Plateau Lagoons

(Plateau lagoons)

55,92 miles from San Pedro de Atacama, in the North of Chile, there are located a group of interesting lagoons. We have enlisted some of the lagoons and villages for your next San Pedro de Atacama travel:

-Miscanti and Miñiques These plateau lagoons are one of the 7 sectors that conform the Los Flamencos National Reserve.

Altitude: 13.123,36 feet above sea level.

Their waters attract a the local wildlife: tagua cornuda, Chilean flamenco, small parina, caitó, playero of baird, chorlo of puna, juarjual duck and the guallata. Flamencos being the most notorious species.

In km 7, when arriving above, is the house of control of the Miscanti-Miñiques Sector that is between the 14.271,65 feet and 13.451,44 feet of altitude. It belongs to the National Reserve the Flamenco and is administered by the indigenous community of Socaire and Conaf. One has implemented a refuge for visitors, house of park keeper, footpath and viewpoint with spectacular Vista of the Miscanti hills, 18.444,88 feet, and Miñiques, of 19.389,76 feet,

Is located to11,18 miles to the south of Socaire. The trip to the plateau lagoons is from San Pedro de Atacama , passing through Toconao and bordering Atacama Salt flat. The entrance has a value of $2,000, children $500.

-Green Lagoon: a lagoon of an intense emerald green color surrounded by Andean summits.

Altitude: 14.189,63 feet above sea level.

Located at 164,66 miles to the northeast of Copiapó, just 13,05 miles to the limit and the border with Argentina to the edges of the route to the Passage of San Francisco.

The geologic formation of hills and adjacent lands allows to verify the successive volcanic contributions in the area, also represented by the near volcano Ojos Del Salado (Eyes of the Salty), whose last eruption dates from 1956.

-Laguna Sejar; a natural atmosphere of beauty, with turquoises waters, surrounded by crystals of salt of diverse forms. Its geomorphologic construction is a very peculiar case in the desert of Atacama.

Aguas Blancas: new oasis with waters is being developed that goes down by the gorge of Talabre, by a irrigation ditch done with stones and cover with flagstone.

Leave from San Pedro de Atacama to Toconao. In Km 38 road to Toconao lines up to the south. In km 42 there is deflection to goes down to the salt flat; follow right and in km 47 is Aguas Blancas.

-Lejia Lagoon:

Altitude:16.909,45 feet.

-Camar : Small and charming oasis where there are 61 inhabit, people dedicated to the pasturing of ewes and camelid. It has a Church with walls of adobe (mud/strew), ceiling of cactus and tower. There is the celebration of San Antonio, the June 13th.

From Aguas Blancas (White Waters) to continue by the international road, with panoramic views to the salar, that it seems a great lake. In km 62 there is a crossing that to the right takes to the salar and by the left, in 1,86 miles rises the lagoon.

- Socaire: 285 inhabitants and an altitude of 10.557,74 feet. Presents a succession of cultivates in terraces that take advantage of the slopes that goes down of the mountain range. In August 24. they celebrate San Bartholome.

- The gorge of Nacimiento (birth), famous for being excellent place for rock scaling, soon to go up, to a plateau covered with a fine layer of sand and amount of coirones.

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