Hi !

Which picture, other than a peaceful lake and pink-ish flamingos, would be better suited to talk about a desert ?

The Desierto de Atacama (Atacama Desert) is the driest non-polar desert in the world, with some part having never received rain in recorded history. There are a few lakes, all overloaded with salt, coming from the higher plateaux when the snow melts and the water carries the salt down to the depression where the Salar de Atacama lies. Fortunately, the mild temperature (ranging for 0°C at night to 35°C during the day) makes it possible to enjoy this piece of desert.

Laguna Chaxa is the most popular of the lakes for those looking to observe some wild life, and appreciate the reflexion of the surrounding volcanoes.

Less postal card like, there was also a chance to spot the Andean Avocet, who likes the flamingo feeds on crustaceans, but don’t turn pink (so, less fashionable ?!).

Finaly, any sun-scorched place in the world wouldn’t be one without its resident lizard, who hunts the insects living on the surface of the salted water.

 

 

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !