Putre is a small Aymara village high in the Andes, at about 3,500 metres above sea level, and it is the gateway to Lauca National Park and the high plateau. The village sits on a green terrace above a deep valley, with stone houses, narrow streets and a small, whitewashed church that dates from the seventeenth century. The surrounding hills are dotted with old agricultural terraces that have been farmed for centuries, and the people here, many of them Aymara, graze llamas and alpacas on the high pastures. After the dry desert of the coast, the green of the fields comes as a shock.
The road up from Arica is a steady climb through desert canyons, past giant cacti and villages tucked into oases, and the change in altitude is the main challenge. The road is generally paved and in reasonable condition, with long bends and some sections of steep gradient, and the traffic is light apart from the lorries heading for Bolivia. Be prepared for altitude effects, including headaches, shortness of breath and a loss of engine power, and take your time. Many travellers spend a night in Putre to acclimatise before going higher.
Putre has a few guesthouses, cafes and small shops, and the food is hearty and warming: soups, grilled alpaca and quinoa dishes, with coca tea as the local remedy for altitude. Fuel supplies are limited, so fill the tank in Arica before the climb, and check what is available if you plan to go on to the lake. Nights are cold, even in summer, so bring warm clothing and a sleeping bag if you can.
The landscape beyond is the Altiplano, a high, windswept plateau of grass, lakes and volcanoes, and the wildlife here is a joy to see. Vicuñas graze beside the road, flamingos feed in the shallow lakes, and with luck you will spot a viscacha, a rabbit-like rodent that sits on the rocks. The volcanoes of the Chilean-Bolivian border, with their perfect, snow-dusted cones, fill the horizon, and the air is clear and thin. It is one of the finest high-altitude landscapes in South America, and Putre is a gentle introduction.