Our day starts at around 7.30 AM to have breakfast at our lodge in Quetena Chico. We then load our bags onto the Jeep and set out by 8.30 AM. When passing by Quetena Grande, we saw a herd of llamas and alpacas walking through the town and grazing in the fields. Our guide pointed out how the animals are marked on their ears to know who they belong to. He also explained how in these small villages, the local indigenous law applies which has serious repercussions for stealing livestock which includes death. As we continue deeper into the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, we reach Lake Hedionda at around 9.30 AM. This lake has a mirror effect because there is no wind. It was formed by glacial waters and minerals from a volcano about 100 years ago. The volcano minerals make the lake toxic which means there’s no life in this lake. You can see the minerals washing up on the shores which form white foam-like deposits. It’s a short 10-minute stop here before heading to Lake Kollpa arriving there around 9.50 AM. At this lake, we found flamingos resting at the lake. Our guide gave us some information on the species and then said when going to the lake, to walk slowly towards them as they startle easily. Surely enough he was right and we couldn’t get close enough for a good close up shot of the flamingos. It’s best to have a camera with a telephoto lens for close-ups. We had about 30 minutes at this lake to walk around before getting back on the Jeep.
Our next destination was the Chalviri Salt Flats. We arrived around 10.45 AM and first stopped higher up for a panoramic view before continuing further down for a closer view of the salt flats. Next, we head to the Dali’s Desert getting there at around 11.15 AM. This desert has been named that way due to it looking like the painter’s Dali’s paintings even though the artist had never visited the site. It’s a great spot for some screensaver worthy pictures. It’s a quick stop here as well before making our way to the The Green Lake and The White Lake reaching around 12.10 PM. These two lakes sit side by side with Volcano Licancabur in the background. Again this is a great spot for pictures and we were lucky to have had such clear blue skies.
We then head back on the road we came from to the thermal hot springs of Polques near the Chalviri Salt Flats. We reach around 1.25 PM and immediately head to the pools. The entrance tickets cost 6 BOB1 each and the site provides changing room facilities and showers. There are two pools; the water is hotter in the higher pool and the water has a slightly pungent smell from the minerals. The minerals are supposed to detox your skin and it’s a nice relaxing way to chill overlooking the lagoon while waiting for lunch. We’re called in for lunch at around 2.10 PM in the site’s dining area. Once we’re done eating and getting changed, we leave for our next destination at around 2.50 PM. Our next site is the Tomorrow’s Sun Geysers arriving around 3.25 PM. Several geysers are spewing hot mud with the largest one throwing a cloud of hot gasses into the air. There are strong pungent smells at the site, especially as you walk through the cloud of gasses to get to the other geysers. Our guide said temperatures are around 96 degrees Celsius. He also told us to be careful and not get too close to the edges since the ground there can be unstable. After exploring the area and taking pictures, we left for our lodge in Lake Colorada at around 3.45 PM.
En route to our lodge, we passed some frozen shards which our guide said were formed by the strong winds. We reached Lake Colorada by 4.30 PM. This lake stands at almost 4300 meters and is mostly a reddish color with blue and white patches. We quickly unload our bags and then set out to hike up to the viewpoint at 4.50 PM. The trail is easy to follow but the terrain gets muddy at one point so take appropriate footwear. We got to the top of the viewpoint by 5.15 PM. You get great views of the lake from up here as sunset approaches. We had to leave before the sun sets, however, there’s a hill behind the lodge where you can catch the sunset between 6 and 7 PM. Temperatures are freezing so make sure you take very warm clothing. The lodge is quite rudimentary but has hot shower facilities for 5 BOB. We had a shared room between our group of 5 and there was a dining area where dinner was served around 8 PM. Following dinner, we stayed in the dining area playing card games with the group before heading to bed. This was probably the coldest place we stayed at in the 4-day tour, with temperatures falling well below zero to around -8 degrees Celsius. Several blankets are provided but the sleeping bag helped here.
