Laguna y Salar de Talar, Atacama Desert, Chile

Traveling as we do permits us to change our itinerary at the last moment without being encumbered with hotel reservations to cancel. Although I’d had uncertainties about traveling to a desert in summer, we had checked the temperature and it wasn’t as extreme as we had previously thought. So, off we went!

Our itinerary from La Serena to Paso Sico, Chile

As soon as we left La Serena, though, the landscape changed.  We were near the coast, but there was barren desert with only the towering Andes far in the background.  The mountains were beautiful but there wasn’t much of anything else to look at and the drive seemed endless.  It was hot and windy with no trees in sight and nowhere to stop for the night!  Finally we reached a freeway rest stop.  Though far from an ideal situation, it was the best we could do so we just tried to ignore the endless stream of big rigs that came and went all night long…

Camping at the anything but restful “rest stop,” near Vallenar, Atacama, Chile

Fortunately we were able to return to the coast to enjoy a little more greenery before plunging deeper into the desert.  The Huasco Valley is a fertile area that is famous for its olives and pisco grapes. The area is also rich in gold, and the indigenous people here are struggling with a Canadian mining company from polluting the Río Huasco, their only water supply. Nearby is lovely Bahía Inglesa (English Bay). It is one of the north’s famous vacation spots and is said to have received its name from English buccaneer Edward Davis in the 17th century,  We strolled along the beach promenade that is peppered with shops, restaurants and artisanal stands. The town has lovely white sand beaches and a laid back vibe, a very pleasant respite from our unrestful night!

Beach at Bahía Inglesa, Chile

A bit further on is the attractive little town of Caldera, founded by Italian immigrants.  We visited the port, then continued on our way north.

Port. Caldera, Chile

Port, Caldera, Chile

Again, we continued on… it’s a long and boring drive to Antofagasta. The Atacama Desert is known as the most arid region in the world and is sparsely populated. It has rich deposits of copper and other minerals and the world’s largest natural supply of sodium nitrate which was mined on a large scale until the early 1940s. It is very common to see ghost towns of once-flourishing nitrate mining colonies.  The only settlement we found to spend the night was the fishing port of Taltal.  It’s a surprisingly sweet little town, with elegantly manicured plazas and lovely period architecture from its nitrate export heyday.  While looking for a suitable wild camping spot, we found an old deserted wharf with a squadron of pelicans. We stopped here to eat our dinner and were treated to an amazing pelican show!

Fog on the road from Caldera to Taltal, Chile

The road from Caldera to Taltal, Chile

The road from Caldera to Taltal, Chile

An abandoned nitrate mining colony along the road to Antofagasta, Chile

Pelican meetup, Taltal, Chile

Pelican meetup, Taltal, Chile

We found a more secluded place for camping at La Puntilla, just outside of town.

Wild camping at La Puntilla, Taltal, Chile

We were not particularly interested in visiting Antofagasta, Chile’s second largest city.  We had gone there for supplies and had hoped to find a campground somewhere nearby. Instead, we found a lot of high-rise concrete and gridlocked one-way streets. To be fair, the city center is attractive, especially Plaza Colón, with its rushing fountains, palms, mimosas and bougainvilleas.  The Torre Reloj is a miniature replica of London’s Big Ben and dates back to the 19th century when the British were there for nitrate mining.

Antofagasta, Chile

Plaza Colón, Antofagasta, Chile

Torre Reloj, Plaza Colón, Antofagasta, Chile

Heading east, we saw more ghost towns as well as inhabited, though unpaved mining villages. We found a rest stop in the pueblo of Baquedano but the facilities were closed due to lack of water. Finally, we came to Calama, not a tourist attraction, but a very important mining town that  contributes heavily to the Chilean economy.  We stumbled upon the Sunday farmers market, brimming with beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables, a rarity in this part of Chile.  There is also an attractive pedestrian mall with a Jumbo Market, an upscale grocery store which we have only found in affluent areas. This was truly a cause to celebrate!

Sculpture of a miner at the entrance to Calama, Chile

Farmers market, Calama, Chile

Farmers market, Calama, Chile

We moved on to our destination, San Pedro de Atacama, where we knew we would finally find camping facilities.  Indeed, we were in peak season but we managed to squeeze into Camping Los Perales.  We explored the town and had a much needed break from our long drive through the desert. San Pedro de Atacama is a major destination, mainly because of the salt water lagoons, geysers, and other attractions in the region.  It is the number one tourist destination in northern Chile although it is little more than a handful of picturesque adobe streets and dusty unpaved roads, clustered around a tree-lined plaza.  Within the town itself their is little of interest except for their archaeological museum that is currently closed for renovation. San Pedro is saturated with tourist accommodations, restaurants, shops and… tour operators. To be honest, the town reminded us of an adobe Disneyland.

