High and Dry in San Pedro

The Atacama Desert of Chile and southern Peru is a special place. Most famously, it is the driest non-polar location on the planet. The Humboldt Current flowing from Antarctica is very cold. Low evaporation rates reduce the moisture in the air. Tall mountain ranges impede most precipitation. The Atacama is also Earth's greatest source of sodium nitrate.The Chinchorro Mummies that were discovered here are the world's oldest, predating those in Egypt by about 4000 years. The soil is so similar to that on Mars that NASA often uses the area for testing instruments for its missions to that planet.

San Pedro is an oasis in this inhospitable land. Water flows from the mountains far to the north providing a source of irrigation that has enabled people to survive for centuries. Nevertheless, the town has an outback feel and remains so rustic that few of the streets are signed or paved. Largely unknown until the early 1990s, San Pedro has since been on a collision course with the modern world. It is now one of Chile's top attractions. Predictably, economic growth is changing the traditional way of life. A big concern is that a company that wants to build a hotel with a large swimming pool.

One of the interesting things so far has been the great variety of native trees and shrubs that are totally unfamiliar to us. It creates a bit of an other-worldly feeling. They come in all shapes and sizes, everything from large drooping willow-like species to spindly little desert bushes with delicate flowers. The Algarrobo Grande grows up to 14 metres tall. The gnarled trunk has many cracks and fissures making it look like a veteran in any setting. Despite being such a beast it has wands of tiny reddish berries. A number of these trees provide shade for the town square in San Pedro.

The best known landmark in town is the Iglesia San Pedro, the second oldest church in Chile (1640).  It is composed mainly of clay (adobe). The walls, roof and main entrance doors are made from algarrobo but all of the finer woodwork is done using pieces of cactus that are bound together by llama gut. A good example is the gate that leads into the yard.

 

On a windswept hill just a few kilometres away is the Pukara de Quitor archaeological site. The ruins are a fortress built by the native Atacameno people over 700 years ago. It was strategically placed on the side of a hill, protected by a gorge over the river. By 1536 news had arrived that an army had come from the other side of the sea and conquered the powerful Inca empire. The lords of Atacama prepared for war. When Diego de Almagro (Francisco Pizarro's lieutenant) arrived with one hundred men they were repelled by the inhabitants who celebrated a great victory.

In 1540 the Spanish returned with cannons and a bloody battle ensued. With the help of the Yanacomas Indians (Inca slaves) Francisco de Aguirre managed to conquer the citadel. Twenty-five of the surviving Atacmeno men were beheaded to discourage further resistance. Henceforth Pikara de Quitor was known as the "town of the men without heads." As well as the fortifications, today the ruins include about two hundred terraced enclosures that would have been used as living spaces, patios, kitchens. More interesting are two large faces carved into the cliff sides to commemorate the brutal aftermath of the battle. 

San Pedro is at an altitude of about 8000 feet. The amazing landscape around it is what people come to see. The whole basin in which the village rests is surrounded by tall cliffs and various volcanoes, some of which remain active.

Lava rock and layers of salt have accumulated and in turn been eroded to create terrific forms. We were impressed with the way that the sand and rocks merge together into the various landscapes. These are really something to see, especially near sunset.

Our second excursion took us to the high altitude wetlands in the middle of the Atacama Salt Flats (Salar de Atacama). The turquoise waters of the Cejar Lagoons are 14% salt, nearly five times greater than sea water. It's a good place to experience the fun of swimming  with a high buoyancy that provides a sense of resting on top of the water. It doesn't quite compare with the Dead Sea which is 33% salt; however, it does not have the heavy sulphur content that is a detraction at that famous location.  

The Tebenquiche Lagoon is known for its gorgeous sunsets. Although there was too much low cloud for us to be able to really experience that effect the late day colours and texture of the lagoon left us a little spellbound.  

El Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world behind only Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and the Valley of the Geysers on the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia. It claims top spot though in terms of elevation since it is located at 14,170 feet! The trip there involves leaving San Pedro at 4:30 AM in order to arrive at sunrise when the steam geysers interact with the cold air. It was foggy when we arrived so we missed witnessing the geysers at their best but we still really enjoyed the other thermal features such as the colurful boiling pots. The beauty of the surrounding countryside makes the trip even more worthwhile. We love the mix of gold, green and red in the tufts of grass in this part of the desert.

On the way back from El Tatio we stopped at the Putana Wetlands. We saw some interesting bird life such as the beautiful pato de la puna teal and some giant coots building a nest.    

    

On our final stop of the day we explored the Guatin Gorge and marveled at its abundant giant cacti some of which exceed seven metres in height. 

For our final trip in the area we did a twelve hour tour of the antiplano (high plain) elsewhere in the Salar de Atacama. Our first stop was the Chaxa Lagoon, a very peaceful spot with wonderful opportunities to view different species of flamingo: Andean, Chilean and James. The Andean flamingo is the most colourful owing to its black tail. The pinkish hue is a result of the beta carotene in the brine shrimp and algae that they consume.   

The Chaxa Lagoon is surrounded by an extensive lava field. The lava rocks contain large deposits of crystallized salt. When I asked our guide about snakes and scorpions in the desert he said that there weren't any. It seems like a good place to me. Maybe it's all of that sodium!  One of the desert plants here has tiny little green leaves that taste just like salt!  

Rheas are flightless birds which are distantly related to ostriches and emus. They are the largest bird in South America and can run at speeds of up to 40 mph. They looked pretty lonely loping through the desert alone...but maybe that's just what they like!

There are four species of camelids in South America: guanaco, vicuna, llama and alpaca.  Guanacos and vicunas live at high altitudes and are the only two that are naturally occurring. Llamas have been bred from guanacos and alpacas from vicunas so that they can be domesticated at lower elevations.  Vicunas have very fine hair that has led to over hunting in the past but with protection the species is now recovering. The females typically produce just one offspring per year. Like camels, guanacos and llamas will spit at you if you get within their comfort zone. Vicunas and alpacas do not.  They look so sweet!   

At the tiny village of Socaire we stopped to see a lovely little historic church. People worked in the nearby fields and we saw some quinoa plants in blossom. It's a dietary staple here, of course, and one of the few plant foods that contain all nine essential fatty acids as well as a host of other nutrients. 

Nancy and I found the lagoons of the antiplano to be absolutely gorgeous.  Each major one seems unique in its own way, especially in terms of the colours. The Miscanti and Miniques Lagoons are connected below the surface. Their aquamarine blue colour is due to the fact that the lakes fill mostly from groundwater rather than run-off from the volcanoes.  

I would say that the dreamiest  lagoon that we saw was at Aguas Calientes. Set off by some of the red rocks that surround it, the water and the mountains themselves seemed to be shrouded by a lingering mist that provided an ethereal effect.

Well, there's more that I could write but I think that this is quite enough for now. Telling about the dogs of San Pedro would be a whole new story!  We had a very good time here and really enjoyed staying at two different locations that provided family experiences. It's nice to feel a bit of unexpected love when you are on the road!