Flamingos and Salt Lagoons

On our last full day in San Pedro, we had a full agenda. First, we visited the Salar de Atacama. This area spans over 3000 square kilometers and is located near the border with Bolivia. The Salar consists of two units, a core and a peripheral zone. The core extends to a depth of 1.7 km and is composed of 90% solid, porous sodium chloride infused with brine. Surrounding the core is the peripheral zone where you can find a number of oases that are home to flamingos. It is truly an unimaginable and unique landscape. Extremely hot, extremely dry, and salty, and in the midst of this environment, you can observe the pink flamingos at a false water hole. That was one of the highlights of our stay in the desert.

In the afternoon, we ended our last day with a more relaxed tour. There are several lagoons in the Salar de Atacama. However, many of them are surrounded by a thick rim of salt, making it impossible to swim in them. The sharp edges of the salt crystals can easily cause injuries. But there are two small lagoons in the middle of the desert where swimming is allowed. The special thing here is that the salinity of the lagoons is more than 40%. As a result, you float on the water similar to the Dead Sea. We had read about it beforehand, but neither of us could really imagine it until we were floating on the water ourselves, effortlessly swimming on the surface without paddling. It's an incredible feeling and a great way to end our trip.