We were up at 6:30am this morning and ready to go for 7am which was when we were getting picked up for this full-day, round-trip to Lauca National Park; the northern-most area of Chile and close to the border with Bolivia.
The guide only spoke Spanish, but we knew that before booking the trip and were as interested in simply seeing the sites as we were with trying to practice, listen to and attempt to understand some of what was being said. There are other tours you can book, with English-speaking guides, but they are a little more expensive. After being picked up we took the road that would have eventually continued to La Paz in Bolivia, running alongside the Lluta Valley, where we could see Incan Geoglyphs in the sides of the valley and dating back some 1,200 years.
Shortly after viewing the geoglyphs we were in Poconcille village where we stopped to take pictures of a particularly quaint little church called; ‘San Jeronimo’. After our brief stop at the church we were on the road again where we eventually came to a rather large ravine called the ‘Cardones Ravine’ where once more we were out of the bus to take pictures of the native cactus of this area; the Candelabra Cactus which is an odd-shaped offering; it’s more like a tree – with a thick trunk – and then the classic cactus characteristic form on top of the ‘trunk’ – rather big they were too.
Breakfast was included in this tour and it wasn’t long before we stopped at a restaurant in a small town, more of a collection of four buildings, called; ‘Zapahuira’ where it wasn’t just the food that was important but the cocoa tea which is an amazing natural aid to helping the body acclimatise to the altitude. (Well, I felt that it was, it might just be a placebo effect, and you will hear various versions of this remedy and it’s effectiveness different people) Back to the bus and a relatively short rip onwards and our next visual highlight was the ‘Socooma’ viewpoint where the scope of the Taapaca Volcano was amazing – what a fantastic scene.
It soon became apparent, if it hasn’t already to any readers, that this trip was going to be crammed with getting on and off the bus to admire the views, but we knew what we had signed up to and this was already becoming a great way to see as much of Northern Chile in a relatively short amount of time. And so with that in mind, our next stop was the ‘Cotacotani Lagoons’ formed several thousand years ago by the eruption of the ‘Parinacoat Volcano’. This was where we saw a plethora of vicuña, viscachas, guanacos and flamingos.
Next on the whistle-stop tour was ‘Chungara Lake’ which is known to be the highest non-navigable lake in the world. We had plenty of time to walk around the place and explore a small section of the rather huge lake so although we were powering through many places of interest, it wasn’t so quick that we couldn’t appreciate the surroundings. For me, the most impressive view was of the Parinacota and Pomperape Volcanoes as they command your attention and awe via a striking presence on the landscape, artistically reflected in the large lake system.
45 minutes or so at the lake and then we were herded back into our mini-bus to continue on to the provincial capital; Putre, for a spot of lunch and a walk round this quaint, high-altitude town. After we had spent around an hour exploring the town, and admiring the old church and square we were off, heading back to Arica and due to arrive at around 7:30pm.
If you don’t have much time in Arica or perhaps in Northern Chile, I highly recommend this trip as a way to see some truly spectacular sights. There are many options available to explore this region so you can take your time and truly discover what the lakes, plains and mountains hold; there are many hikes, trails and treks to do should that be your thing.
One thing I have to mention is the altitude – do not take it for granted. It is truly astonishing how altitude strips you of any assumed fitness or physical ability you think you might have. You will be breathing heavily, probably be light-headed and may even feel nausea. Take the advice of the local people as all of their natural aids work and you don’t want your trip spoiled by feeling ill.
Back to Arica for one more night and then it was another new country; Peru.