Ninety seconds on Laguna Miscanti
Standing on the marked path at Laguna Miscanti, you look over deep blue water to the Andean volcanoes behind it, with horned coots and flamingos feeding on the lake below you.
Laguna Miscanti is a brackish lake inside the Los Flamencos National Reserve, and the smaller Laguna Miñiques lies immediately south of it. A lava flow now splits what was once a single lake, and you walk over it between the two.
From the viewpoint, compare the water on either side of the lava. Water seeps from Miscanti into Miñiques through the volcanic rock and changes colour on the way, so one lake never quite matches the other.
The wildlife on the shore is the other reason to come. The horned coot, a rare waterbird, breeds here and builds its nest from piles of stones, so watch the water's edge for its mounds. Andean gulls feed and rest on the lake, while vicuñas and Andean foxes move around the lagoons.
Essential to the visit is the control post in Socaire village, where you check in an hour before your timed slot. Staff check your QR code and number plate there, and slots cannot be changed. Tickets sell only online, on the Socaire community's site, socairechile.cl, and the first slots start at 9 am.
From Socaire you drive on to the lagoons and walk. The marked path runs one way, north to south: first along Laguna Miscanti, then over a lava outcrop to the viewpoint above Laguna Miñiques. Information panels on the plants, wildlife and geology stand along the way.
Stay on the marked path the whole time. You cannot walk down to the shore, swim or picnic, so eat in Socaire before or after.
The reserve recommends a guided tour for this sector, because of the altitude, the distance from San Pedro and the road. If you want a guide, pick an authorised full-day tour from San Pedro; some pair the lakes with Piedras Rojas, Socaire, Toconao and Laguna Chaxa.
Driving yourself works in an ordinary rental car.
Book an early slot. The wind picks up through the day, and afternoon electrical storms are common in the altiplano winter.
Spend a day or two in San Pedro before you come up, and walk slowly at the lake. Dress for bitter wind and cold even in summer, and cover your skin, because the sun is fierce. There are no shops or restaurants, so carry water and food, and pack binoculars or a long lens for the coots and vicuñas.
Ordinary shoes are enough on the flat gravel paths. Coca leaf is a controlled substance in Chile, so never carry it across a border. Drones and pets are banned in the reserve, and fires are not allowed.
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