SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA THROUGH THE FLAMINGO ROUTE |
|
| Valley of the Moon, Atacama Salt Flat, High Plateau Lagoons, Tatio Geysers... |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
 |
Valley of the Moon
Reception at El Loa airport in Calama and transfer to San Pedro de Atacama. We will set out for the Valley of the Moon. It is a quiet and enigmatic place similar to a lunar landscape with important stone formations and big sand dunes.
To get to the Valley, you take the road parallel to the Salt Mountains Range, crossing the driest desert in the world. In the Valley of the Moon, we will see the salt statues, Las Tres Marías, the salt mine and the salt caverns. In the afternoon, we will get back to San Pedro.
|
|
Atacama Salt Flat and High Plateau Lagoons
We will go to the Atacama Salt Flat in order to watch salt layers generated by the evaporation of subterranean salt waters. We will visit the Chaxa Lagoon (Los Flamencos National Reserve), surrounded by flamingos and other birds such as the caití and the Andean seagull.
We will visit Toconao, a freshwater oasis and fruit trees, famous for its 1,750-meter bell tower. Skirting the salt flat, we will get to the town of Socaire at 3,250 m.a.s.l. built of volcano stone to reach Miñiques and Miscanti high plateau lagoons, at 4,000 m.a.s.l.
These lagoons were formed 1 million years ago when Miñiques Volcano erupted. We will have lunch in the town of Socaire and return to our destination.
|
 |
Tatio Geysers and High Plateau Towns
We will get up very early to go to our next meeting point: the Tatio Geysers, which are at 4,000 meters above sea level. They eject springs of water of almost 8 meters; these stream columns give mystic charm to the natural landscape.
We will walk around the different geysers and take a bath in the thermal water pool. Later, we will take the route to discover the towns of Chile's Andean high plateau, where we will visit the old town of Caspana, Lasana Pukará, petroglyphs in the Loa River Valley, the Inca Coya Lagoon and Chiu-Chiu church and town. We will go back to Calama after midday to go to the airport.
|
|
