Description of the attraction
Lake Kasiri Macho is located at an altitude of 4939 m above sea level, on the slope of the Kakepe Junjuta volcano (5025 m), on the border of Chile and Bolivia, in the Arica de Parinacota region. This is an area with a very high seismicity: on average, an earthquake occurs here once every 50 years (on the Richter scale - up to 7 points).
The road to the lake lies through the village of Kakuena, Tarapaca province. Its surroundings are full of beautiful landscapes and archaeological sites. There are several houses in the village, in which the descendants of the Quechua Indians live. Quechua descended from the Incas, who lived until the 16th century in the foothills of the plateau from Kakuena to Parinacota and Putra. Locals, like their ancestors, raise llamas. They have tamed these animals to navigate numerous dangerous mountain trails. Llamas do not require special care, because they feed on pasture on the way, and the local population use llama dung as fertilizer and fuel for fires, and also spin wool.
Today in Chile there are about 6,000 people belonging to the Quechua ethnic group, mainly concentrated in the regions of Arica de Parinacota and Tarapaca.
You can also go to the small church of Pueblo de Cacuena, built in the 17th century from stone, plastered with clay and covered with a thatched roof.
On the way to the lake, you need to go through the wetlands, where alpacas and llamas graze, and in the distance rhea can walk. You can also see the condor and the Andean goose.
Lake Kasiri-Macho is shallow, completely separated from the nearest bodies of water. From its coast, beautiful cold exotic landscapes of the "Chilean Altiplano" open up to the eye: the snow-capped peaks of the two volcanoes Pomerape (6265 m) and Parinacota (6348 m).
The land surrounding the lake is not cultivated. Most of the natural vegetation is still intact. The entire territory of the area is covered with sparse vegetation, mainly feather grass and fescue. The soil is composed of volcanic materials, usually dark in color.
The climate is classified as a combination of light and cold desert. It is very dry here, it is very rare to see a cloud. During the day, there are large temperature changes, it can be very cold at night and warm during the day.
