#AtacamaDesert - stunningly beautiful

I have just spent 3 days in the Atacama Desert based in San Pedro de Atacama. San Pedro is a small place - it exists for tourists. It is quaint and colourful and relatively expensive.

However San Pedro is an aside. What matters is The Atacama Desert. It would be hard to find a more wonderful and spectacular place anywhere. It is a must visit if you can. Outstanding.

The Atacama is apparently one of the world's oldest deserts. In terms of rainfall it is the driest place on earth. It is not a desert like the Sahara although there is a lot of sand. It looks more like a moon landscape. It is surrounded by mountains - particularly on the west side where it is the Andes - many of which are snowcapped. Chile has 150 active volcanoes - 10% of the worlds total. One is clearly visible from San Pedro.

I did A level geography - have always taken a bit of interest in geology but the Atacama is complex and I have to say a bit baffling. The easy bit is water runs off the mountains into the Atacama. Most of it seems to run underground - there greenish areas, there are beautiful lagoons where the water percolates up. There are hot geysers. There are fantastic salt pans, glistening white created by evaporation. There is the moonscape - harder to understand. The Atacama has been pushed, squeezed and stretched by tectonic plate movement over millions of yesrs. (of which Chile has a lot - it is a big part of the Pacific ring of fire) but there is so much evidence of water erosion. As I understand it might rain very infrequently - some parts only once in 50 years but when it happens - it has a big effect on the landscape.

The other big question why no rain - especially as it is relatively close to the world's biggest ocean. Well it seems it is a combination of factors - caught between two mountain ranges, a prevailing drying wind, its relatively high altitude and the Umbolt current which is a cold current flowing up the west coast from the Antarctic. All these factors conspire to stop clouds forming or dropping rain on the Atacama apparently.

I really enjoyed the Atacama? The clearness, the contrast, the cold, the sun, no humidity - no bugs - the incredible colours. The views.

I attach a few mob photos. The colours are real. It is how it looks!

Geysers of Ratio at sun up.

In a steam cloud but -8.

Valley of the Cactus

The are between 600 and 1000 years old

Weird effect of erosion and salt.

Salt flats for miles - carved by erosion.

The amazing Talar Lagoon. The colours are enough to make you want to be an artist.

Death valley.

We entered death valley by walking/running down the sand slope. It must have benn 200 yards of steep, deep cold sand in bare feet. A great sensation!

 Sunset on the Andes from the top of Valle del Luna