Cono de Arita

The Cono de Arita rises from the flat white surface of the Salar de Arizaro, one of the largest salt flats on Earth, as a solitary cone about two hundred metres high and so regular in shape that early visitors assumed it was built rather than formed. Its origin is still debated - it has been described both as volcanic rock that never broke the surface and as a sandstone formation shaped by erosion into a near-symmetrical pyramid - and it is thought to have been an Inca ceremonial site. Standing alone in an emptiness of salt with volcanoes on the horizon, it has a stillness that photographs struggle to convey. Climbing it is not permitted, both for conservation and out of respect for its standing among local communities.

What's there

• The cone - the near-symmetrical pyramid on the salt flat, its origin still debated.
• Salar de Arizaro - one of the world's largest salt flats stretching around it.
• The volcanic ring - distant Andean cones on every horizon.
• The silence - an emptiness with no vegetation, no water and no sound.

When to go

April to November, when the salt surface and access tracks are driest and firmest. Early morning or late afternoon gives the cone its shadow and shape; midday flattens it completely. Trips run as a long excursion from Tolar Grande.

Things to know

Reaching it is a serious undertaking on unmarked tracks where getting lost or bogged is a genuine risk, which is why local guides are the norm. Climbing is not allowed. There is no shade, water or shelter anywhere near, and weather changes fast at 3,500 metres.

Nearby

Tolar Grande and the Ojos de Mar lie north; the Chilean border is west across the salar.

Key facts