October 5th 2015
We wake up early for breakfast, but not feeling hungry I instead head out for a stroll along the road to watch the sun rise over the distant salt flats. t’s beautiful and not all that cold, plus as I head back to the refugio I have time for a cup of hot chocolate before we all climb into the car and head out towards more wonders. I’m pretty excited about today,for two reasons. First, when I did this tour back in May our second day was snowed out, causing us to take a different route and miss the many lakes and rock formations on that section of the tour. And second, because the day will end at Laguna Colorada one of my favourite places in all the world.
We drive along the road for a while through small settlements and military bases before the car sputters to a sudden stop. Luckily Simon, the father in the British family, has one hell of a swiss army knife and between him and our driver they strip the ignition wires and reconnect them, fixing the problem and then pul into our first stop, a little dust swept village with a small convenient store and a very cute puppy.
After 10 minutes of hanging around and me buying an overpriced pack of skittles for the car we’re on our way again driving through the incredible desert mountains of Southwestern Bolivia. Our next stop is an abandoned looking railroad track through a huge desert valley surrounded by mountains all around us. As always in this part of the world the scenery is spectacular. We also pass a family of vicuna’s running over the barren ground.
After just a brief stop we climb back into the car and drive in the cramped quarters for a good long while before pulling up to an active volcano, with smoke escaping in a narrow plume in the distance. Our drive tells us the volcano is one of several volcano’s right on the border with chile, one side being Bolivian, the other Chilean.
We stop earlier than normal because we find a bunch of Llamas grazing near a tiny little lagoon in front of the volcano, and pile out of the car, Janosch and I using the Lamas as an excuse to stretch our legs drawing close to them for some fun photos.
We’re called back to the car before too long though, but just for a short trip up ahead to where strange rock formations rise in rolling patterns out of the earth, almost giving the appearance of Sand dunes, two volcanoes in the horizon around us, including the smoking one. Lots of cars have stopped here for photos but we’re only given 15 minutes and I could have spoent hours climbing up the rock formations and drawing closer to the volcano. It’s the one downside of the salt flats tour, there’s never enough time for each of the countless amazing places you get to visit. At least I get to do the tour three times.
We climb back in the car and drive on to our next major stop where we’re to be eating lunch, the first of many flamingo filled lagoons today. This is where we’re scheduled to eat lunch but as we walk don to the lake allowing our driver time to prepare lunch I quickly realize I’m not going to be eating anything, far to busy edging along the banks of the shallow lagoon which is absolutely full of bright pink flamingoes. The slower I move the closer they come. It’s an incredible spectacle and the impressive mountains surrounding the lake only serve to improve it.
As I get closer and closer to the lake and further from the small crowds who’ve gather, more Flamingoes approach me looking at me nervously, as they step closer, heads bobbing. I hear a bird call nearby and look down to find a very cute, very fat little bird, sitting on the grass staring up at me. This combined with the Flamingo keeps my smile permanently plastered to my face.
One by one the other members of our tours have come and find me after finishing lunch and we enjoy a few final minutes at this stunning lake before climbing into the jeep and heading onto the next sight, another flamingo infested, mountain ringed lake.
As we get there, pulling up to the side of the makeshift road alongside the lake I notice a mother flamingo feeding it’s young one jsut outside, but have to wait and wait as the guide gives us some information which I am responsible for translating. I do a shortened version and hurry out of the car, just barely catching the special moment in time.
As the mother and young one separate we wander along the edge of the lake towards the bigger groups of flamingoes and the volcano, another border one, which towers over the lagoon filled with little pink forms.
From here we climb up to a parking lot of a hotel where some of the tours are spending the night, waiting for our driver to reappear before continuing on to our next stop. The lake and hotel is a beautiful spot and even advertises wifi, and If I ever return to Bolivia with my own car I’d definitely stay there.
Our next destination is a series of two more incredible pale blue lakes, which, breaking the pattern, are largely without flamingoes.
