One of the most unusual places on the planet is called the Moon Valley. It was named so for the fact that the night luminary gives the landscapes a mystical shade, striking everyone who sees this spectacle. A lot of fantastic films were filmed in Valle de la Luna, and NASA tested Mars and Lunar rovers here.
Valle de la Luna, located in the Chilean Atacama Desert, has no trees or bushes. Not even grass grows here. But there is silence, stones and small salt lakes. The Moon Valley was formed 22 million years ago.
Moon on earth
The reason for the appearance was active tectonic processes. Erosion then reshaped the valley, giving it the appearance of a true lunar landscape, complete with fantastic cliffs.
Scientists are sure that the shadows cast by the salt hills give the similarity to the Earth's satellite. Natural figures, referred to as guardians of caves and valleys, are especially visible in the moonlight. They stand out sharply against the dark blue sky.
The most famous Native American legend says that the figures were created as reference points for the astral flights of the great shamans. Flights were made to the future and the past during sleep. In fact, the valley lies on a giant salt bed. It is washed away by the wind and occasional rains, then crumbled with salt and mineral layers, forming these bizarre figures.
Miracle in the desert
The Moon Valley looks most spectacular at sunset. During this period, the riot of colors reaches its maximum: the sky changes its shades so surprisingly that the spectacle is simply mesmerizing. In the full moon, the landscape takes on a truly fabulous look.
Dry lakes are covered with a thin crust of salt crystals. Changing lighting changes their shade. These pictures are never repeated. Sand dunes of considerable size also attract attention.
Atacama is one of the driest areas on the planet. There are areas in it where it never rained. Walking along the stones scattered millions of years ago by a nearby volcano, you can see a wonderful moment of reviving the desert. True, such a miracle happens only once a year.
No one knows the exact date of such a phenomenon. But there is always a transformation at night. Clouds coming from the sea give the sleeping land moisture, and by dawn from under the sand and stones a myriad of red flowers break through.
Both a fairy tale and a reality
Their buds open in the morning. But by noon, the hot sun completely burns them out. And again, for a whole year, the desert will change life to death.
Millions of years ago, the sands were the ocean floor. Therefore, on the verge between the huge boulders, the height of which is not less than a two-story house, and the saline surface sparkling in the sun, like arrowheads and spearheads left after a grandiose battle, the teeth of prehistoric sharks are scattered, stone prints of ourselves.
Tourists arrive in a mysterious area, trying to visit the moon without leaving the Earth. During the full moon, fans of esotericism come to Valle de la Luna. Followers of various cults flock here from all over the world, seeking to replenish their reserves of magical energy.
One of the main Chilean attractions is part of the Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, a national flamingo reserve. Tourists combine a trip to the Valley of the Moon with an archaeological excursion to the village of Tulor.
