Nature has not limited its works to the salt desert of Salar de Uyuni. By creating the Eduardo Avaroa reserve, it enriched them with colorful lagoons. Which, depending on the content of individual mineral compounds in the building material, delight with turquoise, yellow, green, gray or red. The whole landscape is surrounded by hills consisting of volcanoes. Sometimes on the road we will find rocks arranged in a mosaic, whose element is surreal patterns creating in the middle of nowhere paintings, like from the brush of Salvador Dali himself.
EDUARDO AVAROA RESERVE
Nature surprises us not only with its ability to lay of the land, but also with the location of amazing landscapes in the least expected places. It would seem that the desert is not a place for fauna and flora, but nature proved that it is possible and created the nature reserve Eduardo Avaroa.
In reserve Eduardo Avaroa are present species of plants and animals that are under strict protection. It is home to 80 bird species, including hummingbirds, and 6 species of flamingos. Population of flamingos is threatened with extinction. In spite of strict protection, local residents kill flamingos for their feathers and adorn the carnival costumes. In addition, flamingos lay only 1 egg per year
If we are lucky, we will meet the Andean fox, Bolivian Chinchilla, or the extremely rare species of Andean vicunas (close relatives of lam). We were lucky to encounter a fox who came to us while we were resting, hoping for the delicacies from us.
LAGOON
Home, for the small residents in Eduardo Avaroa, are the colorful lagoons.: Laguna Verde, Laguna Blanca, Laguna Colorado
LAGUNA VERDE
The Laguna Verde, sitting at the foot of the Licancabur volcano, is characterized by variability of color from turquoise to dark emerald. The color of the lagoon depends on the direction from which the wind blows from the lagoon. Icy winds are often occurrence, which means that the temperature in the lagoon can reach as much as -56 C. However, because of its specific chemical composition, water still remains in liquid state.
LAGUNA BLANCA
Laguna Blanca, which is situated in close proximity, is separated from Laguna Verde by a narrow dry land corridor. The name refers to the white color of water induced by the high concentration of minerals contained in the water.
LAGUNA COLORADO
Laguna Colorado is one of the most spectacular places in the reserve. Due to water-dwelling micro-organisms, it takes on a reddish color. Surrounded by hills, yellow grass, moss and white salt, it resembles a landscape from another planet. Laguna is extremely shallow – it is less than 1 m deep. The pink algae that grow there are food for extremely rare James’s flamingos.
SURREALISTIC DESERT
Going south, we see how the white salty sea gradually turns into a brownish-sandy ocean called the Silo Desert. Situated among volcanoes, red mountains and desert rocks, it becomes an arena for nature to present her other skills. Particularly noteworthy is Arbol de Piedra – “stone tree”. The chief creator of this amazing rock sculpture is the wind, which with the help of sand destroyed and changed the shape of soft sandstone. As a result, a 7 m tall rocky tree was created. The uniqueness of shapes in the company of the omnipresent wilderness brings to mind the surrealistic paintings of Salvador Dali. That’s why, this area is known as Salvador Dali Rocks.
GEYSERS AND HOT SPRINGS
In the reserve, there are also geysers and hot springs, where you can relax with a bath, and this is one of the most pleasant experiences during a 3-day journey. Sol de Manana is a real cluster of geysers, worth seeing at sunrise. At first, the view of the lunar craters seems disappointing, but when the sun rises from the ground with hot air, the view is breathtaking. The air smells of sulfur and bubbling of mud can be heard in the ears. Walking through the misty craters, you can feel as if you were stepping on the Moon.
