Explore the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, a vast high-Andes sanctuary near Arequipa. See volcanoes, salt flats, and the shimmering Salinas Lagoon dotted with flamingos, spot llamas, alpacas, and vicunas, and soak in natural thermal pools along the way.
Suitable for all ages.
Higher than Cusco. The thermal pools sit at 4,500 m and the reserve you cross is above 4,000 m for most of the morning, while Arequipa itself is at 2,335 m. That is a gain of more than two kilometres in a couple of hours, so this is not a first-morning tour: give yourself a day or two in the city first, drink plenty of water and take the walking slowly at the stops.
A community payment of S/ 5, in cash and in soles, which goes to the villages that manage access to the reserve. Breakfast in Chiguata is included in the tour price. Bring a little extra cash for drinks or crafts at the stops, as there is nowhere to use a card up there.
Yes, and it is worth it, but bring a swimsuit and a towel because there is nowhere to rent them. The water sits between 20 and 24C, which is pleasantly warm rather than hot, and at 4,500 m the air outside is cold, so the moment of getting out is the hard part. A change of dry clothes makes a real difference.
Not guaranteed. The Salinas lagoon is a salt flat whose water level rises and falls with the seasons, and the flamingos follow the water: they are most reliable in the rainy months, roughly December to April, and can be scarce or distant when the lagoon dries out. Llamas, alpacas and wild vicunas, on the other hand, you will almost certainly see.
Layers, and more than you think. Pickup is at 06:00 and the reserve is genuinely cold at dawn, with wind on the open puna, then the sun comes up hard at 4,500 m where UV is extreme. Bring a warm jacket, hat and gloves for the early hours, sunglasses and sunscreen for later, plus your swimsuit and towel for the pools.
