Laguna Blanca & Laguna Verde
Within minutes of crossing, the reserve announces itself with twin high-altitude lagoons: Laguna Blanca and Laguna Verde. Laguna Blanca takes its pale, milky tone from borax deposits; Laguna Verde gets its shifting emerald colour from suspended concentrations of arsenic, copper, and magnesium — nothing lives in it. The near-perfect cone of Volcán Licancabur rises behind them at 5,916 metres (19,409 ft).
A viewpoint above the lakes makes an excellent first stop. If the wind is calm, reflections are sharp; if not, the colours change constantly. Either way, this is a good place for lunch — sheltered slightly among lava outcrops and already high enough to encourage an unhurried pace.