The Andes Mountains Region by Drone

AirVūz contributor and drone pilot Neilo Neila takes us on a voyage through three South American countries; Chile, Bolivia, and Peru. In this aerial film, you'll see majestic waterfalls, ancient ruins, Spanish colonial architecture, and stunning diverse landscapes. With so much to see and do in the Andes region of South America, it's no wonder this area is considered an endless playground for all adventure seekers. This video was a picked as a Finalist for the AirVuz Drone Video of the Week contest in May, 2019.

Prepare to be blown away by this spectacular first person view (FPV) drone video from Argentina's mighty El Aconcagua; with an elevation of 7k meters above sea level (23.8k ft.), the great Andes peak is the tallest mountains outside of Asia.  Contributor and pilot NDH Cinema shot the footage working on a documentary program.  Other than the opening and closing shots (which were filmed with a DJI Mavic Pro 2), the footage was captured with a GoPro Hero 8 mounted to an FPV quad.  This video made the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2020.

Contributor and pilot Rufo_Adventure created an amazing drone video of Ecuador's Cotopaxi Volcano, one of the highest volcanoes in the world.  Part of the Andes, the peak of the mountain stands at 5.9k meters (19.3k ft) above sea level, making it the second highest peak in Ecuador after Mt. Chimborazo.  It's also one of the most active, with about 50 known eruptions in the past 250 years, most recently in 2016.  The video was taken as part of an  expedition that reached the south summit of the mountain, which lies just to the south of Quito.  

Patagonia is a region on the southern cone of South America, shared between Argentina and Chile.  Contributor El Gringo Rojo, her two horses, and her dog embarked on a 1.6k km (1k mi) journey down the length of Argentine Patagonia.  The video includes stunning footage of the waterfalls in El Chalten, horseback riding through Bariloche, a hike to the base of the famous Fitz Roy mountain (part of the Andes chain), and more sights from this spectacularly beautiful land.  Prepare to be amazed by these views from the bottom of the earth.

Unraveled Studios used a drone to capture the unbelievable beauty of Peru's Rainbow Mountain, a truly unique geological phenomenon.  Also known as Vinicunca, it's part of the Andes range in the south central part of the country.  The mountain is known not for its height (5.2k m or 17k ft) but rather for its stunning rainbow colors which derive from a unique sedimentary pattern.  Unrivaled Studios gives us a breathtaking aerial look at the mountain, which has only recently opened for tourism. 

Behold this amazing drone video of one of Colombia's most active volcanoes, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot la.drones.  Volcán de Puracé is located in the Puracé National Natural Park, in the western part of this South American country.  The stratovolcano is part of the Cordillera Central, one of the sub-ranges of the Andes which run through Colombia.  Standing over 4.6k meters (just over 15.2k ft.) the volcano has exploded many times in modern history, most recently in 1977.

Contributor and pilot Mavdrone used a DJI drone to create this breathtaking video of the Calbuco Volcano, which lies along the Pacific coast of Chile in the region of Los Lagos.  Dormant since the early 1970's, the volcano erupted in a spectacular fashion in 2015.  Contributor Mavdrone was able to fly a drone over the volcano as it was erupting at that time, creating a memorable aerial video of this geological beast.  The mountain is situated in the heart of the Andes Mountains system, which runs down the western side of the continent.  

The South American country of Bolivia may be the volcano capital of the world.  The landlocked country in the heart of the Andes Mountains region is home to literally dozens of them, many of them active and/or in excess of 5k meters (around 16.5k ft.) in peak elevation.  Driving from Bolivia to Chile, contributor la.drones passed through a stretch of the Bolivian desert named the Cementerio de los Volcanes because of the high number of these geological wonders that populate the impressive Andean landscape.  

In 2016, contributor and pilot Nomad Drone created this incredible aerial tour of the trek to Machu Picchu, the great Inca city high up the Andes Mountains in Peru.  With amazing aerial shots of the landscape as well as the local inhabitants, this drone video will astound you.  Built in the early 16th century in the Andes Mountains as a royal estate for the Inca King, Machu Picchu was abandoned prior to the completion of the Spanish conquest of Peru.  It is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage cultural site.  

Contributor and pilot FreD served up this epic video of the wildllife of the Altiplano in Chile.  Also known as the Andean Plain or the Bolivean Plain, the Altiplano is a key component of the Andes Mountain system.  It is the second largest high plateau in the world after the Tibetan Plateau.  Sitting in four countries, it is dominated by vicuna and llama herding, species which you'll see in abundance in this spectacular video. Most of the Antiplano territory is in Bolovia, with a portion in Argentina.

Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat.  Victoraroundtheworld used his DJI Phantom 3 Advanced drone to take us on a tour of this amazing area which appears to be blanketed in white.  Located in the southwestern corner of the country, the flats are part of the Bolivian Altiplano, itself part of the Andes system.  Salar de Uyuni was used as a filming location for the Star Wars film the Last Jedi (2017), the eighth installment in the series; the flats "played the role" of Planet Crait.

Bolivia's Palca Canyon is located near the capital city La Paz in the west central portion of this South American country.  The canyon is known in part for its stunning, multicolored rock formations.    Top contributor and pilot JTurner flew his DJI Mavic Pro drone around this expansive canyon, providing us with a spectacular aerial tour of a little seen area of this landlocked nation.  The canyon is located just a short distance east of Lake Titicaca, another top natural site in the Andes Mountains region.

This Drone Video of the Week Nominee by contributor and drone pilot JTurner shows off the beauty of Ausangate Mountain in Peru. Part of the Andes and about 100 km (around 60 miles) southeast of Cusco, it is home to alpaca and llama herding communities that are some of the last pastoralist societies in the world. The Ausangate Trek is the highest trek in Peru, reaching an altitude of about 4k meters (over 13k ft.) over its 70 km (45 mi.) length.  The trek can end with a journey to Machu Picchu - the ancient Incan citadel.

Check out this absolutely magnificent drone video of Chile's Atacama Desert, compliments of top AirVuz contributor and pilot nevinxavier.  The Atacama runs in a north-south direction for a length of about 1k km (around 600 mi.) along Chile's west coast, with small portions in Peru and Bolivia.  Covering an area of roughly 105k square km (a bit over 40k square mi.), it's considered part of the Andes system.  In terms of aridity and lack of temperature variation, it's considered the most "perfect" desert.  This was a DVOW Winner in June, 2020.

The Andes in South America are the longest continental mountain range in the world. The Andes span about 7,000 km and run through seven countries:  Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. AirVuz put together a collection of the best drone views of the Andes for a unique aerial tour of this beautiful region. You'll see drone footage of Aconcagua (the world's highest peak outside of Asia), the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, Ecuador's fearsome volcanoes, Peru's Rainbow Mountain,