Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 419

PARQUE NACIONAL LAUCA
From Putre, Ruta 11 leads up onto the
altiplano to the Parque Nacional Lauca , a
region of rich flora and fauna, shimmering
lakes and snowcapped volcanoes 4300m
above sea level. The most visited village
at these dizzying heights is the little
whitewashed settlement of Parinacota ,
accessible by public transport, though
it's far easier to see the sights of Lauca on
an organized tour.

Parinacota can be reached by public bus
from the Terminal Internacional in
Arica (departs Tues-Fri at 11am,
returning at 9am the following day).
It may be possible to rent a very basic
room from a villager, or stay in the basic
hostel opposite the church (ask at Raíces
Andinas in Arica).

Lago Chungará
Some 18km east of Parinacota, at
a breathtaking altitude of 4600m, lies
the stunning Lago Chungará . With its
brilliant blue waters perfectly reflecting
the towering snowcapped cone of Volcán
Parinacota (6350m), this is undoubtedly
one of the highlights of the national park.
The roadside Conaf refugio here has six
basic beds (CH$5500 per person),
kitchen facilities and three camping spaces
(free). There is a short lakeside nature
trail , which provides a good vantage point
for viewing the giant coots, flamingos and
Andean geese that nest here.

Las Cuevas
The Conaf-run Las Cuevas refugio is
located 9km into the park, and the nature
trail near it is the best place to see
viscachas , the long-tailed, rabbit-like
relatives of chinchillas, as they use their
powerful hind legs to leap from boulder to
boulder. The well-watered bofedal (alluvial
depression) here provides permanent
grazing for herds of vicuñas , the wild
relatives of llamas and alpacas, which are
also commonly seen. In addition, you'll
find numerous examples of the llareta
plant, which takes three hundred years to
grow to full size; the plant looks like a pile
of oddly shaped green cushions but is
actually rock-hard. The local Aymará break
up the dead plants with picks for use as
firewood. Just off the refugio 's nature trail
are some rustic thermal baths.

4

RESERVA NACIONAL LAS VICUÑAS
AND SALAR DE SURIRE
A southbound turn-off from Ruta 11
by Lago Chungará heads through the
2091-square-kilometre Reserva Nacional
Las Vicuñas towards the Salar de Surire
salt lake. The reserva is made up of
seemingly endless marshes and grasslands
where herds of vicuñas can be seen
grazing in the distance.
At an altitude of 4295m, the enormous,
dirty-white Salar de Surire is home to
up to ten thousand flamingos - mostly
Chilean, but with a smattering of James
and Andean species. Surire means “place
of the rhea” in Aymará, and it's also
possible to catch glimpses here of these
swift, ostrich-like birds. On the southeast
side of the salt flat are the Termas de
Polloquere , several hot thermal pools
amid a small geyser field, which are a
good spot to soak and pamper yourself
using the mud at the bottom of the
pools. It is possible to camp at a rustic site
near the pools.
There is no public transport to either
the reserva or salar , and a tour is the
easiest option.

Parinacota
he Conaf headquarters (daily
9am-12.30pm & 1-5.30pm) are located
in the tiny Aymará village of Parinacota ,
19km east of the Las Cuevas refugio .
Parinacota is worth a stop for its cheerful,
whitewashed little church , reconstructed
in 1789, and for the stalls opposite,
selling colourful local artesanía . Besides
a fetching bell tower with a tiny doorway,
the church (ask around for the guardian
of the key) has murals depicting scenes of
Jesus being borne to the cross by soldiers
resembling Spanish conquistadors, as well
as sinners burning in hell. A small
wooden table is tethered to the wall to
the left of the altar; legend has it that the
table wandered around the village,
causing the death of a man by stopping
in front of his house - the chain prevents
the table from escaping again.