Toconao and it was on the brief side. I think it was more of a washroom stop as we otherwise only had time for photos of the church's bell tower (as advertised) in the square before a quick visit to a local woman who ran a souvenir shop. She was knitting when we entered and our guide led us to visit her pet llama and telling us a little about local life in the village.

Afterwards, our drive continues along Route 23 where we were introduced to the Tropic of Capricorn. Not something I had thought we would do, but a cool experience indeed. Some took across photos lying on the quiet road with little traffic, but I was content to have a short marvel at the well known latitude. From there we climbed higher and higher into the Andean Mountains. The temperature drops, the winds pick up, and hopefully you're a little acclimatized for the altitude (4200m if memory serves correct). When you get out of the van, they do remind to you take it a little slow. Also, do not forget the sunscreen.

Over the next few hours, we would visit the Miscanti and Miniques lagoons, large, blue, beautiful and calm under the clear skies. To get a full picture, you'll either that panorama or a wide angle lens. They're named for the nearby volcanos, whose melted else led to their creation. We'd check out the Salar de Atacama salt flats, marvelling at the sheer size of it. The white grains cover the landscape. I imagine it's a snippet and preview of those dominating the area around Uyuni. I haven't been there yet, but it's my list someday. The seemingly unreal scenery takes away the breath of some, but for me, it was oddly just nice. Maybe it's because I'd seen similar landscapes in parts of Peru only the past summer. Not that I didn't appreciate the splendour of nature here, but I guess I was looking for more. Our guide did tell us an sad legend about the volcanos and gods, where their tears became the lagoons that we had come to see. We did see our fair share of wildlife though, spotting guanacos, rheas (Chilean ostrich), a culpeo (Andrea fox) and a local rabbit!

After that, it was off for a late lunch in the village of Socaire - this stop I think really is just a lunch stop. We didn't get to see anything really aside from a local restaurant which catered to what seemed like every tour to come through. There's a simple set menu to choose from and then we were off again, this time to the Laguna Chaxa, part of a natural reserve for flamingos.

There are 3 types of flamingos in the area, the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo and the James flamingo. I think we only saw two types, but that's okay. For some in our group, this was what they had been looking forward to all day and they weren't disappointed. I'd say we had ample time to walk around, take photos of the flamingos peacefully in their habitat, and just simply observe them. I was hoping for more flamingos, but most were probably elsewhere in the vast park as a few dotted the water closer to where most people stay.Read more