Chile

Valle de la Muerte is in Cordillera de la Sal, a narrow 125km long fold belt to the west of Salar de Atacama. In the east above the Salar rises the Andean chain. Volcán Sairecabur (5971m) can be seen in the background.

Ruta 23 climbing Cordillera de la Sal. Taken from the point where the track through Valle de la Muerte meets the road again.

Valle de la Luna (ca. 2500m) is part of Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos

Valle de la Luna at sunset- a moon like barren erosion landscape with salt flats

Twin volcanoes of Licancabur (5920m) and Juriques (5704m) at sunset

Andean chain at sunset sen from Valle de la Luna (notes for details!). All the mountains are volcanic and well above 5000 to over 6000m high. Láscar is one of the most active volcanoes in Chile, its last eruption was in 2013. Chajnantor plateau (around 5000m) houses the radiotelescopes of ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) ALMA Opens Its Eyes EXIF: 1/80 • f/5.6 • 42.0 mm • ISO 100/ Canon EOS 350D/ 18.0-200.0 mm

Situated in Salar de Atacama and part of Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, Laguna Chaxa (ca. 2300m) is an important breeding site for Andean flamingoes

Laguna Chaxa lies at ca. 2300m in Salar de Atacama. It is protected as part of Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and as a RAMSAR site. The water in the lagoon has a very high salt content and is the main breeding ground of the endangered Andean flamingo. The photo wais taken in western direction towards Cordillera Domeyko and its highest peak, Cerro Quimal (4278m). Laguna Chaxa liegt auf 2300m Höhe im Salar de Atacama. Sie ist geschützt als Teil der Reserva Nacional los Flamencos und als RAMSAR Feuchtgebiet. Das Wasser der Lagune hat einen sehr hohen Salzgehalt und ist das Hauptbrutgebiet des gefährdeten Andenflamingo. Das Foto zeigt nach Westen zur Cordillera Domeyko mit dem Cerro Quimal (4278m). rsis.ramsar.org/ris/876

Laguna Chaxa is one of the main breeding grounds of the endangered Andean flamingo which is easy to recognize by its yellow legs and black tail tip. Other birds like Andean avocet and Baird's sandpiper can also be watched in the shallow saline lake. See inset photos! rsis.ramsar.org/ris/876 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andean_flamingo Laguna Chaxa íst eines der Hauptbrutgebiete für den Andenflamingo, der leicht an seinen gelben Beinen und der schwarzen Flügelspitze erkennbar ist. Auch andere Vögel wie Anden-Säbelschnäbler und Baird-Strandläufer können in dem flachen Salzsee beobachtet werden (siehe PiPs).

EXIF: 1/250 • f/9.0 • 47.0 mm • ISO 100/ Canon EOS 350D/ 18.0-200.0 mm stitched from 21 verticals Laguna Miscanti lies at 4140m in the Chilean Altiplano and is part of Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos . It is a brackish lake (fed only by rain and groundwater) that was separated from neighbouring Laguna Miñiques by a lava flow. See notes and insets! Volcanes Chiliques y Miscanti Volcán Miñiques

Paseo Baquedano is a street in Iquique's historic quarter. Most houses were built between 1880-1920 in characteristic style with open upper floors. The wood used is oregon pine which came as ballast on the return journeys of saltpeter ships.

Iquique developed into an important port during the saltpeter boom. Many historic buildings stem from that time, though some are sadly neglected or derelict. HFF!

Machinery at Oficina Salitrera Santa Laura, abandoned saltpeter works in the Atacama desert. Together with neighbouring Humberstone, Santa Laura has gained UNESCO world heritage status in 2005. "Humberstone and Santa Laura works contain over 200 former saltpeter works where workers from Chile, Peru and Bolivia lived in company towns and forged a distinctive communal pampinos culture. That culture is manifest in their rich language, creativity, and solidarity, and, above all, in their pioneering struggle for social justice, which had a profound impact on social history. Situated in the remote Pampas, one of the driest deserts on Earth, thousands of pampinos lived and worked in this hostile environment for over 60 years, from 1880, to process the largest deposit of saltpeter in the world, producing the fertilizer sodium nitrate that was to transform agricultural lands in North and South America, and in Europe, and produce great wealth for Chile. Because of the vulnerability of the structures and the impact of a recent earthquake, the site was also placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger to help mobilize resources for its conservation." whc.unesco.org/en/list/1178 de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humberstone-_und_Santa-Laura-Salpeterwerke

Humberstone and Santa Laura saltpeter works are on the list of World Heritage in danger. Full description: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1178

Humberstone and Santa Laura saltpeter works are on the list of World Heritage in danger. Full description: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1178

Humberstone and Santa Laura saltpeter works are on the list of World Heritage in danger. Full description: whc.unesco.org/en/list/1178

Iodine Plant at Oficina Salitrera Santa Laura (see note for colour version). Like neighbouring Humberstone Santa Laura saltpeter works were closed down in 1960 and gained World Heritage status in 2005. whc.unesco.org/en/list/1178 Lesenswerter FAZ-Artikel über die Salpeterwerke in der Atacama-Wüste: www.faz.net/aktuell/reise/chile-stille-staub-vergessen-11522825.html