In this route following the River Loa, you will be able to explore the pukará of Lasana before arriving at the mythical Geysers of Tatio in San Pedro de Atacama.
 
The Salado River is annexed to the Loa before its arrival in the town of Lasana, forming sectors of extensive grazing plains for the livestock of the inhabitants of Toconce, Caspana, and Ayquina; the most famous of them are the plains of Turi and Ayquin.
 
On a cliff facing the Loa River, near the town of Lasana, lies one of the most important and best-preserved relics of the Atacameño culture, the Pukará of Lasana, an ancient indigenous fortress, built in the twelfth century.

 

Near this pukará, in the eaves of the gigantic rocks that encase the valley, the Atacameño Alto Loa Valle de Lasana Indigenous Museum was built. The museum has aroused great interest in hundreds of tourists, researchers, and especially student delegations visiting the area. Its halls show the evolution of the Licanantay people in the area, with its different influences, such as Tiawanaku and Inca; a sample that elucidates the legacy of the different occupations of one of the driest deserts in the world, complementing what is already exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of San Pedro de Atacama.
 
Located northwest of Calama, this was one of the stretches most used by the Incas as a transit route to Bolivia - framed by the basin of the Loa and Salado rivers - and where it is possible to find beautiful villages, ancient churches, and breathtaking landscapes. This area is much less exploited than better-known stretches of this South American heritage.

The route climbs along the Salado River, a route in which three towns stand out along the winding road to the foothills: The first is Caspana, with beautiful stone houses carved in quarries and thatched roofs and mud. Here, the local ethnographic museum displays a sample of the ancient inhabitants of the place.
 
East of Caspana, along a stretch of approximately 40 km, you reach the famous Geyser del Tatio, about 80 fumaroles, a mixture of gases and vapors that emerge through the cracks at temperatures of about 86ºC.
 
After 15 kilometers through the deep canyon, Ayquina appears, whose Atacameño architecture continues the line of stone and straw of Caspana. The Inca influence can be seen in its terraced farming system.
 
Ayquina is home to 40 people all year round. This number changes at the beginning of September, when the town welcomes 70 thousand people for the feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The celebration dates back to 1646, very similar to that of La Tirana.