Parque Nacional Lauca

Situated 145 km east of Arica, the park covers 137,883 ha and includes a large lake,

, a system of smaller lakes, the

, and lava fields. Ranging in altitude from 3200 m to four peaks of over 6000 m, Lauca brings significant risks of

, or altitude sickness (unless you are coming from Bolivia). Because of the extreme height, it is best to rise in stages, spending a night in Putre before going on to Lago Chungará; for this reason one-day tours from Arica are not the best way of seeing the park.

Often, when climbing the road from Arica, it may seem as though the weather is overcast; but vehicles soon gain altitude, climbing through the mist into a sort of lost world above, where the sky is a piercing blue colour and you can gaze down at the grey clouds huddled in the valley as if looking into a different plane of reality. On the way from Arica, at Km 90, there is a pre-Inca

(fortress) and, a few kilometres further, there is an Inca

(inn).

Putre is a scenic Aymará village, 15 km west of the park entrance at 3500 m, and provides an ideal base for exploring and acclimatization. Situated at the base of

(Spanish name Nevadas de Putre; 5824 m), it is surrounded by terracing dating from pre-Inca times, which is now used for cultivating alfalfa and oregano. It has a church dating from 1670. The main street, Baquedano, has several shops, restaurants and

, and there is a tourist information office on the plaza that will help arrange tours (some English is spoken) but is otherwise not particularly useful. Information on the parks can be obtained here as well as bookings for the CONAF

on the altiplano. The village, with a population of 1200, is a good centre for hiking: an extensive network of trails lead to numerous villages in the mountains, which provide great opportunities to explore, for those with the necessary time and fitness. In the vicinity, there are four archaeological sites with cave paintings up to 6000 years old. About 11 km east by road are the hot springs of

From Putre, the road continues to climb and soon enters the park. Some 23 km from Putre is the

, where there is a path and a wooden bridge leading to some rustic thermal springs with water at 40°C. Vizcachas are a common sight. Near here there is a turning south past a

(corral for llamas) to Cerro El Milagro, a hill ablaze with an incredible range of colours. Back on the main road, past the Cuevas there is a CONAF ranger station.

(4392 m), a small village of whitewashed adobe houses, lies 26 km into the park and 41 km from Putre on two ancient trading routes, one from Potosí to Arica and the other from Belén into Bolivia. The interesting

- rebuilt in 1789 - has frescoes, silver religious objects and the skulls of past priests. Señor Sipriano keeps the key: ask for him at the kiosks and make sure you leave a donation. The

office

, 36 km further east, where local residents weave and knit from their own high-quality alpaca wool.

(5300 m) can be climbed from Parinacota; ask one of the villagers to accompany you as a guide (and pay them). There is also a path to the

, a walk that would make a good day hike. CONAF maintains a nature trail that covers most plant and bird habitats, beginning at the CONAF pond in Parinacota and ending back in the village. Some 20 km southeast of Parinacota is

, one of the highest lakes in the world, at 4512 m, a must for its views of the Parinacota, Pomerape, Sajama and Guallatire volcanoes. Overlooking the lake, there is a CONAF

and campsite; vicuñas, llamas and alpacas can be seen grazing nearby. From here, it is 3 km to the Chilean passport control point at Chungará and 10 km to the Bolivian border at Tambo Quemado. The border can also be reached via an unpaved road from Parinacota to Visviri, 90 km further north.