The Andes Mountains in the Atacama Region

The Andes: p.1 | p.2

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Perhaps the most impressive excursion in Atacama leads into the Andean main chain. A series of volcanoes over 6000 m high offer an unforgettable spectacle. When the weather is good, a blue sky opens up, which is hard to find elsewhere.

The Andes' main mountain range is marked in the Atacama Region by a chain of volcanoes, with maximum heights from 6000 meters to 6893 meters.
The most important passes (San Francisco and Pircas Negras) reach altitudes of 4723 and 4200 meters above sea level, respectively. Also, there are extensive plains in this sector, which show heights between 4200 and 4600 meters. The climate is quite harsh, and frequent heavy snowfalls characterize winter. The same phenomenon, but not so frequent, can occur during the summer. The nights are cold, and the amount of rainfall is much higher than in Copiapó. Also, the reduced amount of oxygen that produces an inevitable miscarriage may even be dangerous. Some people do not feel the height, but others suffer a lot; nausea, headache is the most common symptoms and should be lowered immediately.
o reach the high cordillera, you first have to go through the pre-cordillera. The extensive salt lakes and their areas of flattening are adjoining the pre-cordillera. (In the south of the lagoon "Negro Francisco," these drainless, endorheic basins are missing.
In the Atacama region area, about eight routes are leading to or into the main cordillera. The most comfortable one is undoubtedly the "Camino International," which also has a particular position because of its beautiful view and morphological features.