On Sunday, May 1st we left ValparAudi behind and flew 1,500 km to San Pedro de Atacama, which is situated in the heart of the vast Atacama Desert in northern Chile, one of the driest places on earth. We are staying for four nights at the Awasi Atacama lodge, where the base elevation is 2,400 metres. We are going hiking over the next few days, and will reach over 4,000 metres at times. Drink lots of water, don’t drink too much alcohol, don’t eat heavy meals, use lots of sunscreen, and you will be fine.
After our arrival, we went for a quick sunset tour to Laguna Chaxa, a salt lake about 18 km out of San Pedro. We were rewarded with a llama procession as soon as we turned the corner, as the locals were herding their flock back in for the night. Then to the salt flats, with a surprising amount of wildlife, including some flamingos, all feeding and bathing in the salty water that has the same salinity as the Dead Sea.
The weather looks set fair for the next few days with sunshine, temperatures in the low 20s Celsius, and low single digits at night time.