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- Floating in the hypersaline water: The salt concentration is high enough that you bob like a cork with almost no effort. It's the single most memorable physical sensation the lake offers.
- Flamingo colonies: Thousands of flamingos feed in the shallows, especially in spring. Bring binoculars, they keep their distance.
- Miramar town: The old resort town on the lake's edge has faded, slightly eerie charm, with flooded hotels hinting at its mid-20th-century heyday as a spa destination.
- Salt flat photography: When the water recedes, the exposed salt crust creates mirror-like reflections at sunrise and sunset, similar in effect to Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni but on a smaller scale.
- Bird-watching beyond flamingos: The lake and surrounding wetlands host black-necked swans, coots, and migratory shorebirds,
- Floating in the hypersaline water: The salt concentration is high enough that you bob like a cork with almost no effort. It's the single most memorable physical sensation the lake offers.
- Flamingo colonies: Thousands of flamingos feed in the shallows, especially in spring. Bring binoculars, they keep their distance.
- Miramar town: The old resort town on the lake's edge has faded, slightly eerie charm, with flooded hotels hinting at its mid-20th-century heyday as a spa destination.
- Salt flat photography: When the water recedes, the exposed salt crust creates mirror-like reflections at sunrise and sunset, similar in effect to Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni but on a smaller scale.
- Bird-watching beyond flamingos: The lake and surrounding wetlands host black-necked swans, coots, and migratory shorebirds, making it a genuine stop for serious birders.
- Boat trips with local guides: A handful of operators in Miramar run short boat excursions, giving you a different angle on the lake's scale that you can't get from shore.
- The abandoned bathhouse ruins: Crumbling concrete structures half-swallowed by salt crust, remnants of a spa boom that collapsed after the 1977 to 1981 floods. It's a strange, quiet place to wander, equal parts sad and fascinating.
- Stargazing: With almost no light pollution and flat, open horizons, clear winter nights deliver a sky thick with stars, a solid payoff if you're camping nearby.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.