Floating in the Lagunas Escondidas de Baltinache really was a day to remember for me. It was such a cool and unique experience for me – floating in a salt pool in the Atacama Desert! I smile so much thinking about that day!
I’d been originally planning to go to the lagoons with a tour. But luckily, a friend, who I’d made at Calama airport and on the bus ride to San Pedro, messaged me saying she was renting a car for the day and did I want to join!? An absolute no brainer – of course I did! The freedom, the flexibility and the adventure we’d get!!
The drive to the lagoons was long, much longer than expected which was mainly due to how slow we were driving. We kept sliding everywhere which surprised us considering the car was a 4×4. At one point, we considered turning back as we felt the car couldn’t handle it. Thank goodness we continued as the lagoons are definitely worth it and on the return journey I made a very important discovery which had so far gone unnoticed…the car did indeed have a button to press to activate the 4×4 mode! A true revelation! We laughed so hard about it and the drive back to town was so so much smoother and quicker.
The lagoons themselves were incredible – gorgeous coloured lagoons backdropped my stunning desert landscapes. Having a car meant we arrived before the tours and were one of the few small groups there – such a bonus!
I’ve never been in so highly concentrated salt water before and it was such a cool feeling to simply float on the water’s surface. No matter what I did I couldn’t sink. Even when I got cramp I could just float till it went away! Really surreal! Coming out the water, my skin was covered in salt – it felt like I was made from salt crystals!
On the drive back we stopped to watch the sunset. There is something so beautiful and peaceful about watching orange desert rocks glow in the setting sun.
To read more about what I did in the Atacama Desert, click here…
Also, here are five tips to consider when planning a trip to the Atacama Desert…
