Lauca National Park

Listen first. Up here, the wind is the loudest thing for kilometres. It moves through tufts of golden bunchgrass with a dry, steady hiss. The air feels thin and cold on your face, even in bright sun. Light falls hard and clear, with almost no haze, so distant peaks look close enough to touch. Take a slow breath. You are standing on the high Andean plateau of northern Chile, in Lauca National Park, and your body has already noticed the altitude.

This is the Altiplano, a wide upland that stretches across parts of Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina. Much of the park sits above four thousand metres. At this height, water boils at a lower temperature and every step uphill takes a little more effort. Locals call altitude sickness soroche. The advice is simple: walk slowly, drink plenty of water, and do not rush. The landscape is in no hurry, and neither should you be.

Two snow-capped volcanoes dominate the eastern skyline. They are Parinacota and Pomerape, a matched pair known together as the Payachatas, an Aymara name often translated as the twins. The Aymara are the Indigenous people of this plateau, and their language still names many hills, lakes and villages here. Parinacota is the more perfect cone of the two, and it rises well above six thousand metres. Pomerape stands slightly behind it, and it straddles the border with Bolivia.

Here is something most visitors miss. That smooth cone of Parinacota is actually a rebuilt volcano. In prehistoric times, a huge section of its flank collapsed and slid across the plain. The debris spread out for many kilometres and blocked the old drainage of the valley. Geologists link that collapse to the formation of the lakes you see today. In other words, the water in front of you exists because a mountain once fell apart.

The largest of those waters is Lake Chungará. It lies at about 4,500 metres, which places it among the highest lakes on Earth. On a still morning, its surface holds a mirror image of Parinacota, white summit and dark slopes upside down in deep blue water. By early afternoon the wind usually rises. Then the reflection breaks into small waves and the lake turns a darker, harder colour.

Now look along the shoreline and the shallow bays. Those pink shapes are flamingos. Three species live on the Altiplano: the Chilean flamingo, the Andean flamingo, and the smaller James's flamingo. They feed with their heads upside down, filtering tiny organisms from the mud. You may also spot the giant coot, a heavy black bird that builds large floating nests from water plants. Andean geese graze on the grassy banks in white and dark pairs.

West of Chungará, the Cotacotani lagoons form a scattered chain of small lakes between dark ridges of old lava. The water here is a deep turquoise in places and pale green in others. Channels connect the lagoons, and some of the water filters through porous volcanic rock. From the viewpoints along the road, the pattern looks like broken glass laid across black stone. It is one of the strangest views in the park.

Between the hills you will see flat patches of bright green. These are bofedales, high-altitude wetlands fed by snowmelt and springs. They act like sponges, holding water through the long dry months. For the wildlife and for local herders, they are the most important ground in the park. Llamas and alpacas graze here in family groups, often with coloured woollen tassels tied to their ears. Those tassels mark which family owns each animal.

The wild cousin of the llama is the vicuña. It is slender, cinnamon-coloured, with a white chest, and it moves with quick, light steps. Vicuña wool is among the finest animal fibres in the world. During the twentieth century, hunting pushed the species close to extinction. Protection here in the north of Chile helped the herds recover, and today you can often see them grazing close to the road. Keep an eye on the rocky slopes too. Viscachas, rabbit-like rodents with long curled tails, sit on sunny boulders.

Now look down at your feet. Those hard green mounds, bright as moss, are llareta, also spelled yareta. Each mound is actually one plant, made of thousands of tiny tightly packed stems. It is solid enough to sit on, though you should not. The llareta grows extremely slowly, and some large cushions are thought to be many centuries old. People once burned it as fuel, which is one reason it is now protected.

The human story here is long. Aymara herding families have lived on this plateau for generations, moving animals between pastures as the seasons change. The small village of Parinacota sits inside the park, a cluster of whitewashed adobe houses around a colonial church. The church has thick white walls, a separate bell tower, and a stone wall around its yard. Inside, old painted murals show religious scenes from the Spanish colonial period. Much of the year the village is very quiet, and it fills mainly during festivals.

The park also has a wider role. UNESCO recognises the Lauca area as a biosphere reserve, which means it is managed both for conservation and for the people who live here. The international road to Bolivia crosses the park, and you will see heavy trucks climbing towards the border near Chungará. That contrast is part of the place: ancient herding routes, protected wetlands, and modern trade, all sharing one high valley.

Most travellers come up from Arica on the coast, then rest a night in the town of Putre before going higher. That stop helps the body adjust. Mornings are usually calm and clear, and they are best for reflections on the water. Afternoons bring wind, clouds over the volcanoes, and sometimes summer storms. Temperatures can change fast. Bring warm layers, a hat, sunglasses and strong sun cream, because the sun is intense at this height.

Before you leave, stand still for one more minute. Look at the white cone of Parinacota, the blue water, the green wetlands, the slow animals moving across the grass. Feel how quiet it is when the wind drops for a moment. As you walk back, watch for small things... a flamingo lifting off the water, a vicuña raising its head, the hard green dome of a llareta beside the path. The plateau will still be here, exactly as patient as before.