Red rocks
Iron oxides.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wescottm — CC BY 4.0 · Wescottm — CC BY 4.0
One of the altiplano's strangest sights: dark-red volcanic rocks, coloured by iron oxides, spreading along the shore of a turquoise-green salt lagoon, ringed by white salt crust and brown and grey mountains, at about 4,000 metres. Visitors walk a marked path between the red rocks and the water's edge, the stark contrasts of red, white and blue glowing under an intensely blue sky. Flamingos sometimes feed in the lagoon, and the wind here is usually very strong. It is usually seen on the same tour as the Miscanti and Miñiques lagoons and Socaire village, a long day starting in the morning from San Pedro, the road crossing the Atacama salt flat and the Tropic of Capricorn. The local community sometimes closes the site to protect it or because of weather, so check before booking. Bring windproof layers against the cold wind. The altitude around San Pedro is high, so drink plenty of water, move slowly and avoid the highest spots on your first day.
Iron oxides.
Turquoise and white.
On the way.
Aguas Calientes salt flat, about 150 km south-east of San Pedro
Yes, on a long day tour from San Pedro combining them with Miscanti and Miñiques, but check the site is open before booking.