Infinite plains of the Atacama Desert, Chile

Photo: The road enters the vicinity of Carrera Pinto to the infinite Llano Varas. As there is no reference point the dimensions are completely lost.
(Ca50D- 10566; W. Griem 2011) - see the same photo with snow
When you get to this point in your vehicle, you can well understand the grace of cars - or in the past railway time. The hills on the horizon (Sierra Fraga, Vicuña and El Pingo) are mining districts - in the fifties the miners walked from the mine to the Carrera Pinto station - crossing the plain about 20 kilometers wide. That was only possible in the early hours of the morning - to arrive with the first rays of sunshine near the station and thus avoiding a march in broad daylight where temperatures easily reach more than 50°C.

Description:
The rather lonely roads in the Atacama desert offer beautiful viewpoints. Especially the almost infinite vastness, the lack of a scale is hardly to be found in this way in other regions. The heat of the day can already become unpleasant, especially in the midday hours temperatures can be reached, which make a stay in the sun almost impossible.

Location: Carrera Pinto, road between Copiapó and Inca de Oro, Llano de Varas.
Nearest town: Copiapó (62 km) and Inca de Oro (38 km)
Petrol: Copiapó (62 km), Paipote (52 km)
Road condition: Asphalted, accessible to all vehicles
Worth seeing: landscape, desert, historic mining,.
UTM: E405.733 / N70.03.856 - Height: 1725 m.
Mine district Carrera Pinto - Puquios

Information Photo: Canon camera 50D
Lens 17-70mm | Focal length 70mm (111/35mm) | Time: 1:320 | ISO100
F: f/10 | Original size: 4752 x 3168 | Date: 2011/10/31/18:20 hrs.