The road from Calama to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Siesta time, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Iglesia de San Pedro, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

British overlander at Los Perales Camping, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Volcán El Licancabur, seen from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Many of the visitors to the Atacama lack their own transport so they need to book guided tours. Even if you have a car, some of the destinations are only available to visit in groups, with a guide.  Fortunately, we were able to go on our own to the places we wanted to see. The sunset at Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon) is said to be one of the world’s most beautiful and it was a short drive from San Pedro.  It is named after its lunar-like land forms, eroded by eons of flood and wind,  It is said that these surreal landscapes are suffused with magnificent colors at sunset but it wasn’t a clear night when we were there and we were sorry for those who had bought a coach tour to go there!

Waiting for sunset, Valley of the Moon, San Pedro de Atacama. Chile

Waiting for sunset, Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Sunset, Valle de la Luna, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

We left San Pedro for Laguna Chaxa, one of the Atacama’s flamingo breeding grounds. It is in the Salar de Atacama, Chile’s largest salt flat.  Like Valle de la Luna it is part of Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos. This was finally our chance to see these magnificent flamingos that had eluded us up until now.  I had not expected to see so many of them and it was simply amazing!  They were busy feeding that they were oblivious to visitors.  There were some other aquatic birds as well. This was definitely one of the two highlights of our journey to the Atacama and was worth the 40 km of unpaved road that we had to drive to get there.

Andean flamingos, Laguna Chaxa, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, Chile

An Andean flamingo, Laguna Chaxa, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, Chile

Andean flamingo and Andean avocet, Laguna Chaxa, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, Chile

We returned to the highway and stopped for the night in the picturesque village of Socaire.  It is mainly an agricultural community that is noted for its ancient Incan terraces.  There is also an old colonial church with a ceiling made of cardón cactus, a typical building material in this region.  We went for a walk in the evening and enjoyed the desert sunset.

Shelter for sheep and goats, Socaire, Chile

View of Andes from Socaire, Chile

Evening walk through village of Socaire, Chile

Old church in Socaire, Chile

Old church in Socaire, Chile

Incan terraces, Socaire, Chile

Incan terraces, Socaire, Chile

Garra de Leon (Lion’s Claw), Socaire, Chile

The road then climbs 25 km to an eastbound turnoff leading to the glittery-blue sweet-water lakes of Miñiques and Miscanti, highlight number #2 of our desert experience.  Again, we had to journey over about 30 km very rough road to get there.  We had been steadily ascending in altitude since leaving San Pedro and now were at an epic 4,188 m (13,740 ft).  These two lakes rest below the snow covered peaks of Miscanti Peak and Miñiques Volcano. Our activities up there were closely monitored by the local indigenous people who manage them jointly with the Chilean National Park Association.  The experience was fascinating and the scenery was spectacular. The smaller Laguna Miñiques is the largest breeding site for the horned coot on the western side of the Andes.  It was now breeding season, so we were kept at bay and couldn’t get close enough to photograph them.  There were also a herd of vicuñas at the lake. These beautiful creatures are closely related to the guanacos and are believed to be the wild ancestors of domesticated alpacas. While we were there we met a film crew from National Geographic and the BBC, who were trying to get permission to make a documentary about the horned coots.  Although there was another way out of the site which would have taken us closer to the Argentine border, an indigenous park ranger would not permit us to take it.  We had no choice but to return the way we had come, over another 30 km of dusty rough gravel…

Laguna Miscanti, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Caracara (carrion hawk) near Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Laguna Miñiques, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Laguna Miñiques, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Laguna Miscanti, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Laguna Miscanti, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Vicuña on Laguna Miñiques, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Vicuñas, Lagunas Miscanti y Miñiques, Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Finally, we were back on paved road, though not for long.  The road to the border at Paso Sico gets rough and rougher, the closer we got to Argentina.  We passed a lot of salt water lagoons and magnificent rock formations along the way.  Much of the landscape looked positively surreal.  And we gritted our teeth as we bumped along to the border…

Back on the road (before it turned to ripio) to Paso Sico, Chile

Trópico de Capricornio, Ruta del Desertio, Chile

Agua Caliente, Salar de Talar, Chile

Salar de Talar. El Desierto de Atacama, Chile

Andes Mountains near Salar de Talar, Chile

Laguna and Salar (Salt Flats) de Talar, Atacama Desert, Chile

Ripio road to Paso Sico, Chile