Vicuña

We stopped for lunch at a little archeological site called Vado Machuca with Licancabur volcano in the background.

The settlement is pretty typical of the area. We met different farmers that had adapted to living in this harsh environment. Remember we are still at an incredibly high altitude so still taking in lots of water to reduce the effects of altitude sickness.

After lunch we got our first sight of a Vicuña. Vicuña are members of the Camelid family, and are extremely well adapted to living this high above sea level.

The valley is full of vegetation, despite being so high up and this yellow grass has adapted to thrive up here in the Andes. The Vicuña will eat the grass, as well as taking nutrients from stones and rocks, and from the salt water.