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 DVOW nominee in May 2019.

Check out the epic bird's eye views of South America's Peru and Bolivia, two of the world's most beautiful countries.  The video by contributor Chris Short, which was nominated for the Drone Video of the Week contest, features amazing DJI Mavic Pro aerial footage from both countries, including the Peruvian capital Lima (one of the continent's largest cities), the Inca mountain redoubt of Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains, portions of the Amazon Rainforest, and the Atacama Desert.  

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 Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, Patagonia and Ausangate Trek.

In 2016, 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.  

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, hike to the base of the famous Fitz Roy mountain, and more.  Prepare to be amazed by these views from the bottom of the earth.

Bolivia is one of the least well known of the countries of South America.  Like its neighbor Peru, the country sits in both the Andes and Amazon Basin sub-regions of the continent.  It is In this one-minute video, contributor Benandstories treats us to an aerial tour of this landlocked country, including spectacular aerial footage of the Salar de Uyuni Salt Flats, spectacular mountain valleys, and mountainous La Paz, the largest city and capital of this Andean republic. 

Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Andes range and enjoys the distinction of being the highest mountain in both the Western Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere, rising to a height of nearly 7k m (almost 23k feet).  It lies in a far western part of Argentina, more or less due west from Buenos Aires, and not far from the country's border with Chile.  In this amazing drone video, contributor Luiz Gerbase uses a drone to give us an amazing aerial view of this monster mountain.     

Contributor Rufo_Adventure created an amazing drone video of Ecuador's Cotopaxi Volcano, one of the highest 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.    

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. 

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.

Part of the Andes system, Peru's Ausangate is one of the highest mountains in the Western Hemisphere.  The might mountain stands nearly 6.4k (21k ft.) above sea level, making it the highest peak in the Cordillera Vilcanota subrange.  Contributor Jturner took a DJI Mavic Pro drone on a 5 day hiking trek around this mountain, which sits in southern Peru.  Prepare to be astounded by the sights these hikers encountered: turquoise lakes, red mountains, golden pastures, alpaca, and llamas.

Contributor 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.

For drone's eye views of massive glaciers in the Andes, look no further than this epic aerial video by contributor Jturner.  He took a five day trek on Ausangate in Peru, whose peak sits 6.4k meters (almost 21k ft), above sea level.  Using a DJI Mavic Pro drone, he was able to capture some incredible footage of the glaciers which cover this mountain near Cusco, one of the highest peaks in the Western Hemisphere.  Ausangate is the highest peak in the masif known as the Cordillera Vilcanota.

Contributor 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 in the heart of the Andes Mountains system.

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 for its stunning, multicolored rock formations.    Contributor 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.