LAGUNA MISCANTI

This is a laguna (lake) 13,517 ft up in the Chilean Andes about 25 miles from the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. Rain has not hit the ground in that area for more than 100 years. I was there on my honeymoon in 1998. I wanted to take my bride to the most interesting country in the western hemisphere, Chile. She had a lot of trust in me since she had not been away from her family and home and so isolated in a country where she could not speak the language. We rented a truck in Antofogasta which is on the coast and drove to San Pedro de Atacama. It was without doubt the most mystical place we have ever been.

I read on the map that these lakes existed but not much information was available. So after driving out across an area where no signs of civilization could be seen for as far as the eye could see we drove up over a rise and there was this lake. It was about mid-day and at that altitude with the wind blowing unobstructed it was incredibly cold. We got out of the truck and wham! It must have been close to freezing with the windchill factor.
We walked around and stood in awe of this incredible scenery when I spotted an Alpaca grazing near the edge of the lake. I took this photo knowing it would be special. I hope you like it as well.