Our tour of some of the driest, harshest and least sinus-forgiving destinations on the planet continued into the remote southern regions of Bolivia and northern Chile (which was, in fact, originally a part of Bolivia, but that's a local sore point, so best not discussed too much). It was an adventure I was hugely looking forward to - a jeep safari across a salt plain about the size of Greater Sydney to reach the wild expanse of the Atacama desert. And it certainly did not disappoint, with otherworldly landscapes stretching in all directions and offering a few surprising sights, some magical experiences and a plethora of stunning photo opportunities.
We were an expedition of three vehicles and 15 global tourists, the rest of whom were lovely and not at all annoying (which was a blessing). The Irish couple and Englishman in our jeep were especially fun, and our small gang quickly built a rapport with our driver/DJ who readily supplied us with 80s classics to sing along to as we tore along the trails on our way south. The first day had us making fools of ourselves forcing perspectives on the stark white backdrop of the salt flats, marvelling at a strange fossilised coral island (this used to be a sea after all) covered in enormous cacti, and toasting the sunset with a glass of excellent Bolivian red. It ended with a llama steak and a surprisingly comfortable bed made of salt.
After this, the next few days were spent in the Atacama desert. We saw fuming volcanoes, Martian valleys (used by NASA to test their rovers), towering sand dunes and steaming geysers. And flamingos. Thousands upon thousands of magnificent pink flamingos. Strange and incredibly awkward creatures, I could have watched their antics for hours (and I must have captured each and every one of them in the 1200 odd photos I ended up with! Mercifully, I have included only a select few here). In the evening, we took in a stargazing experience to see the rings of Saturn and spot shooting stars. At 4700m, we bunked by a volcanic lake which meant we could wake up to watch the sun rise behind the flamingos while we luxuriated in a thermal hot spring. Crossing into (what is now) Chile, we descended to 2400m to San Pedro where we had a refreshing pool to help us escape the desert heat.
The Chilean vibe felt immediately more sophisticated and organised than the haphazard logistics of Bolivia, and to a lesser extent Peru, and San Pedro was a welcome opportunity to relax, recover and prepare as we look ahead to Brazil, where an entirely different adventure, and a new language, awaits!
(Also, I've now learned how to embed panoramic photos, so get used to them appearing!)
Your pictures are incredible! 🤩
Ok I'm sick of this now, just so jealous 😜😜