- Location: southern part of Atacama Desert, Chile;
- Area: 3000 km²;
- Average altitude above sea level: 2300 m.
Chile is not only the narrowest country in South America, stretching for 4,630 km along the west coast and having a width of only 430 km, but also the most geographically diverse state of the continent. From the vast deserts and solonchaks to snow-capped volcanoes and glaciers, Chile falls in love with itself, from the first minutes, its natural beauties. One of the most beautiful places of this amazing land is the most dry desert of the planet - Atakama , in which, oddly enough, there is a salt lake of the same name. Let's talk more about it.
General information about the lake
Lake Atacama (Salar de Atacama) is essentially the largest salt marsh in Chile. It is located 55 km south of the village of San Pedro de Atacama , surrounded by the majestic Andes and the Cordillera de Domeico mountain range. Along the eastern side of the lake are the famous volcanoes of Likankabur, Akamarachi and Laskar, which separate it from small, inundated basins.
The area of Salar de Atacama is about 3000 km², covering more than 100 km in length and 80 km in width. It is the third largest solonchak in the world after Uyuni in Bolivia (10,588 km²) and Salines Grandes in Argentina (6000 km²).
What is interesting about Lake Atacama?
Salar de Atacama is perhaps the most popular tourist attraction in Chile. There are several small lakes on the territory of the solonchak, including the Laguna Lagoon, where dozens of flamingos, the Salada Lagoon, whose waters are covered with floating salt plates, and Laguna Sekhar, which contains even more salt than in the Dead Sea. Besides:
- Lake Atacama is considered the largest and at the same time the cleanest in the world active source of lithium. High concentration, high evaporation rate and extremely low precipitation (
- Part of the solonchak is a part of the National Park Los Flamencos. This stunning place has become a shelter for several species of flamingos (Chilean and Andean), ducks (yellow-tailed teal, crested duck), etc., making this area ideal for watching wonderful birds.
How to get there?
The best way to get to Lake Atacama is to book an excursion at one of the local agencies. Most of these tours include not only a walk in the desert and near the lake, but also a visit to the mines for lithium mining. If you plan to travel independently, your route will look like this:
- Santiago - San Pedro de Atacama . The distance between the cities is more than 1500 km, but all the way lies along the western coast of Chile and allows you to enjoy enchanting landscapes on the way.
- San Pedro de Atacama - Lake Atacama. They are separated only 50 kilometers, which can easily be overcome by taking a car in a city for rent.