Salar de Atacama & Laguna Chaxa

The Salar de Atacama, covering an area of 3,000 sqkm, is the largest salar or salt deposit in Chile. It is surrounded by mountains – in the east it is enclosed by the main chain of the Andes, while to the west lies a secondary mountain range of the Andes called Cordillera de Domeyko. Large volcanoes dominate the landscape, including the Licancabur, Acamarachi, Aguas Calientes and the Láscar. The last is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile. The Salar de Atacama is one of the largest lithium deposits in the world, which is exploited in the southern portion of the Salar.

The Laguna Chaxa is a beautiful lake in this area, hosting a high density of birds including different varieties of flamingos.