Tue, Jun 25 - Visiting El Tatio Geysers

Altiplano Lake

We awoke to the news that the internet had collapsed for half the world and were uncertain what that meant, except that we couldn’t get on-line.   The sky was beginning to cloud in and the latest weather report for July 2, Eclipse Day, in La Serena seemed to be for possible rain, but it’s still a week off.

We set off after breakfast, heading north to visit the El Tatio Geysers, and explore the many ponds and marshes on the way.  The traditional geyser visit consists of getting up at 4 AM, and being transported by buses up to the geyser area, arriving right at dawn. The idea is to be able to view the streams of vapor as they rise vertically in the dawn light before the winds pick up.  I’m sure it is beautiful, but it is well below freezing at that time and you have missed the great scenery on the way!  There are thermal pools that one can also visit  if you like to do that sort of thing in a crowd, but today they were to be cleaned and were closed anyway.  At about eleven you are packed onto the bus and driven back to San Pedro.

After breakfast we topped off our gas tank at the prettily-located service station in the middle of town and set off slowly gaining  elevation, passing a river valley filled with Pampas Grass, or Fox’s Tail (cola de zorro) here.  At home it’s a pest, but here we can enjoy its beauty! 

 
 The river continued into a deep red-walled chasm with tall columnar cacti lining the top and sides, with herds of vicuña munching on the beautiful tear-drop shaped golden bunch grass of the surrounding plateau.

We followed a half frozen stream surrounded by green bog with open pools full of Horned, Giant, and Andean Coot, blue-billed Puna Teal, and Andean Geese; with more grazing vicuña on the adjacent slopes.

Bird Watching Ahead!

It was cold and windy, but we could bird from the car and were pretty comfortable.  We were passed by several buses returning to San Pedro as we slowly worked our way up to above 14,000’, encountering no snow in this area.   

Horned Coot

Giant Coot

Andean Geese

Puna Teal

The geysers are controlled by the local natives, and, as they do most of their business at the crack of dawn, there was just a skeleton crew to greet us and point out the parking and walking areas.  We had the area all to ourselves!   We had worn parkas and long underwear, but it was still very cloudy, windy, and cold!   The geysers were steaming and bubbling and we managed to warm ourselves a bit standing in the blowing steam of one!

We started back, stopping to check out a large mounding cactus, rings of grass probably hundreds of years old,

 and the beautiful church of tiny Machuca. 

 We arrived back in San Pedro about 3:30 and Hil, Cait and I walked into town, past flocks of grazing llamas, goats and sheep.  I wanted to photograph the many styles of adobe walls surrounding the properties and to look at some of the galleries.

We returned to the hotel and later drove back to dinner at Ckunna, a restaurant recommended by Katia., which turned out to be the best so far! 

  We had excellent Pisco Sours, cannelloni filled with walnuts and ricotta, salmon cooked with wok-fried veggies, and a bottle of very good carmenere red wine.  A large tour of eclipsos came in and took over the rest of the restaurant.  Home to clearing skies and restored internet.