Salta's Puna: Flamingos and Volcanoes at the End of the World
The Puna of Salta — the high-altitude plateau in the remote northwest of Argentina, bordering Bolivia and Chile — is one of the continent's most extreme and beautiful landscapes; flamingo lagoons, active volcanoes, salt flats, and complete solitude define this extraordinary region
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Laguna de los Pozuelos
Laguna de los Pozuelos - a shallow saltwater lake at 3,500 m in Salta puna - hosts one of the largest flamingo colonies in South America; about 25,000 James's flamingos and smaller numbers of Chilean and Andean flamingos feed on the lagoon's algae; the pink mass of birds against the desert landscape and the volcanic mountain background is extraordinary
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Llullaillaco Volcano
The volcano Llullaillaco on the border between Chile and Argentina (6,739 m) — one of the world's highest active volcanoes — is visible from Salta puna; The Llullaillaco Inca mummies (the best preserved pre-Columbian human remains in the world, found at the summit in 1999 by Johan Reinhard) are on display in Salta's MAAM Museum
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MAAM — Andean High Mountain Museum
The MAAM (Museo de Arqueología de Alta Montaña) in Salta houses three Inca child mummies from the summit of Llullaillaco - the Lightning Girl, the Boy and the Virgin; the rotating display (only one mummy is shown at a time) is the most important collection of pre-Columbian human remains in the world; the museum's presentation of the Inca capacocha ritual is exceptional
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4WD routes
Salta puna is only accessible by 4WD vehicles on gravel roads that require self-sufficiency; the route from Salta to San Antonio de los Cobres (via puna) and on to the Chilean border crosses some of the most remote and spectacular scenery in Argentina; fuel, water and food must be transported; the solitude and silence are absolute
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Salinas Grandes
Salinas Grandes — a vast salt flat of 3,350 m on the puna border between Salta and Jujuy — is the third largest salt flat in South America (212 km²); the perfectly flat white surface, the geometric hexagonal salt crystals and the mirror-like water during the wet season create a landscape comparable to Bolivia's more famous Salar de Uyuni but with far fewer visitors
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Andean Flamingo Biology
The three flamingo species of the South American puna—the James's, the Chilean, and the Andean—are all found in the Salta puna lagoons; flamingos' pink color comes from the carotenoid pigments in the algae they filter from the water; the birds can travel hundreds of kilometers between lagoons; Salta puna's network of high-elevation lagoons is the core of the flamingo's habitat