Atacama, Chile: Volcanoes, the National Reserve, and Villages of the Altiplano in Atacama. After you enjoy breakfast, get ready and depart from your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama, on a ride along the international highway towards the Atacama Salt Flat. Today you will visit an area known as Soncor and the Chaxa Lagoon, where may visitors come to this part of the Flamencos National Reserve in search of the flamingoes and other birds that nest and feed in “ojos de agua” (“eyes of water”), here you can observe the three species of native pink flamingos.

Continue into the Altiplano, high plains in the Andean mountains, home of some buildings from the 17th century, and travel further to a height of 4,300 meters (14,100 feet) above sea level. Arrive at the Miñique and Miscanti Lagoons, at the foothill of the Miñique and Miscanti volcanoes, with fantastic scenery of bluish waters arising from the background volcanoes. After this visit, you will return to Socaire for lunch at one of the rustic cooking places of the village, that still use the resources cultivated from the ancestral agricultural terraces.

Finally, make a stop at the village of Toconao, where we will visit the main square, the bell tower built in 1750 made of cactus wood, mud and straw, and the church of San Lucas, both declared National Monument since 1951. Afterwards, return to your hotel in San Pedro de Atacama.