2021 Road trip to Visviri - Andreas & Angelika Photography

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2021 Road trip to Visviri

2021 Road trip to Visviri

Pictures from a two-week and 5827 km road trip from Santiago to the northern-most village in Chile - Visviri.

An ash-grey Copiapoa cactus (Copiapoa cinerea) welcomes us with its first flower in the Llanos de Challe National Park.

An ash-grey Copiapoa cactus (Copiapoa cinerea) welcomes us with its first flower in the Llanos de Challe National Park.

Today we check several places near Carrizal Bajo which we know from previous "Desierto Florido" events. And we are rewarded not only with this little cactus sitting on an interesting rock, but also with beautiful flowers: …

Churqui (Oxalis gigantea)

Heliotropium floridum

Cuerno de Cabra (Skytanthus acutus)

Dengue (Mirabilis elegans)

Amancay or Copa de Oro (Balbisia peduncularis)

On the way towards Huasco we discover the first Añanuca Amarilla (Rhodophiala bagnoldii).

Another group of Añañucas Amarillas in the dunes near Huasco

On the next day we check our favourite place from the "Desierto Florido" event in 2017 ...

… to find - nothing but desert.

Only close to Copiapó we see the first patches of flowers from the Panamerican Highway.

Much more subtle this time ...

... but as always very beautiful

The colour mostly comes from the Patas de Guanaco (Cistanthe grandiflora) ...

... that grow on an ancient seabed that was lifted up during the formation of the Andes mountain range.

Today we make an excursion to the Pan de Azúcar National Park. Our first stop is in the Quebrada de Peralillo.

Well hidden between the rocks we find very pretty Suspiro Chico (Nolana mollis) flowers.

Pan de Azúcar - Mirador Los Terteles

Pan de Azúcar - Mirador Los Terteles

Copiapo cacti (Copiapoa cinerea ssp. columna alba) on the trail to the Mirador Pan de Azúcar

View from the Mirador - the pointed island in the center is the island Pan de Azúcar, which gave the national park its name.

Gray-hooded Sierra Finch (Phrygilus gayi)

Copiapoa cacti (Copiapoa cinerea ssp. columna alba) always face north to minimise their exposure to the Sun.

On the way back to Bahía Inglesa we stop at the Granito Orbicular Sanctuary.

There are only few places in the world that show the Orbicular Granite - an uncommon plutonic rock.

In the Puquíos of the Salar de Llamara there are stromatolites formed by cyanobacteria.

In the Puquíos of the Salar de Llamara there are stromatolites formed by cyanobacteria.

Stromatolites are "living fossils" and the oldest living organisms on our planet.

The endemic Tamarugo trees (Prosopis tamarugo) have adapted to the hostile environment of salt lakes.

The flowers of the Tamarugo trees are pollinated by bees that live in the ground most of the time.

Alpaca (Vicugna pacos)

The Gigante de Tarapaca is the largest prehistoric anthropomorphic figure in the world, measuring 119 metres in length, and was created by local inhabitants between 1000 and 1400 AD.

The Chinchorro mummies in the San Miguel de Azapa Valley are some 7000 years old.

The Museo Arqueológico San Miguel de Azapa illuminates many aspects of the Chinchorro culture.

These two Viscachas (Lagidium viscacia) are sunbathing in the early morning after a cold night in the Altiplano.

They look like rabbits but with a long tail.

Viscachas always keep an eye on you, even if they appear to be sleeping.

Bofedales are wetlands in the high Andes and an important part of the ecosystem.

Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia) with the Nevados de Payachata volcanoes in the background

Lago Chungará is the main attraction of Lauca National Park.

Volcano Parinacota (6348 m) and Lago Chungará (4566 m) are home to many animals.

Vicuñas (Lama vicugna) at the lakeshore

Sharp-winged Teals (Anas flavirostris oxyptera)

Crested Duck (Lophonetta specularioides alticola)

Giant Coots (Fulica gigantea)

Giant Coot with its two chicks - their nests need continous maintenance.

Andean Gull (Chroicocephalus serranus)

Last view back at Volcano Parinacota (6348 m) reflected in Lago Chungará (4566 m) before continuing our day tour

The church of the Parinacota village (4400 m) was built in the 17th century.

Volcanoes Pomerape (6282 m) and Parinacota (6348 m) are called the Nevados de Payachata.

The fertile Altiplano between Chile and Bolivia is the home of Alpacas (Vicugna pacos).

Andean Geese (Chloephaga melanoptera)

Río Caquena along the Chilean-Bolivian border

The Tola plant (Parastrephia lepidophylla) has long been used in traditional medicine in the Altiplano.

Visviri, the original destination of our trip, lies on the border between Chile, Bolivia and Perú. This is where Chile begins (or ends - depending on how you look at it…).

The cemetery of Tacora with the Tacora volcano in the background

Group of Puna Ibises (Plegadis ridgwayi)

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)

The area around the colourful Cerro Caracarani was an important source of sulphur in the early 20th century. Sulphur was a precious resource for the production of sulphuric acid, which was needed for copper mining.

The Tacora railway brought the sulphur down from 4800 m and loaded it onto the trains going to Arica and La Paz.

Quebrada Pusuma

Río Lluta

Quebrada Allane

AQUI Creamos Empleo (HERE we create jobs - at 4000 m above sea level)

Llareta (Azorella compacta) is a flowering plant that grows in the Altiplano between 3500 m and 5250 m.

We have never seen so many Llaretas as here at the foot of the Taapacá volcano at 4800 m.

Back to sea level, we stop at Punta de Choros.

We arrive in the late afternoon ...

... and enjoy the sunset and the colours at dusk.

The next morning is perfect for bird watching on the beach: breeding Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus).

Sanderling (Calidris alba)

Blackish Oystercatcher (Haematopus ater)

The big guy and his little friends

Sanderlings continously follow the wave line looking for food washed up by the waves.

Sanderlings continously follow the wave line looking for food washed up by the waves.

American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus)

Chilean Seaside Cinclodes (Cinclodes nigrofumosus)

On the way back from the coast to the Panamerican Highway we cross a valley full of different species of cacti.

The Copao cactus (Eulychnia acida) is the most prominent species here.

Bumblebees like to sleep in the flowers of the Copao cactus, wrapped in pollen.

This Copao is covered by a parasite, the Quintral de Quisco (Tristerix aphyllus).

Giant Hummingbird (Patagonas gigas) at Samo Verde in the Elqui Valley