This morning at 8:30 am we left San Pedro de Atacama to make the journey to the Tara Catheral rock formations that are in front of Salar de Tara (the salt lake) that sits at around 4,400 metres. We drove relentlessly upwards from San Pedro at 2,400 metres to the top of the pass at 4,700 metres before descending to the rock formations. Along the way, we passed the Chilean customs stop to Bolivia which had just opened today after being closed for nearly three years owing to the pandemic.
The weather was bright and clear, with not a cloud in the sky, but don’t be fooled the wind is cold and we needed our jackets all day long. Besides ourselves, the only other living things were the odd groups of vicuña, who are relatives of the llama that live at these high altitudes.
We were the only vehicle on this vast expanse of desert and rock, that has been shaped by the wind, sun, and rain over the millennia. The scenery was just breathtaking, and to help you take in the scale, can you see the four of us in the third picture between the two rock formations??
All credit for these aerial photos goes to Douglas, who cleverly decided to bring his drone along for the day. It is the only way for us to show how magnificent and beautiful the Atacama desert is.