And so our Chilean adventures continued. Our third day in the desert was in contrast to the previous day. While Day 2 was all about taking in the wonders of desolation, Day 3 was all about the joys of life in seemingly inhospitable lands. This is our visit to Los Flamencos National Reserve and the surrounding area.
Menu
Breakfast in San Pedro de Atacama
Salar de Tara
Viña Santa Romina
El Bosque de Tambillo
Laguna Chaxa
Winding Down
Learning Points
Breakfast in San Pedro de Atacama
But before any adventure-taking, the day started off with breakfast. Leave it to my French boyfriend to find a French bakery in the middle of the Atacama Desert! La Franchutería is an authentic bakery run by a Burgundian who used to be the official baker of the French Antarctic base.
We enjoyed well-earned cappuccinos and croissants on the terrace after attempting to order half the menu in broken Spanish. Mine was filled with raspberry jam and had white chocolate drizzled on top: YUM.
We picked up the most delicious smoked salmon sandwiches (fully loaded on a baguette with greens, cheese, avocado, pesto…) and other buttery treats to fuel our excursions. Highly recommend a visit.
Salar de Tara
Our first destination of the day was the famous Salar de Tara. A salt flat bordering Argentina and Bolivia, it is 4400m above sea level and home to an astonishing number of fauna and flora. In contrast to Valle de la Luna, grassy bushes (coirón) spotted the landscape and tola de agua was in bloom. Los Flamencos National Reserve is full of life.
These wetlands, produced from groundwater flowing naturally to the surface, are refuge to all sorts of animals. Of course, there are flamingos (the reserve is aptly named), vicuñas (untamed camelid cousins of alpacas and llamas), Andean geese, culpeo foxes, as well as many birds and rodents.
Salar de Tara is surrounded by a massive vertical rock barrier, remnants of a large volcanic caldera. This is known as the Tara Cathedral. A little further away were the Monjes de la Pacana, giant whimsical human-like rock formations sculpted by the wind. They look like they are standing guard and silently observing the salt flats.
The drive in this area was particularly memorable because it was our first time getting close to such magnificent animals. Plus, since it was springtime, we had the bonus of seeing many babies too! Vicuñas and flamingos were the most abundant. The former was previously endangered but conservation efforts over the last four decades have proved successful.
Viña Santa Romina
After lunching with flamingos in view, we headed off to our next stop, Viña Santa Romina, the second highest vineyard in the world.
Getting there was an adventure. Google maps made up roads that didn’t exist and a local gave us bogus directions. There were no signs. Eventually we made it… only to find out that no one was there except dogs and the largest rabbits I have ever seen. With no website, no organized tours, and no chance of attempting Spanish over the phone, we abandoned our wine quest after snapping a few photos of the vines and the surrounding oasis (full fruit trees!).
BUT – the car was stuck! After some time digging ourselves out of the sand and wedging under the tires scraps of wood (conveniently piled underneath drying animal pelts), we luckily managed to get free. It was a close one!
El Bosque de Tambillo
The remainder of the day more than made up for that fiasco. We passed through El Bosque de Tambillo, a forest that was part of a forestation project in the 1970s.
Around the outskirts of the forest, we spotted goats and… lots of donkeys standing around doing literally nothing. We later found out that they were actually wild and no one knows what they do or eat all day because they just stand in the middle of rock outcrops without moving!
Laguna Chaxa
Finally, we arrived at the spectacular Laguna Chaxa. Millions of years ago, this was an ancient lake. Over time, its path to the ocean disappeared and it slowly evaporated under the intense desert sun. Mineral-rich streams still flow down from the surrounding mountains, continuously supplying water so the lake does not completely dry up. This briny mixture created the fantastic salt formations that decorate the Salar de Atacama. And it is home to a unique ecosystem that is magnificent to behold.
About 1% of the global flamingo population flock here to breed and feast. Three different species can be spotted: Andean, Chilean, and James’ flamingos. They are easy to tell apart. Andean flamingos are the biggest and have noticeable black plumage and yellow legs. Chilean flamingos are mostly pink with a white and black beak. James’ flamingos are paler in colour with black feathers underneath and yellow on their bill. They spend their days filter feeding on the tiny shrimp that thrive in the water here. By shrimp, I don’t mean the kind served with cocktail sauce. These are more like sea monkeys.
Many other kinds of birds like to spend time here. Interestingly, quite a few birds migrate from Canada to escape winter. Literal Snow Birds! Little lizards (Liolaemus fabiani) can be seen scuttling around the salt formations too. Bacteria colours the shallowest parts of the lake with pastel pinks, yellows, and oranges. They release a somewhat pungent odour… a reminder that this dream-like place is real.
Laguna Chaxa is beautiful to behold. The animals, the solitude, and mirror-like quality of the water are unforgettable. This was definitely a highlight for me and a must-see in Los Flamencos National Reserve.
Winding Down
We ended the day back in San Pedro. Stopping by Karaván Restobar for beer and their signature spicy Pisco Sour, we hit up the local market (more on that in a future post) before dining at La Pica del Indio. Their very affordable menu included patasca (traditional soup), chicken curry, and ice cream.
We were astounded by the price of wine: less than the equivalent of 8 euros at a restaurant! It was only slightly more than the price of two glasses. This one reminded us of Beaujolais Nouveau, in a fun way. The end of another great day.
Learning Points
- Avoid parking on sand LOL
- Have a flexible schedule. Some places are inexplicably closed in reality, even though Google says they are open (like the vineyards and Laguna Cejar). It is good to have a plan B or C for the route.
- Roads in the national parks change frequently. They are dirt or gravel roads constructed to preserve the natural landscape. Previously, the roads went down to the water in Salar de Tara, but now cars are restricted to a main road and Miradors (look-out points). Binoculars come in handy.
- Many restaurants have an affordable set menu option, especially places favoured by locals. We often found decent 3-course meals for less than 10 euros a person!
