After an intense bike ride through the Atacama desert, I joined a couple of tours to visit the sites further from the town of San Pedro de Atacama. My day begun at the ungodly hour of 4am. It took us about 2 hours to get to the Tatio geysers and apparently they are at their best in the early morning, when the contrast between the cold air and the hot water is the biggest. We had to pick up a bunch of people at different hotels and hostels. Our guide had made a What’s app group where we could follow the live location of the pick up van and where she’d post who was getting picked up next. It was hard getting out of bed. I was staying in a hostel that resembled a campground. There were different buildings with dorms, but the toilet facilities and kitchen were all in separate buildings. So I was brushing my teeth outside at a temperature below zero. I was wearing a merino long sleeve, fleece, woolen sweater and puffer jacket, thermals under my pants, and came prepared with gloves, hat and two pairs of socks in my boots. In San Pedro this was sufficient, but we would drive uphill to over 4000m! It was minus 14 degrees Celcius at the geysers!
We didn’t have heating in the van, because then the shock would be even bigger when we arrived. So by the time we got to the geysers I was already quite cold. I’d forgotten to pack my ski clothes for this backpacking trip. Some people didn’t even stay out very long and got back to the van, which now had the heater turned on. It was still dark, but immediately very impressive. I had never seen anything like this. Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world and we drove to different sites to view it from different angles. Every day the field looks differently, depending on where the hot water and steam decides to leave the earth. An upcoming geyser could be just below the surface, which is why walkways are strictly controlled and marked by stones.
Tatio may have the highest geysers in altitude (4320m), but definitely not in height. Perhaps the geysers are as tired as I get at that altitude. The water only sprays a little bit into the air and most of the field consists of steam. But the steaming is impressive. I saw towers of thick clouds coming from the hot water puddles in the ground. Most of the steam came from cracks and ponds in the earth, but some geysers had built up a kind of tower. I guess they are the grandparents among the geysers, los abuelos. Another interesting part of the field was the coloration from bacteria and microbes, mostly to red and orange. At some point we were allowed to touch some water, which had cooled down sufficiently there. Perhaps it was because it was so cold, but I really couldn’t keep my finger in for long! Eventually the sun came up from behind the Andes and lit up the scenes. It was a big relief, because we finally got a little bit of heat.
After a picnic breakfast we drove back via the town of Machuca. It’s a traditional village, which nowadays seems to be there just for tourism. The houses are made of adobe, a kind of mud brick and there is a small traditional church. The tour guide reminded us to take it easy going up the steps to reach it. We were still at altitude after all. The houses seem simple, but there are modern amenities now. Some locals are only here some parts of the year according to our tour guide. They have some llamas in a traditional pen and sell traditional food. The souvenir market was closed and there wasn’t much to see. As we drove out of town we slowly passed by the lagoon, in search for flamingos and other animals. And then we continued to San Pedro. There I had time to eat something and change my clothes. It was pleasantly warm in San Pedro and for the afternoon I needed my bathing suit!
After a couple of hours I was picked up for the next tour. The vibe was completely different. I sat next to a very talkative older lady. The lack of sleep was catching up with me and I was happy when she started focusing on her friend. We stopped at a viewpoint before we turned onto an unpaved road and raced towards the Lagunas Escondidas, or the lagoons of Baltinache. They are indeed a bit hidden, in the sense that I really didn’t expect them there. They are just in the middle of a pretty flat field. There’s loads of desert and then suddenly there’s the entrance to the complex. There are boardwalks and paths that take you past the seven lagoons. They all look different. I think the first one was the most beautiful. The color was just incredible! Surrounding the lagoons were salt rocks, creating a color palate of brown, white and blue. Unfortunately the lagoons are slowly disappearing due to the lithium extraction, which uses a lot of water. Our guide pointed out where the water used to be. The pools had gotten a lot smaller over the last few years.
To preserve the pools, they are mostly for admiring from a distance. However, at the end of our visit we had the chance to bathe in the salty waters. It was not particularly hot and there was a chilly wind present. Everyone sort of stared at each other and then slowly started to strip off some layers. This is nothing like hot springs! We’d left the geyser field. The water was freezing cold! I’m glad I regularly go swimming outside in Berlin and am used to somewhat cold water. Despite the cold it was a great experience. First of all, it’s a super unique place for a float. Second, you really float. You have to make an effort to put your legs under water. There is so much salt! When I got out, the water slowly evaporated and left white lines of salt all over my body. It was great for a body scrub! I just wrapped a towel around me and walked back to the car.
We drove to the entrance again, where they had some showers. If we thought the laguna had been cold… the showers were next level. Only half of us was brave enough to go. We all stood in a line under a line of showers. They turned on the water for all of them at once. It was hilarious. We all stood there shivering. But at least I was clean. I was ready to enjoy a drink and some snacks before heading back to San Pedro in the dark. I went out for my last Chilean meal and had my favorite one more time: pastel de choclo (an oven dish with corn mash, meat and some other ingredients). I could have enjoyed many more days in San Pedro, but Bolivia was calling!
