El Tatio (San Pedro de Atacama) - Chile
First published in 2019
The Atacama Desert is situated in the north of Chile. The main village is San Pedro de Atacama and as you might guess it's a tourist hotspot.
There are various things you can do and place to be visited. Near the city are the ruins of a pre-Columbian fortress (Pukara de Quitor) and a lookout from where you have a great view across the valleys. Sunset at Valle de la Luna is one of the must-to-do things, even though I didn't found it so special. Also, the lagunas and mountains of the area are easily reachable on a half or full-day excursion.
But this post about El Tatio. El Tatio is a geothermal field with many geysers, hot springs, and even a small swimming pool. It's a half-day excursion if you start early, but this is something that you want to do anyhow. The activities of the geysers are best right after sunrise. In the course of the morning, when the temperature difference is no longer so great, the eruptions become smaller again.
We've been there already at 6 am, way before sunrise. I do recommend going there so early. At that time only very few people are around and the atmosphere is magic. Different from other places like Yellowstone in the US, you can stroll around freely. But that means that you must be careful where to walk - you definitely do not want to step into boiling water.
Temperatures in San Pedro are usually pretty nice, but El Tatio is located significantly higher. Be prepared and dress in layers, even gloves are a good idea. If you arrive early, you also should have headlamps, and if you want to take photos a tripod with you.
As mentioned above, they even have a swimming pool with hot geyser water. So you might consider bringing swimming clothes and a towel with you. But again: In the morning it's pretty cold when you leave the water.
Looking back El Tatio was, together with Laguna de Chaxa (also early in the morning), my favorite place in the Atacama. So if you're in the area, don't miss it.
