Chungará (hispanicized spelling of Aymara chunkara "pointed mountain") is a lake in the Altiplano and in the Lauca National Park. It is the 29th highest lake in the world (and the 10th highest in South America). It is near the volcanoes Parinacota ( 6,348 m) and Pomerape ( 6,222 m).I t was formed 8000 years ago, when a major collapse of the edifice of Parinacota produced an avalanche of 6 km³ of debris which blocked drainage pattern, thus creating the lake.
You basically journey here to enjoy the view of the lake and the volcano. And a journey it is too, being 5 or 6 hours each way in the bus. At 4500 metres the lake is high, particularly when you have come straight from sea level in a few hours. We had taken the opportunity to drink some coca tea both for breakfast and at the half way cafe stop. It is difficult to know if the relief that coca tea is said to give is psychosomatic or not, but we think it helps.
The journey up was through mountain desert scenery, which eventually gave way to the altiplano - comparatively flat with a bit more moisture - sufficient to support camelids and some goats or sheep. We were lucky enough to see a few Viscachas - they look like rabbits, but are in fact rodents, and appear to able to live in the most inhospitable terrain
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Chungara Lake and Parinacota Volcano
This is what you come to see. We brought a bottle of wine from the ship, and enjoyed that with the boxed (not very inspiring) lunch supplied by the ground agent. Was the journey "vale la pena"? ...on balance I would say that it was. We only had about 45 minutes to enjoy lunch and the views, and it would have been even more impressive if there had not been a slight breeze rippling the waters of the lake - you therefore do not get a mirror reflections of the volcano in the lake
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Parinacota Village at 4400m
Officially Parinacota village has a population of 29 people and is at 4,395 meters height. The whole town consists of 50 houses closed with padlocks, a school and a church . The houses, formed in line around the church, are made of stone stuck with mud; the ceilings are mainly made of straw, though some of them are made of pita fiber. Most of the population appeared to be absent when we were there and I assume have now left permanently
The Church of Parinacota is located in the town centre and it is surrounded by a stone wall covered with mud and white paint. It was locked when we were there - again difficult to know if it is now ever open. The three doors of the wall are roofed with arcs and crowned with pink volcanic stone. A solid bell tower stands out on one of the corners. The original church, from the XVII century was re-built in stone in 1789 and whitened with lime. Its roof is made of mud and straw and its main door is made of carved stone. The inner walls still keep the fresh colours from the XVII century. The silver ornaments and the colonial saints are still kept (mass, they say, is celebrated once a month).
There is a small square with benches and a traffic circle in front of the main door. I walked up the steps past the village to a small memorial. At this altitude, without any acclimatisation, it was hard going - nobody in the bus attempted to follow me
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The voyage on Silversea Explorer in South America