Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

Laughing kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae)

During my stay in Sydney I got real close to a family of kookaburras residing in the park just outside the house of my friend Pia Lindgren. First of all I was…


Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)

Rainbow Lorikeet (Trichoglossus haematodus)

This wonderfully colored bird is definitely into a balanced diet, as it will gladly take handouts like apples from us humans. In fact this is one of many pairs…


Southern viscacha (Lagidium viscacia)

Southern viscacha (Lagidium viscacia)

If it doesn't move, the Viscacha is near impossible to see. The color is so similar to the rocks, sand and shrubs, that it's only patience or luck that makes…


Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna)

Vicuña (Vicugna vicugna)

Leaving the Sajama National Park, I had the first sighting of the northern Vicuna. They were grazing on the top of this hill, and was not particularily…


Junellia minima

Junellia minima

Thick succulent-like leaves that can hold water for very long dry periods. Just what you need in the desert-like environment of Sajama National Park and…


Junellia minima

Junellia minima

I saw several of the species in close proximity to the Tomarapi lodge, and this one is in fact placed in flowerbed right outside the reception building and…


Nevado Sajama

Nevado Sajama

Bolivias highest mountain - 6542 metres high - facing south. What a magnificent moment - the Large Magellanic cloud right above Sajama, the Milkyway to the…


Star trails over Salar de Uyuni

Star trails over Nevado Sajama

This was my first night at this altitude, and I was really struggling. The landscape and sky was incredibly beautiful, but I was unable to fully enjoy it due…


Polylepis tarapacana

Polylepis tarapacana

Some of the highest elevation of Polyepis forests are found in this park, and in particular on the slopes of Nevada Sajama seen in the background here. This…


Yareta (Azorella compacta)

Yareta (Azorella compacta)

Perhaps the plant that has fascinated me the most on the Altiplano. It reminds me of coral reefs and the Brain coral (Faviidae), and grows comparably slowly.…