South & Central America

Lauca National Park

Arica is the gateway to Lauca National Park, which runs along the Bolivian border in the far north of the country, 160 kilometres away from Arica and the coast. En route to Lauca you can see the extremely slow growing candelabra cactus plants as well as a number of geoglyphs etched into the stone with representations of frogs, humans, birds and a variety of other objects. You can also see the Inca settlement of Poconchile with its lovely 17th Century church.

You then arrive at Lauca National Park, which lies at an altitude of 4400m and is a perfect microcosm of the whole Chilean altiplano as it has all the principal features of snow-capped volcanoes, pretty little white-washed villages, vast panoramas of arid desert scenery, beautiful emerald green lakes and an interesting variety of wildlife including herds of llamas, alpacas, vicunas and vizcachas.

Lying in a dark lava field are Las Lagunas de Cotacotani (Cotcotani Lakes), a series of beautiful emerald green lakes, all interconnected and formed by a number of volcanic eruptions. With an almost lunar like appearance these lakes and the surrounding marsh land are home to a variety of bird species and herds of llamas. Lying at an altitude of 4600m is Lake Chungara, a large and stunning blue lake positioned at the foot of the snow-capped Parinacota Volcano, which is frequented by many types of ducks, geese, giant coot and flamingoes.

This is an area of outstanding natural beauty and although a long drive from Arica (approx. 4 hours), which takes you from sea-level to over 4000m, it is a stunning area and well worth the visit.

Other places of interest en route include The Pukara de Copaquilla, an Inca fortress dating back to the 12th Century. Built on a promontory with stunning views down to a steep, narrow canyon, there are still a number of walls that give a small insight into this once bustling fortification. On the way back you can visit the pretty little village of Parinacota, which is composed of around fifty little white-washed houses and is where the park's headquarters are based. At its centre is a fabulous stone church dating back to 1789 with white walls, bright blue door and trimmed with yellow and green, a straw roof and a little white bell tower.

Accommodation consists of basic camping or huts only