South West Circuit - Day 2

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Day 2 takes on us the most incredible journey into the most surreal landscapes I have ever seen. Starting out in the desolate rocky surroundings of yesterday, we drive towards a horizon of volcanos and everything starts to change. There´s obviously tectonic plates colliding below us as we reach Tres Gigantes...deep fissures in the earth which reveal the land to made up of layers of flat tile-like stones.

And then we start chasing rainbows, starting with Laguna Amarillo (yellow) which at this early hour is unfortunately not yet showing it´s true colours, it´s water still frozen white. Then comes Laguna Celeste a beautiful pale turquoise that apparently deepens as the sun gets higher. To offset the amazing colour is the bright pink of hundreds of flamingos.

We bathe in hot springs with the stunning aquamarine backdrop of Kollpa Laguna, steam rising to blot out the sun. The contrast from the hot water to the cold 4000mtr altitude air leaves us feeling giddy...a problem quickly resolved by another excellent meal prepared by our lovely cook Nilda. Then our cheery driver Elias, all dressed up in his natty racing driver jumpsuit speeds us across the desertscape surrounded by volcanos past the Rocas de Dali...random volcanic rocks dropped onto the otherwise flat surrounds. We speculate how huge the volcanic eruption must´ve been to spit such huge rocks so far.

Next on this ridiculous technicolour journey comes the milky Laguna Blanca followed by the lovely Laguna Verde. This huge expanse of pale jade water is rippled by white ¨waves¨ caused by the freezing wind. But due to it´s high concentrations of lead, sulphur, arsenic and calcium, it will remain liquid to temperatures as low as -70 degrees F. The hundreds of pink flamingos contrasting with the green water, with the bright blue sky framed by Volcano Licancabur are quite a sight, it´s absolutely breathtaking.

The most surreal though is left for last. We drive through a moonscape of geisers...the earth bubbling, steam and boiling water spurting from holes in the ground. We´re now 5000mtrs above sea level and the effects of altitude add to the feeling of otherworldliness.

Then it comes into view and the sense of being on another planet is complete...the bright red waters of Laguna Colorada. It truely is the weirdest thing I have ever seen. The land around the lake is the cracked white craters of the moon, and the water, turned red by a high concentrate of plankton and algae, is straight from Mars.

There are even more flamingos here, three kinds: the Andean, Chilean and James´, distinguishable by differences to their legs and beaks. Elias tells us that in June up to 26,000 arrive here to breed in the mineral rich waters.

Our lodgings for the night are right on the shores of the lake, so we can start day 3 with a freezing dawn walk, to once again stand dumbstruck at this most surreal sight.

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