#Worldtour: The beauty of Chile's parks
Our world tour begins in Chile, and we're off to discover the natural wonders of this long country, with Parque Nevado Tres Cruces (little-known but clearly worth a visit) and of course San Pedro de Atacama.
Alone in the world at Parque Nevado Tres Cruces
A 4h30 bus ride from Vicuña, we set down our bags in Copiapó, capital of the Atacama region and the best starting point for excursions to Parque Nevado Tres Cruces. We then set off for the National Park to begin our 2-day 4×4 excursion there. This Park is totally unknown to the tourists who mainly go to Atacama, and in 2 days we only met 3 people visiting it...
After a 2-hour drive, we arrived at the park entrance at 3990m altitude. Luckily for us, we didn't feel any headaches or altitude sickness, just a rapid shortness of breath.
Our final objective was the Laguna San Francisco, which we reached after battling a small snowstorm: the temperature there was 1°C. We then set off again for a 2-hour drive to our refuge at Laguna Santa Rosa, which had a magnificent view and seemed to be lost in the middle of nowhere.
The next morning, we woke up at sunrise and headed for Laguna Verde, which offered us a magnificent panorama. We were also able to admire the world's highest volcano, Ojos del Salado, culminating at 6,893m.
>> Off to discover Chile? Discover our complete coverage from 58 chf <<
San Pedro de Atacama: not just a desert
Geysers del tatio and moon valley
Nous avons commencé la découverte de la région par les Geysers del Tatio (alt. 4300m) se trouvant à 2h de route We began our discovery of the region with the Geysers del Tatio (alt. 4300m), a 2-hour drive from the village. As we had to be there for sunrise, we set off at 4 a.m. at -3°C . Indeed, the Geysers are supposed to gush up very high - 10m - when the heat of the first rays arrives and creates a thermal shock with the cold of the night. We were able to admire the fumes rising from the ground in a lunar landscape and with a beautiful luminosity, but we were not lucky enough to see geysers spouting very high. There were also baths where you could bathe in water at 28°C, but we didn't try it - it was too cold outside! The water temperature in the geysers is close to 89°C, so we didn't get too close.
After a little nap to get back into shape, we got back on our mountain bikes for a late afternoon ride into the Valley of the Moon under a hazy sky that suited us just fine (35-40°C in full sunshine otherwise). The entrance to this Valley is only 5km from the village, hence the choice of bikes, and it was sublime to ride in such a grandiose place and be able to stop whenever we wanted. We were able to see a salt cavern and we went up high to discover a splendid panorama with a sky that was becoming clear again.
Laguna Atliplanicas and Salar
For our 2nd day of exploring the surrounding area, we went to see the Lagunas south of San Pedro de Atacama. We started with Espejo de Tuyasto, a lagoon that perfectly reflected the surrounding mountains, as there was no wind at 8am. We had breakfast in front of this magnificent landscape.
We then climbed a small hill to get a view of the Laguna Aguas Calientes, known as Piedras Rojas because of the color of the stones surrounding it. We then went on to discover Laguna Miñiques and Laguna Miscanti, where the vicuñas put on a fine show.
On the way back down to the salt desert, we spotted Guanacos, a rare sight in this mountain range as they are normally found in the one next to it (Domeico). We then had lunch on the edge of the salar and went for a walk to see the Laguna Chaxa, a bird reserve, particularly for pink flamingos. A beautiful panorama!
Anne & Olivier
Before you leave, don't forget to take out insurance. At Europ Assistance Switzerland, we offer comprehensive coverage to protect you during your round-the-world trip. Calculate your premium for free here.
