The South American Odyssey

After spending about 30 minutes at the Chaxa laguna, we were off towards Piedras Rojas. The route is high in the altiplano and very scenic. It is tarred most of the way. On the way, we saw plumes of smoke coming out from Lascar, one of the active volcanoes in Chile. Czytaj więcej

At one end of the lake, there was a península with water on both the sides. We walked all the way till there before we turned and went back. The wind was quite strong and it was a bit cold even with the fleece on. Czytaj więcej

From Piedras Rojas, we drove to the other side of the mountains to the twin altiplanic lakes Miscanti and Miñique. The lakes are at 4200 mts with Miscanti being 5 mts higher than Miñique. There was an entry fee of 3000 CLP per person for the entry of the lakes. We stopped at Miscanti and had our breakfast there with beautiful views of the deep blue water in the Miscanti lake with the Miscanti and Miñique volcanoes in the background.

The two lakes are a deep blue, backed by snow-capped volcanoes and surrounded by a large plain of yellow tussock grass that whips in the wind. This grass is one of the preferred foods of the vicuña, the shyest of the llama-like species in the area. We saw some near here. The protected lakes make for a great photo opportunity, but swimming is not allowed.

The lakes are managed by an indigenous community located in Socaire, a town often visited for its handmade crafts and local historical church.
The Altiplanic Lagoons are located 140 kms from San Pedro de Atacama, and it is generally very cold in this area due to the high altitude. Czytaj więcej