Geyser del Tatio, Antofagasta Region, Chile

5Miggi1907 5:00 PM Jan 3, 2020

Self Drive to El Tatio Geysers - Must do!
After LOTS and LOTS of reading about the drive up to El Tatio, we were still a bit puzzled whether or not this could be done in a 2WD car. Finally we asked our host at our hostel and he confirmed that it could be done... ...And he was right! We left around 5AM in the morning in order to be there before sunrise. There were lots of other 2WD’s, minivans and actual buses who were making the trip so it was really easy to just follow them. Some where driving faster, some slower and there were points where you had to rely on yourself, but never did I actually feel even a bit scared driving there. The truth is that there are worse roads in the Atacama than this one. You’ll encounter paved roads with some potholes, washboard roads and also some uphill/downhill twists and turns, but to be honest, nothing extraordinary difficult. Yes its in the dark, but if you follow the other vans, drive your own pace and use your headlights, you’ll be fine. Seriously, nothing to worry about. Getting there, we had to go into a small queue and get our 10k pesos Ticket per person. Its worth it! As for the Geysers themselves, before sunrise they are absolutely magical!! After sunrise they are still beautiful and you can definitely make great pictures, using the smoke of the Geysers and the reflection of the sunlight in the water. Yes, there are quite some people, but that did not really bother us. We had a great experience wandering around the site and reading up on the Geysers. MUST DO.

5Kippur 5:00 PM Jan 9, 2020

Well worth the early start
We took our hired 4WD car to the geysers and found the roads not as bad as some of the guide books describe. There is also a convoy of cars and minibuses heading out there so you’re certainly not alone. Make the most of taking in the night skies on the way. It is about 1 hour 40 minute drive and you want to get there about 20 mins before dawn to get your ticket (£10 each person) and take a comfort break. Be mindful that you are 4300 metres above sea level so you may feel a bit dizzy when you first get out of your vehicle. It was also minus 10 C so wrap up including gloves and hat. There are 80 geysers (8% of the world’s geysers) and allow 2 hours to take in the sights and how the landscape changes from before dawn through sunrise. There is also an opportunity to bathe in lukewarm thermal waters. There are changing rooms. Enjoy the drive back to San Pedro: the scenery is stunning and we came across a range of wildlife including Vicunas, Llamas, a fox, a Chinchilla, flamingos and sheep. Allow 5-6 hours for the round trip. Nb timings could be different if going via an organised tour.