Into the Desert in the last week - San Pedro Atacama
An overnight coach trip (3rd November) of sixteen hours to San Pedro de Atacama and now relaxing on the patio at Hostal La Ruca in this desert village. Close to San Pedro is Calama, famous for the copper mine which can be located on the horizon beneath the constant dust cloud. Copper counts for nearly 47% of Chilean export and the mine is the world’s largest open pit copper mine. Of such importance is copper, that a whole village was evacuated in order to access
the valuable minerals beneath it!
From here we explore three trips with Cactus Tours Lonely Planet recommend them and they are very good. We had two different guides on different days and they were very enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks to Juan and Eric, plus Ivan the driver.
Our Daughter, Victoria is with us for a couple of weeks and these four images of Pampas Grass and Cactus are from her latest Canon camera. Thanks.
All of the National Park areas here have an entrance fee and some strict guidelines about where you can and cannot walk. Although the usual popular sites are very busy, it appears that this vast region can soak up Adventure-Eco Tourism and still survive. Certainly, the income from tourism must be an asset worth developing, with a good infrastructure of facilities such as toilets, interpretive media and parking. The tours we used, deliberately stopped for meals
at local eating spots, even in the more remote villages. No Starbucks here folks! We are even finding it difficult to buy stamps for sending the obligatory postcards:)
Fortunately Email and Internet are prolific, although WiFi for the trusty laptop does not show up so often.
Flamingos and Avocets on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise
Flamingo on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise and the new 80-400mm VR zoom is starting to pay it's way, handheld.
Desert Art
Everywhere you look is a Volcano
Avocet feeding on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise
Three nights on (6th November) and we are preparing to head south again on a 24 hour coach trip back to Santiago. The last three days have packed in Salt Flats, Geysers, Sunsets, plenty of wildlife, Lama Ribs with Goat's Cheese and gallons of water in this extremely hot but interesting area. Mid-day is extremely hot and all the best stuff is seen and photographed either in the morning (best) or evening. Two 0400 hr starts for both the Flamingos at the Salt Flats (2500 metres) and the Geysers at 4500 metres. It's pretty tiring combating the heat and altitude and some of the roads are not the best for relaxing in the air-conditioned tour buses. We struck lucky again with a good tour agency, Cactus Tours. The guides were again enthusiastic, friendly
and knowledgeable. Also, Chileans are very considerate drivers, both in the cities and out in the country. The main roads are in good shape and paved with Tarmac. Only once you explore beyond the main arteries do the driving surfaces become rougher, but still well maintained.
San Pedro Atacama is a town now given over to tourism. We have not experienced many locals touting for business and they are friendly and outgoing towards us. As with many places throughout the world a smile, an ability to communicate, if only on a basic level and adding to the local economy produces positive results. Taking the local tours is to be recommended as you will learn more and get into the heart of the country quicker. If you rent a vehicle in the Atacama Region it will need to be a rugged 4x4 and Calama is the best spot, which is two hours away from San Pedro. For Europeans coming from a risk averse culture it is very encouraging to see that some of the tours visit areas with little if any health & safety guidelines. Yesterday we sat silently in a massive salt crystal gorge listening to the walls creak, crack and slowly expand in the extremes of heat, cold and wind. All around us was evidence of considerable rockfalls, which would have proved fatal, towering over 100 metres in places. Accessing the gorge we traversed above a big loose sandy drop into the Dunes of the Moon Valley region. This is close to Death Valley, where the United States tested their first moon buggies, as the terrain is similar! So, don't expect huge safety back-up. Take lots of water a simple first aid kit, rugged clothing and footwear, sun block and sunhat, and be responsible for yourself. Headache pills for the altitude are essential, as you will travel to 4500 metres from 2500 metres in an hour or so. Our guides did take mobile phones and walkie-talkies and were able to communicate with their base, but I doubt if a rescue helicopter would have swung over to lift you to the local hospital,
if in fact one exists.
the valuable minerals beneath it!
From here we explore three trips with Cactus Tours Lonely Planet recommend them and they are very good. We had two different guides on different days and they were very enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. Thanks to Juan and Eric, plus Ivan the driver.
Our Daughter, Victoria is with us for a couple of weeks and these four images of Pampas Grass and Cactus are from her latest Canon camera. Thanks.
All of the National Park areas here have an entrance fee and some strict guidelines about where you can and cannot walk. Although the usual popular sites are very busy, it appears that this vast region can soak up Adventure-Eco Tourism and still survive. Certainly, the income from tourism must be an asset worth developing, with a good infrastructure of facilities such as toilets, interpretive media and parking. The tours we used, deliberately stopped for mealsat local eating spots, even in the more remote villages. No Starbucks here folks! We are even finding it difficult to buy stamps for sending the obligatory postcards:)
Fortunately Email and Internet are prolific, although WiFi for the trusty laptop does not show up so often.
Flamingos and Avocets on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise
Flamingo on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise and the new 80-400mm VR zoom is starting to pay it's way, handheld.
Desert Art
Everywhere you look is a Volcano
Avocet feeding on the Salar de Atacama, Laguna Chaxa at sunrise
Three nights on (6th November) and we are preparing to head south again on a 24 hour coach trip back to Santiago. The last three days have packed in Salt Flats, Geysers, Sunsets, plenty of wildlife, Lama Ribs with Goat's Cheese and gallons of water in this extremely hot but interesting area. Mid-day is extremely hot and all the best stuff is seen and photographed either in the morning (best) or evening. Two 0400 hr starts for both the Flamingos at the Salt Flats (2500 metres) and the Geysers at 4500 metres. It's pretty tiring combating the heat and altitude and some of the roads are not the best for relaxing in the air-conditioned tour buses. We struck lucky again with a good tour agency, Cactus Tours. The guides were again enthusiastic, friendly
and knowledgeable. Also, Chileans are very considerate drivers, both in the cities and out in the country. The main roads are in good shape and paved with Tarmac. Only once you explore beyond the main arteries do the driving surfaces become rougher, but still well maintained.
San Pedro Atacama is a town now given over to tourism. We have not experienced many locals touting for business and they are friendly and outgoing towards us. As with many places throughout the world a smile, an ability to communicate, if only on a basic level and adding to the local economy produces positive results. Taking the local tours is to be recommended as you will learn more and get into the heart of the country quicker. If you rent a vehicle in the Atacama Region it will need to be a rugged 4x4 and Calama is the best spot, which is two hours away from San Pedro. For Europeans coming from a risk averse culture it is very encouraging to see that some of the tours visit areas with little if any health & safety guidelines. Yesterday we sat silently in a massive salt crystal gorge listening to the walls creak, crack and slowly expand in the extremes of heat, cold and wind. All around us was evidence of considerable rockfalls, which would have proved fatal, towering over 100 metres in places. Accessing the gorge we traversed above a big loose sandy drop into the Dunes of the Moon Valley region. This is close to Death Valley, where the United States tested their first moon buggies, as the terrain is similar! So, don't expect huge safety back-up. Take lots of water a simple first aid kit, rugged clothing and footwear, sun block and sunhat, and be responsible for yourself. Headache pills for the altitude are essential, as you will travel to 4500 metres from 2500 metres in an hour or so. Our guides did take mobile phones and walkie-talkies and were able to communicate with their base, but I doubt if a rescue helicopter would have swung over to lift you to the local hospital,
if in fact one exists.
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