El Tatio geothermal field

Day 233 – San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Today was my first big tour. Painfully aware that waking up an entire dorm at 4am with one’s alarm and then digging around one’s stuff, coming and going, is rather perturbing for other’s sleep, I had all ready in two bags: my clothes for the day and my backpack.

The night temperature at 4,000m above sea level was advertised at being -7°C today, we were lucky it was -3°C. So I had my woollen leg warmers under my pants, 5 layers on top, a headscarf under my new woollen cap, and an alpaca scarf that I acquired this week. Oh, and my gloves. New Zealand really prepared me for this.

We drove for an hour and a half, paid our park entrance, and once in the parking lot, the driver and the guide set up the breakfast. Hot chocolate, tea and coffee, scrambled eggs, toasted bread, ham and cheese… it seems that with portable gas burner and a few utensils, you can cook up a storm.

El Tatio – Breakfast

After breakfast, we started on the exploration of the geothermal field. (Third biggest in the world, I believe.) I was expecting huge and impressive geysers, but actually the activity is not that spectacular. That said, the point of coming before the sunrise is to see the fumaroles created by boiling water reaching the outside negative temperatures. That is impressive. (See picture header.)

We saw bubbling pools, coloured pools, warmed up into the steam… This being a Saturday and the high season, we weren’t precisely alone in the field. So instead of joining the mass of tourists near the biggest fumaroles for the moment the sun would touch them, we drove to the nearby thermal pool. Changing rooms allow visitors to slip into their swimsuit before wading in the hot pool. I contented myself with going knee deep, having brought pants that I could unzip into shorts.

Then I went exploring a few more fumaroles while they were still impressive.

El Tatio thermal pool – Surroundings

I really felt the altitude. Walking too fast to catch up with the group would leave short of breath, straightening too quickly can bring a bout of dizziness… I’m not sure of the subsequent mild headache was only the sun or another symptom.

After that we left the field behind. We saw vicuñas from the road. Compared to lamas, vicuñas are more slender and have a lot less fur! Also, they aren’t domesticated and it is forbidden to hunt them.

We also saw a fox, approaching the cars, obviously expecting a handout. We didn’t give him one.

The next stop was a wetland area, with birds -Andean ducks, geese, a kind of water hen. This is at an altitude between 3,000 and 4,000m, and it is so green! Flamingos and vicuñas drink and eat there too. Andean flamingos have a red neck, a light pink body, and what seem to be a black tail -in fact, it is the tip of their folded wings.

Vado Putana – Wetland

Since we couldn’t approach them from too near, my pictures will show far-away blobs in the water.

The next stop was in a village with a lama farm. There was a cute, fuzzy baby!

After that we went to the cactus valley, a small green canyon between dry hills with tall cactii. Since they grow a couple of centimetres a year, you can imagine the age of the ones several metres tall. I had long since shed my extraneous layers, applied sunscreen and taken my wide-brimmed hat out.

It was hot, dusty, and though the scenery was really stunning, I was starting to be tired, hungry, and too hot. And still suffering from the altitude, even though we were lower.

Cactus Valley

Fortunately we got apples back on the bus, and it was the last stop -we were 20min out of San Pedro, and glad to be back!

We will see tomorrow if I’ll get the same guide!

The (93) pictures are here.