The Tatio Geysers boast that they are the third largest geysers in the world, behind geysers in the United States and Russia. At least that’s what I was told on my tour, though some research on Google seems to contradict this. However, regardless of its exact placement, Tatio Geyser is large and is one of the largest geysers in the world. A tour to Tatio Geyser allows you to fully appreciate the scale of the geyser field.
A visit to the Tatio Geysers is just one unique activity that you can do in San Pedro de Atacama and this guide will tell you exactly what to expect on your day trip.
Day Trip to the Tatio Geysers
This is all based on my experience. While there are numerous companies that offer a tour to Tatio Geysers, nearly every single tour follows the exact same itinerary. They’ll make the same stops, typically in the exact same order, so it’s not unusual to see several identical looking tour vans at each stop. Be prepared for some mass tourism.
Pick Up
Of all of the tours I did in San Pedro de Atacama, the trip to the Tatio Geyser was the earliest. Pick up for this tour is at 5:00 am. Yes, you read that right. You need to be up and ready to go by 5:00 am, not first setting your alarm for 5:00 am. It’s early, but there is a reason for it (and I’ll talk more about it later).
So it’s an early morning and please be ready. Be courteous to your driver, tour guide, and other travelers. Once you get picked up, you can go back to sleep since it’s an hour of driving in the dark to reach the Tatio Geysers. Just be warned that it’s a very bumpy road, so you might not be able to get as much sleep as you had hoped.
Exploring Geyser Fields at El Tatio
When you reach the Tatio Geysers, you’ll be given a chance to take a quick bathroom break before driving out closer to the geyser field. Here’s the most important thing to know about your visit: it’s early and it’s cold. You will be at high altitudes, arriving just as the sun is rising. So it is imperative to dress warmly.
I like to pride myself as being from Wisconsin and used to the cold, but after two months in South America with very nice weather, I lost my a lot of my cold resistance and I was downright freezing at Tatio Geyser. I dressed as warm as I could, but I was still very cold as we walked through the geyser field.
For bottoms, I wore a pair of leggings and a pair of long pants. On top, I had a long sleeve shirt, a fleece, my puffy coat, and a rain jacket. I also wore gloves and kept my hood up. Despite that, I was still cold, specifically in my toes, fingers, and face. So again, make sure you dress appropriately.
Once on the geyser field, your guide will lead you on a short walk pointing out some of the unique geological features of this area. You’ll see steam rising from the geysers and you may see some bubbling water, but very few of the geysers actually shoot water into the air. In fact, there was only one geyser that shot water up to two meters.
I think it’s easy to hear “third largest geyser in the world” and expect the geysers that shoot water high above your head like I saw in Iceland’s Golden Circle. I made this mistake and it left me confused about the experience. If these geysers were so large, why didn’t it feel like it? It’s because they are talking about the geyser field itself, not just how high the water shoots. I can appreciate that now in hindsight, but I wish I would have realized that earlier when booking my tour.
As the sun rises, it brings light and a little warmth to the area. Despite being cold, try to enjoy it, as it really is a unique place. And don’t be opposed to walking through the steam that’s billowing through the air. This is the one warm thing you’ll find during your morning.
And if you’re wondering the tour companies insist on going so early, it’s because the geyser fields are more active when it’s cold. Guess when it’s cold? Very early in the morning. Tour companies actually don’t offer this tour in the afternoons, so if you want to visit, set your alarm early.
Breakfast
After the geysers, you’ll drive in the van to another spot where your guide and driver will set up breakfast. Essentially, they can’t have breakfast right on the geyser field anymore, which I think works out for the best. You’ll still see the geysers in the far distance, but we were able to move somewhere into the sun and after such a cold morning, the sunshine felt wonderful.
Breakfast is the same across all tour companies and tours. There’s a pan of scrambled eggs, some kind of bread, a few cold cuts and cheese, and some cake. And of course there is hot drinks like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate which are desperately needed after the freezing cold morning.
Get to know your fellow tourists and enjoy breakfast and the view before it’s time to move on.
Putana River
On the way back to San Pedro de Atacama, you’ll make a few stops. These are all pretty short stops so don’t expect too much. You’re main focus of this tour is the Tatio Geysers, so now they’ll just sprinkle in a few nice stops along the way.
The first is an overlook for the Putana River. The view is great and I really enjoyed this stop, even if it’s short.
Machuaca
You’ll also stop briefly in the town of Machuaca. In my opinion, the only reason they stop here is to try to get tourists to spend money to try llama. I already tried llama on a tour from Salta, Argentina (and it was delicious and I’m going to stick with that memory), so I skipped the llama on a stick here.
Beyond the opportunity to try llama, there really isn’t much else in the town. I’m not even sure you can call it a town because of how small it is. I walked up to the little chapel and took a few photos of the surrounding mountains. That was about it. Like I said, there’s not a lot here and outside of trying to convince tourists to try llama, I’m not sure what the point of this stop is.
Photos with Flamingos
The last major stop of the day can feel a bit random because it’s basically just a stop on the side of the road. However, if you ever wanted to see wild flamingos, this is your chance to do so. Jump out of the van and take your photos.
Your guide will likely tell you that the flamingos have their head down because they’re eating what they can find in the water and that’s how they spend so much of their day. Literally. Flamingos spend the majority of their time awake eating.
Just note that you can’t get super close to the flamingos so you better have a good zoom on your camera in order to get a decent photo.
Back to San Pedro de Atacama
Your tour is over and you’ll be driven back to San Pedro de Atacama. Rather than dropping everyone back at their hotels, the van makes one stop in the city center (near Caracoles street) and everyone gets out here. Head back to your hotel to strip off a few layers (it’s definitely warmed up by now) or grab something to eat for lunch.
How Long is a Day Trip to Tatio Geysers?
A day trip to the Tatio Geysers is a half day, though it will feel like a very long half day since you will be picked up around 5:00 am. My tour lasted about 7 hours, meaning I was back in San Pedro de Atacama by 1:00 pm. This gives you enough time to get some lunch before starting an afternoon tour.
Reminder, since all tour companies offer virtually the same tours (and they want to sell as many tours as possible), they have everything timed so you can typically pair two half day tours together to fill up your time.
How to Book Your Day Trip
You can find tour agencies on websites like GetYourGuide or Viator, but I’d be hesitant to use these sites. It’s definitely easy to do this, especially if you want to have everything booked before you arrive in San Pedro de Atacama, but I think it’s better to wait until you’re in town. If you meet with the tour agency in person, you’re likely to be able to work out a deal where you’ll get a discount if you book multiple tours (and if you’re taking one tour, it’s likely you’re going to take multiple tours).
Also keep in mind that the price you see advertised (either in town or online) is typically not the final price. Most of the sites include entrance fees that vary between Chilean nationals and everyone else. Therefore the entrance fees are excluded from the advertised price and added on at the end. I bring this up because these entrance fees can really add up in the end.
Do You Need to Take a Tour to Geyser Tatio?
You could drive yourself to the Tatio Geyser if you have your own vehicle. Keep in mind that in order to get the best views of the geysers, you’ll want to drive up early in the morning. That means driving up mountain roads in the dark. If you’re confident with that, you can absolutely visit on your own.
Final Thoughts
Of all of the day trips I did in San Pedro de Atacama, the Tatio Geysers wasn’t my favorite. That’s not that it was bad, but rather I hadn’t set appropriate expectations. I think if you’re more aware of what you’re going to see and experience at the Tatio Geysers, you’ll have a much better experience.
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