Infinite Mountains in the Atacama Desert

Photo: The Lagoon Verde in the Atacama Region. One of the most beautiful lagoons in the mountain range. The ensemble with volcanoes, plains and really green water is unique. The lagoon is located at an altitude of 4281 meters above sea level and has easy access by the main road to Paso San Francisco.
(W. Griem 2010: Ca50D: 3289)

Description:
Location: In the Andes high cordillera, about 270 kilometres east of Copiapó.
Nearest town: Copiapó (270 km); El Salvador (264 km) - Always drive over the police station "Maricunga"! also back! to log in or log out
Petrol: Copiapó (270 km), El Salvador (264 km) Watch out: Always take reserve tank with petrol.
Between Copiapó and Ojos del Salado there are no restaurants and there is no possibility to stay overnight between Copiapó and Ojos del Salado. Nearby: CONAF cabins Santa Rosa and Negro Francisco.
Road condition: Salted, partly asphalted, but watch out there are "surprises".
Worth seeing: lookout points, high cordillera, volcanoes over 6500 metres above sea level, snowfields, unique landscapes, salt lakes, animals and plants.
Beware: Part of the road runs at 4500 meters altitude - altitude sickness! At night the temperature can easily be reach 20°C below 0° , you can stay the nignt here only in better tents (at Laguna Verde there is a camp), better is to go to areas down at Salar de Maricunga . Pay attention to the condition of the car: Better SUV, 4X4, Jeep or pickup due to the extreme outside conditions.
UTM: E551.105 / N70.25.623 - Height: 4342 m (viewpoint on the road).

Information Photo: Canon Camera 50D
Lens:20mm +pol.| Focal length: 20mm | Time: 1:320 | ISO100
F: f/5,6 | Original size: 4752 x 3168 | Date: 2010/09/16/13:59hrs.