San Pedro de Atacama

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4 AM start to see El Tatio Geysers. 2.5 hr of bumpy bus ride. The guide handed out fleece blankets in the beginning; I didn’t think we would need them but for some reason there was no heating in the bus and it became freezing cold, with frost on the window by the time we got to the geysers shortly before 7 am. Saw the Southern Cross on the way there.

The geological activity of the area not only created the volcanoes, but also the Geysers del Tatio (4320m high).

According to the brochure, “The great fumaroles come up to the surface through fissures of the terrestrial crust, reaching a temperature of 85C and 10m in height. This fantastic place can be seen at its greater magnitude between 06:00 and 07:00 hrs AM., even with temperatures below zero. Geysers de El Tatio are one of the most striking palces of this region, and are formed when a frozen underground rivers makes contact with hot rocks”

There is a natural thermal pool nearby with temperature of about 30C. I went in for a dip and it was warm near the inflow but much cooler elsewhere.

We kept going to the village of Machuca with a small church and a few shops, and a guy selling grilled meat many thought was llama but it was actually beef. A few more other stops including cactus valley and we were back in San Pedro.

For lunch I had not just an empanada, but a super empanada that’s about twice as big as a regular one. We lazed around until 4pm for tour of the Valle de Luna (Moon Valley) and Valle de la Muerte (Death Valley), famous for its lunar landscape.

According to the brochure, “This valley is famous for its resemblance to the surface of the moon, owing to its different stratifications and the salt formations that are caused by natural environmental factors.

From west to east a high mountain range can be seen, known as the Cordillera de Domeyko, whose peak is called Kimal (4278m above sea level). Next comes the Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountain Range), a lower area known as the Preandean Depression (where you are at the moment), in which is located the great Salar de Atacama (2300m). Finally we can see the Andean Mountain Range, which is made up of a plateau, known as the Altiplano (Puna Plateau, 4700m) and a chain of volcanoes, including Licancabur (5916m); Aguas Calientes (5924m); Lascar (5154m) and Acamarachi (6046m) amongst others, which divides this relief and create the present system of rivers and gorges.

For thousands of years strong winds have affected these reliefs, creating huge fields of sand dunes. The Great Sand Dune was probably formed by the accumulation of sand, prompted by natural barriers which constitute the base of the dunes.

The Cordillera de la Sal (Salt Mountain Chain) was formed by the horizontal accumulation of thin layers of materials (sand, clay and salt), which were subsequently destroyed by movements in earth’s crust. The actions of wind and water upon this geographical formations have created a sequence of peaks, similar in outline to the bellows of an accordion.

The Three Maries formations are the results of intense erosion processes. They are composed of gravel, clay, salt, gems and quartz, and are approximately one millions years old.”

Along the way we passed the Las Tres Marias (3 Maries), only 2 now because one fell over. Whoever named them must have been high on something or drunk on pisco because the rock formations don’t look like anything when sober. More unusual rock formations including the amphitheatre, and a really cool canyon where because of constant expansion and contraction the rocks make a neat crackling sound. Too bad I forgot take a video to capture the sound. We climbed up a dune to watch the sun set cast a reddish hue over the surrounding volcanoes.

A new restaurant had just opened and for $5000 we got a choice of appetizer, entrée, desert and a drink, not bad!

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