Machuca Village and Laguna Chaxa: Hidden Gems in the Atacama Desert – conventional non 360 video

The journey from El Tatio Geysers to Machuca Village covers 30-40 kilometers of bumpy, winding road through striking mountainous desert. 

Machuca, a small, historic community of about $20$ residents in the Atacama Desert, was founded in the 16th century by indigenous Atacameños. The village, a blend of ancient traditions and contemporary life, is primarily inhabited by Atacameños and mestizos who maintain their culture through traditional farming and sheep herding. 

Its central feature is the early 17th-century adobe Church of San Santiago, where photography without flash is permitted, but video is strictly forbidden.

A short distance away, Laguna Chaxa is a crucial ecological oasis and salt flat, offering a habitat for three species of flamingos: Chilean, Andean, and James’s. The flamingos are drawn to the nutrient-rich, hypersaline waters to feed on brine shrimp. Though the area hosts hundreds of birds in the summer, fewer migrate to winter there. 

The ecosystem is also home to salt-tolerant plants like the tamarugo tree and the extremely slow-growing, millennia-old llareta plant.

Machuca and Laguna Chaxa are located approximately 90 kilometers from San Pedro de Atacama. Visitors are advised to travel during the cooler months, May to September, requiring a 4×4 vehicle or a guided tour. Besides wildlife viewing, the area offers a taste of traditional Andean cuisine in local eateries. The surrounding landscape features fascinating desert flora and fauna, including the Cardón Grande cactus and possibly feral goats, making the region a compelling blend of cultural history and ecological wonder.