Attractions Archaeological Sightseeing Tours Nature & Adventure Tours Off the beaten track Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountains) was formed millions of years ago. It was an old lake, which bottom went raising by the same movements of the terrestrial coast which gave origin to the Andes Mountains. Molded through time by rain, wind, and the Sun of the Atacama Desert, its final form that we know nowadays counts with a great variety of natural sculptures, different types of stratification, and varied colorations by the mineral diversity of the place.

 

The name of 'Cordillera de la Sal' derives from the fact that its rocks possess a great amount of calcium sulfate, which gives them the aspect of being splashed with salt.
 
The fantastic rock's outcrop in the first plane is due to its top and the color of the mineral of the salt of which they are compound. It is recommendable to see the sunset when the desert changes from red to purple and then black. At heart is the Licancabur volcano which can be seen from hundreds of kilometers away.
 


Its geologic origin is an emerged lake, where the old horizontal layers are vertical by the fold of the surface. Thus the strange figures that seem like dinosaurs arise in a scene of strange brightness. When leaving this mountain, one enters the Atacama Saltlake; from there is possible to appreciate a panoramic view of the oases that conform to San Pedro de Atacama town. Following the way to this town, the Death Valley is crossed, with peculiar forms eroded by the wind and a reddish color with white spots.
 
Cordillera de la Sal is located 70 kilometers from Calama. Just before the entrance to the town of San Pedro de Atacama, it can be seen from both sides; mountains with unusual forms and mineral brights.