El Peñón

El Peñón is a handful of houses on the high plateau of Catamarca, at more than three thousand metres, and the base for two of the most remarkable landscapes of the Puna. The Campo de Piedra Pómez is a field of white pumice carved by the wind into towers and waves, kilometres long, with volcanoes behind it. In the mountains nearby, the Laguna Grande is a protected lake where flamingos gather in their thousands.

The village is reached in a long day by 4x4 from Belén. Two nights let the pumice field be explored at sunrise and sunset, when the stone changes colour, and leave a day for the Laguna Grande; from here the route continues north to Antofagasta de la Sierra.

April to November is the season, with clear skies and freezing nights. The flamingos are most numerous in the warmer months.