CHILE - Valley of the Moon

Forty-six kilometres downhill through the Atacama Desert brought us to the small Chilean town of San Pedro de Atacama. One of the highights was a visit and trek through the Valley of the Moon.

BOLIVIA - Atacama Desert

The Atacama Desert makes Australia's Nullarbor Plain look a bit like a tropical oasis. Its a harsh, desolate landscape with occasional outcrops of cacti in amongst rocks and dust.
The Bolivian border post was like something out of a western movie. Gnarled Alpaca meat hung on bent wire drying outside the doorway. Inside the dusty, dirty, dingy office sat a lone Bolivian guard in a uniform that hadn't seen Persil for many months.

BOLIVIA - Flamingos

Around Laguna Colorado there are smouldering volcanoes and desert lakes filled with several species of flamingos. We were dressed in layer upon layer to keep out the biting cold.

BOLIVIA - Salt Lakes

As we came over the horizon the Salar de Uyuni
opened up before us. At altitude and with a bitter wind we photographed the amazing patterns in the salt flats. This area is now known to contain the world's richest deposit of lithium.

Lake Titicaca

A three hour boat ride from the Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca we arrived at peaceful Takile Island. Its about the same size as Rottnest Island but has no cars, no roads and no electricity. The steep slopes tested our fitness as we climbed the mountain paths to our homestay.

Here's our wonderful group with our homestay hosts.

SALT PONDS

As a saline stream tumbles down a steep gulley hundreds of salt ponds have provided salt to the local area since Inca times.

COLCA CANYON

Colca Canyon is one of the homes of the mighty condor which spiral upwards from their overnight resting places. In parts, Colca Canyon is deeper than the Grand Canyon.