Ramaditas: Excursions to lagoons and yardangs

A walking route along wetlands and yardangs, a challenging full-day hike and an easy half-day tour show just how varied the activities described here are. For planning, it is therefore important to consider the duration, distance, starting point and participation requirements of each one. The landscape also helps with comparisons: not every tour has the same focus.

The Mountain Home and choosing accommodation

Explora’s Mountain Home is located in Ramaditas at an altitude of 4,075 metres and has communal areas as well as four double or twin rooms. When looking for a vacation rental in Ramaditas, you can also take your preferred type of excursion into account. An easy half-day tour, a challenging full-day hike or an excursion that may include birdwatching each offer a different focus for your stay.

Comparing the walking route and hikes

An overland excursion travels by vehicle from Ramaditas towards Laguna Pastos Grandes and includes about four hours of walking along wetlands and yardangs. The time given refers to the walking portion; the vehicle portion is also part of the excursion. These are two different ways of measuring time when making comparisons: the approximate walking time is given for this excursion, while the two hikes are described as half-day or full-day activities. The time estimates are therefore not directly comparable.

The challenging Yardangs hike is 18.8 kilometres long, lasts a full day and heads from the Mountain Home Ramaditas towards Pastos Grandes. It is available only to guests on programmes of at least ten nights. The easy hike along Laguna Ramaditas is 3 kilometres long and designed as a half-day tour. It leads to a gorge where the trails meet at the edge of the lagoon, and is also available only to guests on programmes of at least ten nights. The two activities differ in distance, duration and difficulty, but share the same minimum programme length.

Locations and landscape

The starting points also set the activities apart: the overland excursion departs from Ramaditas, while the challenging hike begins at the Mountain Home Ramaditas. The easy hike follows Laguna Ramaditas in the area around the destination. So, while two descriptions mention the direction of Pastos Grandes, they have different starting points and formats: one is a vehicle excursion that includes walking, and the other is a full-day hike. Yardangs feature in both the walking portion of the overland excursion and the challenging hike; the easy tour has a different focus, featuring the lagoon and a gorge. When choosing accommodation, you can therefore consider the landscape associated with your planned activities as well as their duration and level of difficulty.

Potential birdwatching

During an excursion at Laguna Ramaditas described by Explora, it is possible to see buzzards, flamingos and Andean gulls. This adds a potential wildlife-watching focus to the hiking routes and timeframes. If you would like to make your choice based not only on physical difficulty but also on the natural features you want to see, the bird species mentioned offer another point to consider when planning your trip.

For the broader travel overview: Nor Lípez.