The Rock Tree (Árbol de Piedra) is a tree-like rock formation in the Siloli Desert desert that offers great photo opportunities!
Its shape, particularly the thin stem, are due to strong winds carrying sand and eroding the soft sandstone.
In the south-west of Bolivia, at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level, the barren beauty of the desert extends as far as you can see. In this high plateau, icy cold strong winds and special climatic peculiarities prevail, creating unique wonders of nature that seem to be from another planet. One of these is the Árbol de Piedra, a stone tree in the desert. For centuries, the winds formed through erosion special rock formations that dot the landscape. Discover the Árbol de Piedra on a trip to the Bolivian desert and get to know an extraordinary landscape that does not seem to be from this world.
The origin of the bizarre Árbol de Piedra
In the Siloli desert in Bolivia, volcanic activity reigned long ago. Volcanic rock, now visible everywhere, was formed and polished over the course of many years by the never-ending winds. As a result of the continuous erosion, various bizarre formations such as the Stone Tree, called Árbol de Piedra in Spanish, were created in the desert. The Árbol de Piedra is about 7 meters high and seems to have the whole structure of a petrified tree. Near the Árbol de Piedra are many other unusual rock formations formed by the erosion.
A trip to Árbol de Piedra
The fascinating Árbol de Piedra is one of the unforgettable highlights in the Bolivian desert due to its size and truly exceptional shape. At 4575 meters above sea level, you can see the interesting rock formations, including Árbol de Piedra, from a distance. The Stone Tree is certainly the most interesting formation, but the other and often smaller stones around the Arbol de Piedra are also worth seeing. Other highlights of the trip to the Árbol de Piedra are the views of the 5700-meter volcano Apagado, whose name means "the extinct volcano". The Árbol de Piedra is located about 200 kilometers from the Uyuni salt flat and 100 kilometers from Calama in Chile. Just like the Laguna Colorada and the Laguna Verde, the Árbol de Piedra is part of the Eduardo Avaroa National Park, which covers a total area of 7000 square kilometers.
