Antofagasta de la Sierra

Antofagasta de la Sierra lies at three thousand four hundred metres, in a basin surrounded by volcanoes, with black lava flows reaching the edge of the village. The lagoons nearby hold flamingos for much of the year, and the rocks around them carry the petroglyphs of the people who have lived on this plateau for thousands of years. Further south rises the Galán, one of the largest volcanic craters on earth.

It is a journey of at least three or four days by 4x4 from Belén, climbing past El Peñón and the Campo de Piedra Pómez, with two or three nights in simple lodgings run by local families. Days go on the lagoons, the lava fields, the craters and the high plains. It suits travellers who have already seen the classic Northwest and want its emptiest corner.

April to November is the season. Winter nights are very cold and summer storms can cut the tracks.