- Day tour to the Piedras Rojas
- Stop at the wonderful Miscanti and Miniques mountain lagoons
- Watching flamingos in Laguna Chaixa
A little later than yesterday - but still too early - we start today at 7 a.m. As luck would have it, we are on the road again with Guide Caesar. Soon the tour bus is full and we drive for a while in a south-easterly direction towards our first destination. The entertaining troop consisting of Chileans, Spaniards and us provide entertainment. In a small town there is a simple but delicious breakfast to us.
The lonely landscape is overgrown with dense, straw-like grass and is isolated by Vicuñas and rheas inhabited. Continuously but leisurely, the road climbs to over 4300 meters above sea level, from where we see our destination for the first time: the Laguna Aguas Calientes with the surrounding Piedras Rojas. As the name suggests, the lake is surrounded by special red rocks. The entire environment is reflected in the shallow, mirror-smooth lagoon. After the obligatory photos and enjoying this wonderful place, we drive on.
The next goal of the tour is the Altiplano lagoons Miscanti and Miniques. Located slightly lower down and embedded in bright yellow tufts of grass, the wonderful blue Mountain lakes are a great subject. In addition, there are several in the background Volcanic cone raise. It would be even nicer here in spring when the mountains are still covered with snow. Some water birds can be seen, including three lone flamingos.
Back at the restaurant, a local lunch awaits our hungry stomachs. Moving on to my real highlight of the trip. In the middle of the brooding hot Salar de Atacama lies the shallow Laguna Chaixawhich is part of the Los Flamencos National Reserve. As the name suggests, there are numerous here Chile flamingos observed while feeding from a short distance. It is wonderful how the entire environment is again reflected in the clear salty water.
We make a last short stop in the village Toconao a, where a simple village church in the typical architectural style of the region can be visited. Around 6 a.m. we are back in San Pedro, where we say goodbye to the other tour participants.
Now we have to buy supplies for our three-day Uyuni tour and talk to our new roommate. A young woman from Zurich with travel plans similar to ours.
