San Pedro de Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama is a small town located in the second region of Chile, in one of the oasis of the Atacama Desert. It finds at 6,100m above sea level in the Andes Cordillera. This small town has been inhabited since 11.000 years ago and its current population is about 2,500 inhabitants. It is, also, considered the archaeological capital of Chile and it is owned of a singular beauty composed by geysers, salt deposits, high plateau lagoons, thermal baths and volcanoes, among others.
San Pedro de Atacama it is located in one of the oasis of the desert. It rains due to the "Bolivian winter". Thanks to, in this region, it rains more than in others, we can find a vast and beautiful vegetation of algarrobos, chañares y pimientos, among others. During some periods, we can find species of cachiyuyo, calpiche, cadillo y grama vegetation. The main characteristic of vegetation is the flowery desert during the spring time. On the plains of the high plateau we can find animals which live in extreme conditions like for example: the vicuña, guanaco, and two kinds of foxes: chilla (a small fox) and culpeo (kind of a large fox) and the vizcacha. Beautiful birds like: the rhea and partridge of the puna.
Near to the water founts we will find birds like: different kind of flamingoes (de James, Chilean and the andina or parina), gull of the Andes, and another typical bird of Chile called chorlo de la puna, juarjual duck (kind of duck) and the eaglet.
In San Pedro de Atacama we can find other typical birds: the hunting hawk, and also a very common bird of the north of Chile called chercán, and the crown sparrow, turtledove, and some mammals like the grey fox and the lauchón orejudo. It is also find a variety of species of reptiles, amphibious and insects.
