Flamingos and Fish

We heard about a lagoon close to Palomino where we could observe flamingos in the wild. There was no point in staying in Palomino so we booked the Flamingo tour. A local picked us up directly at the Selina hostel and we drove for about one hour in his car. On our way we passed multiple army checkpoints but no one stopped us. I asked our driver what these checkpoints are for and he explained to me that they try to stop the drug smugglers on their way to the coast.

The driver stopped close to the village of Camarones, a very small, poor, village covered in plastic waste. There a motorbike picked us up. The driver, Amby and I were all together on the motorbike. It was a ten minutes drive to Boca de Camarones. There we went on a improvised sailboat and sailed towards the flamingos. Several thousand flamingos and many other birds live in the lagoon, so there was a lot to see. It was a really slow sail of about an hour and a half. We were the only tourists I could spot on the whole lake.

After the flamingo safari we had the chance to eat at Camarones. Our driver already told us about the delicious fish we could get there so we wanted to try that. I have no idea what kind of fish it was, because my Spanish was not good enough to understand it, but it was one of the best fish I’ve ever eaten. I got a beer as well and was really satisfied with the meal and the whole experience. We paid for our food and for the food of our guide and returned the same way we came.

Amby and I really enjoyed this tour. It was a great combination of nature and easy snacks. If you are in Palomino and you like some fresh fish, birds and nature in general this could be the right tour for you.