The vast and colorful Atacama Desert is said to be the driest desert
in the world. In some parts of this desert, no precipitation has ever
been recorded.
The Altiplano, on the other hand, receives tropical rains in January
and February. Altitude, rather than aridity, is the limiting factor governing
life on this airy plateau: only the hardiest and most highly specialized
flora and fauna can survive the vagaries of life above 12,000 ft.
Speckled with lakes, marshes, salt flats, and geysers, crowned by 20,000
foot volcanoes, the Altiplano is Chile's link with the great civilizations
of the Central Andes. Today, a traditional society of Aymara Indians wanders
the Altiplano with their domesticated llamas and alpacas, congregating
periodically for festivals in eerily whitewashed 'ceremonial villages'.
A system of spectacular national parks -- including Lauca National Park,
a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve -- protects vast expanses of this singular
landscape.
Northern
Chile is a land of extreme contrast, where two uniquely Andean environments,
the Altiplano and the Atacama Desert, combine with unpredictable and overwhelmingly
beautiful results. 