Altiplano 5 Day Wildlife Explorer

 

Upon arrival in the port city of Arica we’re met at the airport by our guide and driven to Putre town. On the road we pass enormous dune-like mountains and deep valleys surrounding the city of Arica. The peculiar climate of these valleys allows for year-round production of many fruits and vegetables, including the region's well-known purple olives. Our first stops are at 14km and 16km along the road to look at the famous Geoglyphs of Lluta - giant glyphs carved on a hill slope of the Lluta Valley (“El Águila”, “El Pájaro” and “Hombre Grande” are the most impressive ones).

 

We continue driving to the little town of Poconchile where we visit the town’s 17th century Andean church. Back on the road we stop to visit Pukará de Copaquilla, an ancient pre-Inca fortress, and Quebrada de Cardones - a zone known for its giants Candelabro cacti. We continue driving up to the plateaus, arriving at the beautiful Socoroma Village with Andean and Colonial architecture. 

 

We finally arrive at our home for the next 4 days, Putre - an Andean town located at 3,500 meters (11,483 ft) with a long history dating back to pre-Inca civilisations. Many of the ancient Inca trade routes between the Altiplano and the coast included a stopover in this beautiful Aymara town. We check into our hotel, our first choice will be Lodge Terrace.

 

After an early breakfast, walking shoes at the ready, we head to see the Vilacuarani pictographs. We embark on a 3 hour walk westwards through the Lluta valley and the beautiful Andean landscapes, at an altitude of 3,600 meters (11,811 feet). We arrive at a great panel of cave pictographs with human, animal and geometric figures painted on its walls. The site is a great insight into ancient cavern art and the pictographs' importance never having fully been discovered adds a mystical feel to the caves. At little after midday we head back to Putre in search of a good place to rest and have lunch.

 

In the afternoon we leave town once again, bound for the Jurasi Springs. Towel, swimsuit and warm clothing for afterwards are essential! Located just 10 km away at some 4,000 meters (13,123 ft) over the northe-eastern hillside of the Jurasi channel, these hot water springs have several outdoor and indoor pools. A 3km dirt track with beautiful Andean vegetation leads to the entrance of the hot springs where the water (claimed to be medicinal due to its high mineral content), rustic installations and wonderful scenery make for a magical experience. After we've sufficiently relaxed we head back to Putre to the same hotel.

 

Today we head south to Las Vicuñas National Reserve and its immense Surire Salt Flat, crowned by Guallatire Volcano. En route we see a number of isolated shepherds’ settlements and pass through the Andean village of Guallatire with its 17th century church facing the active volcano with the same name. Llamas, alpacas and vicuñas are bountiful on the area's arid plains.

 

We enjoy our picnic lunch in one of the most stunning areas of the altiplano, the Surire Salt Flat. This pristine area is a sanctuary for Andean birds and home to three different species of flamingoes in addition to a wide variety of ducks, Suris, and Andean avocets. It’s also common to see foxes and Vizcachas here. The llamas in particular are happy posing for photographs! On the southern side of Surire lie the Polloquere hot springs where we enjoy another relaxing bathing session. Afterwards we return to our hotel in Putre.

 

Today we have an early start as we head out towards Chungará Lake, located inside Lauca National Park. During the ascent we pass Andean marshlands with their abundant vegetation. We arrive at the dazzling Chungará Lake, one of the highest lakes in the world, flanked by two huge snow-capped volcanoes on either side called the payachata (‘twins’ in Aymara language). Their names are Parinacota and Pomerape. Up here next to the lake the altiplanic wildlife is spectacular - tagua birds, vizcachas, llamas, guanacos, alpacas, black & white geese, flamingos. 

 

We head on to visit the tiny traditional Andean hamlet of Parinacota, with only 29 habitants (Aymara people) and its oddly beautiful 17th century church. From here we go back to Putre for our final night.

 

After breakfast we gather our luggage together and start driving to Arica. As we descend we get a rush of oxygen as we acclimatize to life at a lower altitude than we've been used to the last few days! After a couple of hours we arrive at Arica’s Airport... Adios Altiplano!