2019-10-01 Wanderlust

DIDYOU

KNOW?

Thedesertloor

turnswhite

whenyoulook

atitfrom

aboveasthe

saltycrystalsin

theearthrelect

thesun’srays.

“Emergingfrom

oneoftheworld’s

largestsalt…lats,the

ConodeAritaeludes

perception,shiftingin

sizeandshade.From

afar,the150m-highconeappears

almostwithintouchingdistance.It’s

onlyasyoutrytoapproachitthat

yourealiseyou’vebeenhoodwinked

anditisfurtherawaythanyouthink.

Exploringnorth-westArgentina’s

PunadeAtacama,Iwasexpecting

elementalother-worldlylandscapes.

Butourguidehadpromisedus

asightthatwouldbetrulyunique.

Crossingthevastexpanseofthe

SalardeArizaro,thebroodingcone

appearedoutofanepicbackdrop,

mysteriousandcompelling.

Wecarriedonupaslopelistening

toPinkFloyd’sTheDarkSideofthe

Moon.Asthesoaringvocalsof

‘TheGreatGigintheSky’kicked

in,welookedbackdownandthe

hairsonthebackofournecksrose.

Therebelowwasthecone,

lookinglikeagiantpyramidand

seemingly…loatingonthedazzling

plain.Insilenceweeachfound

aspottosit,contemplate,andgive

thankstoMotherEarth”

Lyn Hughes,editor-inchief

Cono de Arita, Argentina

A lone cone

Standing alone on the

salt pans, Argentina’s

Arita Cone plays

tricks on your mind

Lyn Hughes

24°36′S,67°23′W

SECRET^200

186 wanderlust.co.uk October 2019

DISCOVER THE REAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD