MARS ON EARTH

AIRVŪZ STAFF NOTE : No, it's not Mars, it's Argentina! Top AirVuz contributor Cinelifter Media brings us this stunning drone video from a little-seen but spectacular part of the giant South American country. The video was filmed over the Salar del Hombre Muerto (Salt Pan of the Dead Man), an other-worldly salt pan located in the northwestern part of the country. Situated on the border between the provinces of Salta and Catamarca Provinces, it's part of the Puna de Atacama, a plateau of the Andes Mountain system which also covers parts of Bolivia and Chile.

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HOMBRE MUERTO SOUTH / ATACAMA-DESERT / ARGENTINA Hombre Muerto South is located in the high altitude Puna Plateau of northwestern Argentina, within the Andes mountain range. It features vast salt flats, arid terrain and is part of a region know for its extreme dryness and elevation above 3,500 meters. Some call it "Ther Mars on Earth".

In August, I had the opportunity to spend a week in the Andes accompanying an expedition.

After a 22-hour flight, we landed in the province of Salta and immediately set off for the high mountains. It took us 3 hours by car to reach the hotel in San Antonio de los Cobres at 3,800m. We spent 2 nights here to acclimatize and get used to the altitude. Once the entire team was complete, we left the hotel and drove to the base camp, several hours away from any civilization: no people, roads or hospitals. About a dozen people took part in the expedition, including investors, geologists, a Focus journalist and scientists. After arriving at the base camp, we all had to learn a few rules, such as how to deal with drinking water, hygiene, and energy management. The only way to communicate with the outside world was via satellite internet, which was mainly reserved for research and measurements. We spent the night in tents at -16 degrees. However, the biggest challenge was not the temperature, but physical fitness and stamina. At an altitude of 5,000 m, the oxygen content is almost half, which suddenly made the camera and drone equipment seem at least twice as heavy. To alleviate the symptoms of oxygen deprivation, we chewed coca leaves, which release alkaloids to help the body absorb more oxygen. They are freely available in the Salta region. Every day we drove from morning to evening by jeep through a lunar landscape of Puna de Atacama plateau with many salt lakes and were able to take spectacular shots. We were on the Argentinian side but also on the Chilean side of the Atacama Desert.The Mavic 3 Pro Cine drone survived several hours of flying in extreme conditions. I was very surprised that despite strong winds and thin air, the flight time was only about 15% less. Good work DJI!