Today I am again with photos from Chile :) It's a great country, and here I have something interesting from the port city of Iquique in the north of the country, in the Tarapaca region. This is an interesting and nice city, but I will tell you more about it another time. Today I want to show you its unusual and absolutely natural landmark — the sand dune Dragon Hill (Cerro Dragón).
It is notable for the fact that it is located at the foot of the mountains and on the very coast of the Pacific Ocean at the same time. The height of the dune reaches about 320 meters above sea level (100 meters is the height of the rocky terrace on which the dune is located), and the length is about 4 km. It is said that only the Sahara Desert boasts higher dunes, but in any case, this is the largest sand dune located in the city.
Its origin is interesting — it is believed that the dune was formed about 18-20 thousand years ago, at the end of the Ice Age, thanks to wind and water. The ocean level, which was then 100 meters higher, decreased and revealed a sand layer that had begun to form in the coastal strip, little by little water and wind brought more sand there, while the wind formed a sharp ridge of the dune, reflecting from the higher rocks and mountains, which are located directly behind it. The dune is considered relict, since its formation and the geological processes that caused its appearance and growth ended many years ago.
The crest of the dune with its meanders and variable height resembles the crest of a dragon, as we can sometimes imagine it. A very, very long dragon, probably a sea dragon :)
Dragon Hill is a nature reserve, at the same time it is visited by tourists, locals and very actively by sports lovers. Yes, yes, it is sports, and of different types: firstly, paragliders love to start from the dune and land on it after flying around, since this sport has excellent conditions there, and secondly, the dune slopes attract fans of sandboarding, so they climb up and dashingly roll down the sand. It sounds a little strange — boarding on the sand, but in fact, it is a very interesting sight.
This is how Dragon Hill looks like from above. To better estimate its size, keep in mind that this wide panorama fits no more than half of the dune in length :) A road runs along the entire dune, just above its foot. But it is worth looking at Dragon Hill in all its glory from above, for example, from higher roads on the mountainside.
Better yet, in order not to do it on the go and not look for a roadside on the highway where you can stop (as we did when I took the photo below), you can drive to a small observation deck Mirador Sur on the edge of a mountain plateau that rises above the dune and over the city of Iquique. It is located on the outskirts of the town of Alto Hospicio, which is located on this plateau. As far as I remember, there is a small parking lot, a very small park with a flag, a couple of palm trees, a statue and a playground. And, most importantly, a wonderful view right down.
In general, the fact that in one place you can see the ocean, the city, huge sand dune and the mountain behind it, makes a strong impression — the views are very contrasting gathered in one place. I advise that if you are not far from Iquique, be sure to come there for 1-2 days. Explore the city and its surroundings, look at the dune, maybe fly on a paraglider — from there, there must be an even more interesting view of the surrounding landscape!
It's better to watch the photo in high resolution.
OLYMPUS E-M1 Mark II
Exposure time: 1/320 sec
Aperture: F 8
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Focal length: 150 mm
35 mm equivalent: 300 mm
You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on NatGeo. You can read a short interview with me here.
