Flamingos
On the salt lake.
Silviaanac — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Silviaanac — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gedankenstuecke — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gedankenstuecke — CC BY-SA 4.0 · rodoluca — CC BY-SA 3.0
Laguna Brava is a reserve high in the Andes in far northwest La Rioja, created in 1980 to protect vicuñas and high wetlands; all 405,000 hectares became a Ramsar site in 2003. At its heart is a salt lake of over sixty square kilometres at more than four thousand metres, home to flocks of pink and white flamingos, ringed by volcanic peaks over six thousand metres. On the way are old stone shelters built in the nineteenth century for drovers who herded cattle on foot to Chile, and on the lakeshore lie the remains of a cargo plane that made an emergency landing in 1964. Vicuñas graze the plains, and the landscape is harsh and beautiful in reds, whites and blues. It is visited on full-day 4x4 trips from the town of Villa Unión, about 180 kilometres and three hours each way. Watch for altitude sickness, bring clothes for severe cold and wind, and note the road can close in winter for snow.
On the salt lake.
Old stone huts.
Grazing the plains.
Vinchina department, far northwest La Rioja, near the Chilean border
On a full-day 4x4 trip from Villa Unión, about three hours each way; take care with the altitude.