Atacama Salt Flat – Chaxa Lagoon (Flamingos), Toconao Orchards.

Toconao Orchards

To get to the town of Toconao we head south, 38 km from San Pedro de Atacama. There, we will be welcomed by a local guide, who will show us the different aspects of agriculture developed in the area, the water management system and the different crops developed in that area.

Atacama Salt Flat, Chaxa Lagoon, Flamingos

We head towards the Atacama Salt Flat, located close to the village of Toconao. Being Chile´s biggest salt flat it is also a huge and important deposit of minerals where we can find a multitude of mixed salts like potassium, borax and one of the biggest reserves of lithium on the planet. The salt flat extends in an enormous depression of more than 3.500 km2 at 2.300 m.a.s.l. where – between a rough and wrinkly surface of different forms and colors, small ridges and perfect hexagons – we can find solitary lagoons due to the fact that the basin receives water coming in the form of rivers and melted snow from the mountains without having an outlet. In these lagoons one can observe three varieties of Flamingo or Parina: Andean Flamingo, Puna (or James´s) Flamingo and Chilean Flamingo. In order to protect them, the National reserve Los Flamencos has been created, divided into several sectors, one of them being the core of the Atacama Salt Flat.

The Chaxa Lagoon, located in the Atacama Salt Flat, is one of the most visited places in the surroundings of San Pedro. It is an aquatic system that contains a big quantity of salt. At its borders a special flora develops which – adapted to the salty and desertic climate – adds a golden touch to the landscape, especially at sunrise and dawn, thanks to the effects of the sunlight. One of its main attractions is the possibility to observe colonies of flamingos that fly over the area at certain times of the day, beautifully displaying their colors. Here we will wait for the sunset, when the colors of the lagoon and its surroundings offer us a spectacular view.

The Chaxa Lagoon is co-administrated by Conaf (National Forest Corporation) and the indigenous community of Toconao.

SEE LESS