Atacama Desert, Chile

Unlike the rainforest, whose encompassing darkness tends to turn the human spirit inward, vast stretches of open desert stretching out to distant volcanic mountains open us up…..

And sometimes a dribble of water surfaces, turning the landscape into colorful striations….

The Atacama Desert is “at altitude”, as they say – almost 8,000 feet, stretching through northern Chile to Bolivia. The closest city of large size is Antofagasta, on the Pacific Coast about 4 hours’ drive west.

Everybody who visits seems to follow the same series of outdoor activities….. which was actually great and not too crowded. We climbed up one side of a ”moonscape” to a very windy summit….. and some of us jogged down.

A hike through a gorge to see the cactus plants provided some fun challenges.

Another day brought a visit to a deep salt-water lagoon for a refreshing and buoyant dip.

On our last day in the desert – maximally adapted to the altitude (for us) – we ventured toward the Bolivian border to see the geysers at an elevation of over 14,000 feet.

Henry got a little dehydrated…..

Finally got to see wildlife. Vicunas are a type of camel, related to the llama, who are rarely seen at altitudes below 11,000 feet.

Can you see the vicuna?

How about now?

Back at the Alto Atacama resort, a few of the vicuna’s cousins are kept to entertain the guests…… a llama parade!

And a feeding…..

The desert – so stark and clean and honest. A specific and often brutal form of beauty, where sometimes the heat, salt content, and lack of moisture are such that life itself is not possible. How amazing.

Now to work our way south along the length of Chile…..