Tour to the Tatio Geysers: we will leave early in the morning from San Pedro de Atacama towards the Altiplano, climbing the hills and mountains of the Andes. After an hour and a half, we will arrive at the Geysers, a natural spectacle unique in the world, with 80 steaming geysers at an altitude of 4,300 meters. Next to this natural setting, we will enjoy a hearty breakfast, and then tour the geothermal field, surrounded by numerous columns of steam. On the way back to San Pedro de Atacama, we will stop at the Putana River, where we will observe the native flora and fauna.
They are 4,300 meters above sea level, making them the highest geysers in the world.
The thermal activity in El Tatio covers an area of approximately 10 km2 and includes more than 80 types of geysers, including fumaroles, water, boiling mud pools, bubbling pools, and hot springs. These account for 8% of all geysers in the world and are the largest in the southern hemisphere. It is also the third largest geothermal field after Yellowstone (United States) and the Kronotski Nature Reserve (Russia).
They are located 80 km from San Pedro de Atacama and reach their peak between 5:30 and 7:00 in the morning, when the height of the steam jets reaches 10 meters.
"El Tatio" means "the crying grandfather" (in Kunza, the language of the Atacameño people). This name comes from the fact that when the surrounding rivers fall, they do so right into the "eyes" of the grandfather. The waters of the geothermal field come from an area located east-southeast of where the geysers are located. This area covers between 12 and 20 square kilometers. The water moves laterally from this area to the geothermal field through three aquifers called Puripica, Salado, and Tucle dacite ignimbrites. These hot waters are fed by the Pastos Grandes and Guacha calderas.