Janosch and I walk ahead of the group over towards the second lake enjoying the incredible views and the cool wind in the vast open space of the Bolivian desert before our driver comes to pick us up and head around to the other side of the second lake, beside a strange deposit of heavily read stone and clay which James tells us is used to dye all manner of things. I ask James how dangerous it is and he suggests it’s not that bad, so you guessed it, time for a titanic shot which leaves my side and my pants very red, and the rest of the onlookers pleasantly baffled.
We then climb into the car again and speed off to our second to last destination on the day, which has so far blown me away. The second to last stop is more crazy rock formations great for climbing and most famous for the arbol de piedra, or rock tree, a rock formation which looks and awful lot like a tree. We all enjoy climbing around the rocks for some great views of the surrounding mountains before climbing back into the car for the last leg of a long day in the car.
The final stop is of course Laguna Colorada, one of my favourite places in the entire world. Luckily I’ve talked to our driver ahead of time and gotten him to agree to make sure we stay in the refugios right beside the lake rather than the ones which are a 15 minutes drive from this stunning red body of water.
We check in to our basic room and I can’t wait long heading out along the trail that I so loved back in May towards the flamingoes and stunning rust red lake. Most of the others are with us, but Sara has a headache from the altitude (4200 meters)and so has decided to take a nap before coming to join us. Luckily it’s only around 3 o’clock so we have about three hours at the lake and I intend to use every minute.
We reach the rocky uprise in the path and decide first to head along the lower path which takes us closer to the lake and the flamingoes but does give a less impressive view of the red colours of the lake. Eventually James Simon and Chris head up to the higher view point while Janosch and I continue out past the end of the path towards a distant but even bigger group of flamingos.
Eventually we decide to head back, pleased we haven’t been told off by the park guide, and then together we endure the short climb up to the volcanic rock formations which provide a perfect lookout of the lake and the flamingoes below.
As I’m sitting on one of the rocks I watch some of the flamingoes in the distance and notice a big group of them packed closely together, standing as tall as possible and moving in unison through the lake towards the other flamingos in what I can only assume is some sort of mating ritual.
We spend a long time up there exploring the rocks and marvelling at the incredible views made even more impressive by large groups of flamingoes taking flight over the strange blood red water, which is caused by a mix of algae and chemicals in the water.
Before too long I’m glad to see Sara climb up onto the rocks to join us in appreciating this gem of the earth. I’d been worried the altitude headache would keep her from coming entirely, and since this is probably my favourite place on the whole tour, that would have made me very sad.
Before long the flamingos are back at their mating rituals and I snap a few more photos and a video, showing Sara this really cool behaviour. I’ve seen a lot of flamingoes in South America but today has provided two new experiences, the mother feeding the baby, and this baffling dance like ritual.
After observing them for a good long while we turn our attention the the lake and impressive sky, the sun sinking low, closer and closer to the rugged mountaintops to our right. We grow restless in the cold (though its so much warmer than it was in may)and soon get up to take some photos of each other perched on the unique rock formations with the mountains and strange red lake in the background behind us.
Janosch and Sara and I eventually decide to head back to the refugio, but I almost instantly regret the decision and so let Sara and Janosch continue on ahead as I head down the low trail near the lake once more, eventually cutting out to the shore for a few more flamingo pictures. I know it’s been too many in this entry, but I love these weird looking birds.
I spend a long time walking back to the refugio, listening to music and singing loudly, dancing to keep what little warmth I have left. Annoyingly my camera dies just as the sky really starts to turn crazy colours leaving me unable to capture the incredible purple hues behind the mountains, framing the red lake in a stunning mix of otherworldly colours.
I make it back to the refugio just in time for dinner all light gone from the sky, wishing I had a way to spend a few weeks at the incredible laguna Colorada The night is cold but not like ti was in may and we wake up excited in the early morning light for what lies ahead on the final day of our Salt Flat Tour.
