- Address: San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile;
- Catchment area: 303 km ²;
- Area: 13.4 km²;
- Height of the surface above sea level: 4 120 m.
On the boundless sandy expanses of the Atacama Desert, you can find many amazing things. Several attractions are concentrated in its eastern part, which, rising slowly, passes into one of the most beautiful areas - the Antiplane plateau. Tourists go there to see the salt lakes lost in the sands. One of the first lakes, which are located near the entrance to the plateau, is the Miscanti lagoon.
Lake among mountains
In the beginning, tourists see how the desert smoothly turns into a steppe with yellowish bushes, then a large lagoon of heart-shaped form opens up before their eyes, surrounded by the shimmering Andean mountains and snow-capped peaks of volcanoes. In fact, there is a complex of two lakes - Miscanti and Minyika, which are separated from each other only by the frozen flow of lava, erupted many years ago by the volcano Minyika. The water has a rich blue hue, perfectly in harmony with the white salt-covered shores. On a surface smooth as glass, the mountains and the clouds floating above them are reflected. The water in the Miscanti lagoon has a salty flavor due to the minerals that carry from the bowels of the earth to the surface the underground springs that feed the lake. In the middle of the lake there is a small island called the Peacock feather because of its coloring: the rock is painted in pink, blue, gray and green tones. A walk along the shore of a high mountain lake, next to a few birds, will bring with it an incomparable pleasure. In these places there is absolute silence, and the air is so clean and rarefied that local guides advise drinking tea from coca leaves in order to avoid dizziness. The shore of the lake is covered with salt bark; on it is better not to walk, but use one of the paths marked with stones. For walks at a height of more than 4 km, you should stock up on sunscreen and headdresses, in the evening you need warm clothes.
How to get there?
The most comfortable variant of the trip to the lagoon includes an air flight from Santiago to Kalamu , from where several buses a day go to the small town of San Pedro de Atacama - the starting point of all excursions. The road from this city to the Miscanti lagoon will take about an hour. For trips in the desert, it is better to use the car rental service, because on the way to the lagoon you have to make a lot of stops - too great is the desire not to miss any of the natural beauties of Atacama .