South West Circuit - Day 3

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After we defrost over a hearty breakfast of fluffy pancakes and coffee, we´re back in the jeep and off to the Arbol de Piedra (the Stone Tree). This is one of many weird rock formations dotted around this part of the Desierto de Siloli, caused by wind erosion.

We then drive for a good 80kms through dramatic desert scenery until we come to yet more mineral rich lakes. The most impressive, the Laguna Onda and Hedionda are bright blue with white and yellow deposits round the edges, caused by the high sulphur content which is unmissable at first whiff. The flamingos don´t seem to mind the eggy stink...once again there are hundreds of them adding their wonderful colour to an already stunning palette.

One of the few active volcanos Ollague, which straddles the Chilean border, lets off puffs of smoke and you can see discolouration in the rocks...the visual remnants of old lava flows. Ollague marks the start of the Salar de Chiguana, a much smaller borax-producing ¨salt-desert¨. It´s a little taster of what´s to come tomorrow...vast expanses where the horizon reflects itself in mirror image mirages. It totally messes with your head...it´s difficult to tell where the earth and sky meet, and leaves me feeling disorientated.

The past three days have been such an assault on the senses that it´s a relief to reach our lodgings for the night. I definitely need a good nights´sleep before I can possibly compute anymore geological weirdness.

And this lodging is a diamond...well, a salt crystal really. The Villa Candelaria is built almost entirely of salt. It´s beautiful; the walls sparkle and the craftmanship, from the arches to the round dining table is brilliant.

We´re only a 20min drive from the crown jewel of the 4-day tour...the Salar de Uyuni, but that´s for tomorrow and for now we all need to rest our overstimulated brains.

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