Otherworldly Chile
Skin-melting geysers, searing fumaroles, watchful volcanos, shoe-splitting salt fields, Altiplanic lagoons, and the dunes of Moon Valley all make up the otherworldly landscapes of the Atacama Region of northern Chile.
The Atacama Desert is situated between the Andes Range and the Chilean Coast Range, which block the moisture from both the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, creating a phenomenon known as a two-sided rain shadow.
This is the driest non-polar desert in the world. Some weather stations in the vicinity have never received rain, and evidence suggests that the Atacama may have not had any significant rainfall between 1570 and 1971.
All of the sites below are a reasonable drive from San Pedro de Atacama, a great basecamp for exploring the fascinating features of northern Chile.
El Tatio Geysers
Every morning at El Tatio Geyser Field hundreds of columns of scalding water shoot into a brightening sky. Bubbling hot springs trimmed in brittle salty crusts cover the unstable ground. A gruesome death for all who enter, the pools are a flesh-melting 185-degrees Fahrenheit (85-degrees Celsius).
At the western foot of the series of stratovolcanoes that run along the border between Chile and Bolivia, El Tatio is just a small segment of a vast system of calderas. Underground volcanic activity builds up, and this geyser field is a natural release valve.
First light was ascending on the Atacama Desert, and with it came a hint of warmth. We had been sipping hot coffee, and breaking up our time outside with the fumaroles and inside the heated truck. The cold morning air seemed even sharper at an altitude of 14,175 ft (4,200 m). The faster the sun rays could break through the Andes Range, the faster we’d warm up.
El Tatio Geyser Field Hot Spring
Cautiously testing the hot springs with a single goose-bumped toe, I slowly slipped into the steamy, murky bath. The cold-to-hot contrast sent a shiver deep to my core, my skin quickly taking on the texture of a slip n’ slide.
Dreading the inevitable chill upon stepping out of the soup, I stayed put up till the verge of nausea, light-headedness and dizziness - all sure signs it’s time to call it quits.
Quick stop in Cactus Valley.
Cerro Miscanti and Volcan Miñiques
Lagoons full of brackish water are shadows of Cerro Miscanti and Volcan Miñiques on the high plain of Chile, or the altiplano. Formed when the Pacific Ocean floor ran into the continental mainland, the altiplano stretches more than 40,000 square miles. This area has been inhabited by several different cultures since before the Inca Empire.
Andean, Chilean and James flamingos devour the krill which thrive in this salty water.
Atacama Salt Flats
Created by evaporation and ephemeral surface water, meaning water that stays for merely hours after rainfall, wide swaths of the Atacama Salt Flats are covered in razor-sharp ridges of salt and sediment, against which soft-soled shoes are no match.
White-caps off in the distance crown giants of the altiplano.
Valle de la Luna
The likenesses between this region of the Atacama and the surface of the moon aren’t just in the name. Scientists agreed years back that the inhospitable terrain was the perfect testing ground for a Mars rover prototype. Wind and water-carved earth formations are often covered with layers of salt, lending the area a dusty appearance.
The air here was so dry and the sun beat down so forcefully that any exposed skin seemed to sizzle.
VERDICT: Mostly Harmless - but honestly the Atacama is filled with stuff that can kill you if you’re not careful. Boiling geysers, active volcanos, desert expanses, and lots of crumbling heights.
