THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Bolivia - page 262

The track then climbs still higher to over 4500m and across the Pampa Siloli , a high-alti-
tude desert of volcanic ash and gravel scattered with rock outcrops that have been sandblas-
ted into surreal shapes by the constant, howling winds. The strangest of these is the Árbol de
Piedra (Stone Tree), a massive boulder 8m high that balances on a narrow stem. Amongst
the rock outcrops you may catch a glimpse of a viscacha or an Andean fox.
Reserva de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa
Bs150; payable at the park office by Laguna Colorada (see the section Tours of the Salar and the Reserva
Eduardo Avaroa ) .
From Colcha K, just south of the Salar de Uyuni, it's a 160km drive down to the entrance to
the RESERVA DE FAUNA ANDINA EDUARDO AVAROA . En route you cross the edge
of the smaller Salar de Chiguana, a railway line running from Uyuni to the Chilean border,
and a forlorn military outpost where you may have to show your passport . The track then
climbs above 4000m and passes a series of snow-frosted volcanoes straddling the border. It
is not advisable - and, in any case, extremely difficult - to visit the reserve independently.
Like the Salar de Uyuni, the desolate landscapes of the Reserva Eduardo Avaroa possess a
surreal, otherworldly beauty. This is a land of glacial salt lakes whose icy waters are stained
bright red or emerald green by microorganisms or mineral deposits; of snowcapped volcanic
peaks and frozen, high-altitude deserts ; of rocky outcrops scoured bythe unremitting wind
into strange, Dalí-esque formations.
There is a wide range of rare Andean wildlife here , including many species rarely seen
elsewhere. The salt lakes support large colonies of all three South American species of
flamingo, including the world's largest population of the rare James flamingo, one of the
eighty different bird species found in the reserve. You're almost certain to see large herds of
vicuñas grazing on the scant vegetation of the high, semi-desert grasslands. Viscachas and
even the elusive Andean fox are also frequently spotted.