Laguna Verde

About this place

Laguna Verde, «green lagoon», is a salt lake high in the Andes of the Atacama Region, at more than 4,300 m near the San Francisco Pass on the border with Argentina, about 193 km in a straight line east of the city of Copiapó. It lies at the foot of some of the highest volcanoes on Earth, including Ojos del Salado. The lake sits on the road over the San Francisco Pass, in a high, barren land where almost nothing grows, ringed by massive volcanoes. Its water is very salty, white crusts of salt line its edges, and small hot springs on its shore are used by travellers for bathing. Its water shifts between turquoise green and blue with the light and wind, in front of brown and grey volcanic cones, some capped with snow. Wind-carved red rocks stand around it, the peaks are mirrored in the water on calm days, and the sky here is intensely blue and clear. Visiting is free, but the area is extremely remote and very high, with no fuel or services on the road. Go in a reliable vehicle with spare fuel and water, acclimatise to the altitude before you arrive, and expect icy wind even in summer.