Arequipa to Arica to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile 24 - 26 Jan 2006

Desert, lakes, volcanoes and geysers

Back at San Pedro we just had time for a late lunch before we set off again on an excursion to the Valley of the Moon. This included an interesting trek through lunar landscape with weird rock formations, followed by a short walk up to a panoramic view of the Valley of the Moon at sunset.
After a late dinner at the hotel, we collapsed into bed.
26 January 2006. Another early start, but not quite so early. We were picked up at 6 a.m. and driven to a vast salt lake, Laguna Chaxa, where we breakfasted and saw Andean and Chilean flamingos. That was followed by a long drive up to the Lagunas Miscanti and Miñique at 4000 m. We weren’t too bothered by the high altitude, having acclimatized so recently in Peru. There were more superb views in that beautifully clear, unpolluted light.
Tonight we crashed out early to make up for the lack of sleep in preparation for the next day…