Salar de Atacama & Lagoons

Salar de Atacama — The Great Salt Lake

The Salar de Atacama is Chile's largest salt flat at 3,000 km² and the third largest in the world. Its rough, crystalline surface of salt crusts stretches to the horizon, framed by snow-capped Andean volcanoes — a landscape of eerie beauty.

The highlight lies at the edge of the Salar: The Laguna Chaxa is a shallow salt lake where flamingos are reflected — yes, flamingos in the desert! Three species (Andean Flamingo, James's Flamingo, and Chilean Flamingo) wade through the mineral-rich water here, filtering small crustaceans. Their pink silhouettes against the white salt flat and the volcanoes in the background are among Chile's most iconic photo motifs.

Lagunas Altiplánicas

On the Altiplano at 4,100–4,300 meters lie the Lagunas Miscanti and Miñiques — two deep blue highland lakes surrounded by snow-capped volcanoes. The colors are unreal: deep blue of the water, white of the snow, brown of the desert, and the cyan of the sky. Up here, the air is thin, the silence absolute, and the feeling of seclusion overwhelming.

Laguna Cejar

The "Chilean version of the Dead Sea": The Laguna Cejar is a small salt lake with such a high salt content that you can effortlessly float like in the Dead Sea. The turquoise water amidst the white salt desert offers a surreal bathing experience. Afterwards: Watch the sunset at the nearby Laguna Tebinquinche, where the volcanoes are reflected in the mirror-like water.