From the Altiplano to the Chilean Border

After a fantastic day out on Salar de Uyuni, with the white salt flats stretching for kilometres in every direction, we were in for a dramatic change of scenery after a rather chilly night. We were already at around 4,000 metres above sea level, and we were going even higher.

Now, we were heading across the Altiplano, a vast high-altitude plateau stretching across parts of Peru, Bolivia and Chile. We drove through long valleys with surprisingly colourful landscapes. The vegetation was very sparse, but that certainly didn’t mean there was any shortage of colour. We saw llamas regularly, and in one valley, along a quiet river, a large herd grazed, paying very little attention to us.

At this point, it was almost a matter of one beautiful place after another. They were all competing for our attention and admiration.

Our next stop was Laguna Colorada. The red colour of the water is caused by algae and sediments in the salty water. It was also home to large numbers of flamingos. The red water and the pink legs of the flamingos were a rather good match. You almost wondered whether they had rubbed off on each other.

The mountain landscape was full of different formations and, as I have already mentioned, colours. There was so much variation that it was difficult to choose which photographs to include.

We also stopped briefly at the surreal landscape known as the Salvador Dalí Desert. Anyone familiar with his paintings can probably see why it was given the name.

When it comes to rock formations, Árbol de Piedra, or the Stone Tree, in the Siloli Desert is probably the most characteristic. It is said to be Bolivia’s most famous natural rock formation. By now, we were also at an altitude of around 4,750 metres.

Sand carried by the wind acts like sandpaper, slowly wearing away the softer sandstone. And apparently, the wind blows a lot more strongly close to the ground!

Since many of the mountains in this area are extinct volcanoes, there is still plenty of activity beneath the surface. At the geothermal area of Sol de Mañana, even higher up, we found boiling mud pools, steam rising from the ground and a strong smell of sulphur.

After a long day of some of the most incredible natural experiences, we were once again going to spend the night in fairly basic accommodation. There was no electricity, only solar panels, so the amount of light was limited – not to mention the heat.

But what does that matter when there are hot springs where you can take a lovely dip?

We were now very far south in Bolivia, and one of our fellow travellers was continuing on to Chile. So we drove him all the way down to the border. From the car, we could see the sign, and we couldn’t help dreaming about perhaps visiting Chile next time.

The rest of us still had a very long journey back to Uyuni.

Everyone in the group agreed that these had been three days of experiences that would hopefully stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Then it was time to say goodbye.

I had only just begun my journey through Bolivia. The next stop would be the silver mines of Potosí.