After weeks of firefighting at a faulty sulphuric acid plant in Mejillones, it was time for Florian to take a break. I flew in from Santiago, and together we headed out to San Pedro de Atacama, a picturesque desert village some 3 hours from Antofagasta. The car ride is rather intriguing, since you get to see nothing but dust, copper mines and abandoned ghost towns. But past the industrial sites the Atacama becomes quite spectacular!
With some craziness and maximum horsepower of our loyal buddy, the Hilux 4x4, we got up this steep pebble hill ...and found the perfect breakfast spot! In the background you can still see the big Atacama salt flat. At 7am, we've been watching a wonderful pastel-colored sunrise at the Chaxa lagoon down there, between the flamingos.
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This timeless beauty is Laguna Miscanti, one of the better known lakes of the area. Beyond that, you really enter a deserted magical place: the Chilean Altiplano. You can drive for hours and only encounter lamas, flamingos and odd-looking rock formations. The lakes here are so crystal clear, that I would have jumped right in, were it not for the freezing tattering winds, and the altitude, which we started to feel at 4000m. Talking of altitude: we totally forgot about warm clothing (it is hot in San Pedro). So we only managed to stay for about 20min, exploring the unworldly carved red rocks and fantastic turquoise waters of Salar de Talar, before having to retreat into the warmth of the car. Meanwhile we were at Paso Sico, about 220km away from San Pedro, in a cold deserted border region between Chile and Argentina, with no phone coverage, when suddenly our fuel gauge went on red... At that point, the striking loneliness of the Altiplano became pretty nerve-wracking! Fortunately the terrain was in our favor and we could let the car roll down the slopes many times. Still, you can image how relieved we were, when, after 110km(!), we caught sight of our breakfast spot and the phone coverage came back. With the last drop we reached the sleepy hamlet of Socaire, where a farmer sold us a life-saving bottle of petrol. These 10 liters saved our day and brought us back to San Pedro (where we filled up at a proper petrol station) - just in time for the famous sunset at Valle de la Luna.
As the sun lowers towards the horizon, you can see why they call it the Moon Valley. The color changes are amazing! Glad to have made it through the Altiplano safely, now at last we were able to relax and enjoy this gorgeous sunset spectacle, while a band played some nice chill out tunes. A perfect way to end the day!
Practical advice for fellow travelers: If you arrive from Calama, don't take the turnoff "Valle de la Luna", because for sunset you don't want to be inside the valley, but enjoy the scenery from an elevated lookout point, which is approx. 1km further along the road towards San Pedro.
Practical advice for fellow travelers: If you arrive from Calama, don't take the turnoff "Valle de la Luna", because for sunset you don't want to be inside the valley, but enjoy the scenery from an elevated lookout point, which is approx. 1km further along the road towards San Pedro.
It's Sunday, time to return to Antofagasta :-( Be that as it may, there is no need to take the direct road back! Following a suggestion from our hotel, we did a detour to Laguna Cejas, in the Atacama salt flat. The lagoon's water has a salt content of over 40% - enough to make you float!! An amazing and fun experience! On top, the pool is set against the magnificent backdrop of the Licancabur volcano. To dry our swimming gear we simply hung them on the car mirrors and continued our way past the lithium extraction fields. After 30min our swimming gear was stiff with salt and the car's inside and outside had changed to powdery white... Florian's reaction: Don't be gentle, it's a rental! And so ends another memorable experience in Chile.
