San Pedro de Atacama – Geysers El Tatio

Jean Maldonado — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 14:06:13 +0000

We got an early morning tour that cost 17,000 CLP¹ which included hotel pick up, transportation, a guide, and breakfast. The tour bus picked us up from our hotel at around 6 AM. From San Pedro de Atacama, it takes about an hour and a half to reach El Tatio. It’s a steep increase in altitude from 2400 meters to over 4300 meters above sea level. We arrive at around 7.30 AM and the sun has only just finished coming up behind the surrounding mountains. At the entrance, we pay the 10,000 CLP which includes access to the thermal bath. At this altitude and in these early hours, outside temperatures are around -8 degrees Celsius. So make sure to take very warm clothing and footwear. Some people came wrapped in blankets since it was so cold. It’s also quite tiring to walk around so don’t rush through the fields to avoid getting altitude sickness.

The guide gathers the group around and gives some information on the geysers. He mentions the temperatures of the geysers are around 89 degrees Celsius. As you get close to some of the geysers, you can feel the heat on the floor. You can warm your hands up by just touching the ground. The guide takes you around for a bit at the start, and then he gives you some time to explore on your own. There are geysers of all sizes throwing hot gasses into the air and some even spewing boiling water. Overall, we had about an hour to go throughout the site before meeting back at the tour bus in the parking lot. A lot of people came back earlier though since it was so cold.

Once everyone was back on the bus, it was a quick 5-minute drive to the site’s thermal bath. At the parking lot, the guide pulled out a foldaway table to have breakfast. He gave out sandwiches and laid out some thermos containers with hot coffee and hot water to make tea. Once we were done with breakfast, we were given about half an hour to bathe in the hot thermal bath so make sure you take swimwear and a towel if you plan to get in. There are changing rooms and shower facilities at the site. We had our swimming gear, but it was still extremely cold so we decided not to get in. Instead, we found a trail that goes around the area which takes you to see some more geysers. We were done and back on the bus to head back at 9.30 AM. On the way back, the landscape in the daylight is beautiful. We make a quick stop for pictures and the guide talks about the flora and fauna in the area. As we continue, we make a final stop at the small village of Machuca. There’s a stall selling drinks and snacks but the interesting thing here is a street vendor selling grilled llama skewers. Most people feel weird about trying it, but I tried some and it was an interesting taste. We then head back to San Pedro de Atacama arriving at around 11.30 AM.

Salar de Uyuni Tour – Day 2

Jean Maldonado — Sun, 23 Sep 2018 21:43:00 +0000

Our day starts at around 7.30 AM to have breakfast at our lodge in Quetena Chico. We then load our bags onto the Jeep and set out by 8.30 AM. When passing by Quetena Grande, we saw a herd of llamas and alpacas walking through the town and grazing in the fields. Our guide pointed out how the animals are marked on their ears to know who they belong to. He also explained how in these small villages, the local indigenous law applies which has serious repercussions for stealing livestock which includes death. As we continue deeper into the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, we reach Lake Hedionda at around 9.30 AM. This lake has a mirror effect because there is no wind. It was formed by glacial waters and minerals from a volcano about 100 years ago. The volcano minerals make the lake toxic which means there’s no life in this lake. You can see the minerals washing up on the shores which form white foam-like deposits. It’s a short 10-minute stop here before heading to Lake Kollpa arriving there around 9.50 AM. At this lake, we found flamingos resting at the lake. Our guide gave us some information on the species and then said when going to the lake, to walk slowly towards them as they startle easily. Surely enough he was right and we couldn’t get close enough for a good close up shot of the flamingos. It’s best to have a camera with a telephoto lens for close-ups. We had about 30 minutes at this lake to walk around before getting back on the Jeep.

Our next destination was the Chalviri Salt Flats. We arrived around 10.45 AM and first stopped higher up for a panoramic view before continuing further down for a closer view of the salt flats. Next, we head to the Dali’s Desert getting there at around 11.15 AM. This desert has been named that way due to it looking like the painter’s Dali’s paintings even though the artist had never visited the site. It’s a great spot for some screensaver worthy pictures. It’s a quick stop here as well before making our way to the The Green Lake and The White Lake reaching around 12.10 PM. These two lakes sit side by side with Volcano Licancabur in the background. Again this is a great spot for pictures and we were lucky to have had such clear blue skies.

We then head back on the road we came from to the thermal hot springs of Polques near the Chalviri Salt Flats. We reach around 1.25 PM and immediately head to the pools. The entrance tickets cost 6 BOB² each and the site provides changing room facilities and showers. There are two pools; the water is hotter in the higher pool and the water has a slightly pungent smell from the minerals. The minerals are supposed to detox your skin and it’s a nice relaxing way to chill overlooking the lagoon while waiting for lunch. We’re called in for lunch at around 2.10 PM in the site’s dining area. Once we’re done eating and getting changed, we leave for our next destination at around 2.50 PM. Our next site is the Tomorrow’s Sun Geysers arriving around 3.25 PM. Several geysers are spewing hot mud with the largest one throwing a cloud of hot gasses into the air. There are strong pungent smells at the site, especially as you walk through the cloud of gasses to get to the other geysers. Our guide said temperatures are around 96 degrees Celsius. He also told us to be careful and not get too close to the edges since the ground there can be unstable. After exploring the area and taking pictures, we left for our lodge in Lake Colorada at around 3.45 PM.

En route to our lodge, we passed some frozen shards which our guide said were formed by the strong winds. We reached Lake Colorada by 4.30 PM. This lake stands at almost 4300 meters and is mostly a reddish color with blue and white patches. We quickly unload our bags and then set out to hike up to the viewpoint at 4.50 PM. The trail is easy to follow but the terrain gets muddy at one point so take appropriate footwear. We got to the top of the viewpoint by 5.15 PM. You get great views of the lake from up here as sunset approaches. We had to leave before the sun sets, however, there’s a hill behind the lodge where you can catch the sunset between 6 and 7 PM. Temperatures are freezing so make sure you take very warm clothing. The lodge is quite rudimentary but has hot shower facilities for 5 BOB. We had a shared room between our group of 5 and there was a dining area where dinner was served around 8 PM. Following dinner, we stayed in the dining area playing card games with the group before heading to bed. This was probably the coldest place we stayed at in the 4-day tour, with temperatures falling well below zero to around -8 degrees Celsius. Several blankets are provided but the sleeping bag helped here.

Geysers – Maldo Travels

San Pedro de Atacama – Geysers El Tatio

Salar de Uyuni Tour – Day 2