Up to the Altiplano

Today we went on our last trip to the desert and drove to the Altiplano. The road leads over the Paso de Jama to Argentina, but of course we didn't go all the way there, only the first approximately 180 km. At the beginning, you pass by the almost 6000 meter high classic-shaped volcano "Licancabur". We made it to 4820 meters. We had never been this high before. On the plateau, visitors can expect salt flats with flamingos, vicuñas, and - if you're lucky, but we weren't - condors. Just a few meters from the car with the camera at the edge of the viewpoint and you need rest. The air is very thin, it was only 15 degrees, a strong wind blows and you feel thirsty all the time. Even if you drink constantly. The surroundings are extreme. Extremely barren, extremely beautiful, extremely challenging as a habitat for animals. The vicuñas seem to eat pure rocks, you don't see any plants. But there will be something, because these animals are very frequently seen.

The photos were partly taken with a color filter and that's why they are so colorful. But even live, the mountains are very colorful, unfortunately that cannot be captured as clearly with our cameras. And the flamingos are so red and pink, their plumage can easily keep up with the contents of many girls' wardrobes 😄👚🌋