Avaroa National Park, Laguna Verde & Laguna Colorada

Avaroa National Park, or more precisely the National Reserve of Andean Fauna Eduardo Avaroa, is a vast protected area of ​​nature of more than 7,000 sqkm in Bolivia, located at an average altitude of 4,000 metres. The climate is very dry in the winter, from May to August, and there are rains during the summer season from December to April. The average temperature is only 3°C and annual rainfalls average about 65 mm. The lowest temperatures are recorded during the months of May, June and July.

It is in this very special area that Licancabur, a stratovolcano, is located. It dominates the Laguna Verde, whose water contains minerals such as magnesium and arsenic and whose amazing colour is due to a high concentration of copper in its sediment.

Not far away is Laguna Colorada, which is a salt lake of 60 sqkm with an average depth of 35 centimetres. The striking red appearance, from brown shades to intense red, of its waters is due to red sediment and the pigments of some types of algae living there. It is a breeding place for the Andean flamingos – beautiful migratory birds that arrive in their thousands to sample the mineral-rich waters.