Altiplanic Lagoons & Red Rocks in Atacama

This day trip out of San Pedro de Atacama was our wildlife day. We visited several lagoons, which held wading birds like flamingos, gulls, sandpipers, plovers, and some unique water birds. We also managed to spot the rarely seen Suri (Darwin’s Rhea). We saw six in total, though two could have been a repeat, as we saw a pair of two and then an hour later we saw four in the same place. We also saw some mammals. The deer-like, llama like Vicuna was all over the yellow grass at high elevation, and we spotted the shy Viscacha, a rabbit with the tail of a squirrel.

We also had a splendid breakfast and lunch prepared by our guide. They made a breakfast of eggs, fruit, and bread at an overlook at the lagoon. And at lunch, they prepared chicken breast, rice, and salad at the stone llama herder wind shelter high in the mountain.