21st December 2024

We woke and agreed to repeat our visit to Roots for breakfast followed by a couple of town chores, enjoying the contrast of blue sky with the red tinge of town.

For lunch, we scouted a good place called Emporio Andino for our first empanadas. Dan had chicken and I had caprese. I also ordered a latte and a slice of pie made of a shortcrust pastry layered with a set custard filling, a compote of mixed berries and then crumble on top. It was just as good as the empanada and one I plan to recreate at home. 

Knowing we had a tour later that day and that the UV index would reach 16 that afternoon, we rested in the refuge of our hostel until we were picked up by the minibus for the Valle de la Luna tour.

The landscape of Valle de la Luna is complex and impressive. The site use to be covered in water and a combination of erosion and techtonic plate movement resulted in spectacular folds, caverns and rock formations, some of which are covered in salt and mineral deposits from the evaporated sea.

The name, Valle de la Luna, originated from the dried salt which becomes illuminated by the moonlight causing a white glow and looks like a luna landscape. However, I would argue that, during the day, it looks more like Mars as the valley is red due to the minerals in the clay. I was reading that Mars rovers were tested in the area due to the Martian like terrain. 

In some areas if you were quiet you can hear a crackling/popping noise as the minerals expand in the sun. Other areas were covered in large copper coloured sand dunes, where the wind would catch the top layer of sand and blow it in whatever direction it fancied. My favourite area was a range of folding red grooves which reminded me of the structure of the glaciers. They ranged from about five to twenty-five meters in height and you could climb and walk up them.

After some refreshments of fresh fruit, crisps and strawberry juice we drove to a viewpoint to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, it was a dusty evening and we were unable to see the valley glowing red, the way we had the first night during our shuttle from the airport, but we still enjoyed the show. 

We got back to town for 9pm and, drained from the heat and aware of our early start tomorrow, opted for the easy choice of a local restaurant for dinner before returning to the hostel.