but there are steam plumes everywhere
now that's an impressive steam plume
a hot creek flows right through it
he can't wait to join the fun
some dare-devils take a dip in the warm water
the hamlet of Machuca has only a few dozen inhabitants but they do have a nice and well maintained church!
you have to build your nest somewhere
on the way back to San Pedro de Atacama we pass several active volcanoes
and so do these Andian Coot
El Tatio is a large geothermal area with scores of fumaroles, mud-pots, geysers and hot springs. The field sits in
the
Central Volcanic Zone at an elevation of 4300 m, 90 km north of San Pedro de Atacama and close to the Bolivian border.
The
high elevation and a dry, sunny climate create extreme variations between day and night-time temperatures and cause
a dangerously high UV index.
Despite the harsh climate and the high arsenic content of the water, there is an abundance
of life here in the form of microbes, plants and animals, including vicunas.
In winter the morning at El Tatio starts
bitterly cold, but unfortunately the sight of condensing steam plumes is then the most impressive.
Hence in winter,
excursions from San Pedro start in the dark of night to arrive at the site around sunrise. Only on the way
back will you see the stark beauty of the landscape that you traversed earlier.
We made the trip to the impressive
geysers of El Tatio in August 2011.
8 AM at the park's restaurant, it is minus 15 C and the wind is out in full force
the scene at the hot springs
an excellent way of getting your feet warm but it will destroy your shoes
a pair of Andean gulls (gaviota andina)
the remnants of the failed geothermal power project are slowly rusting away
the dirt road crosses several scenic floodplains
several Vicuņas live near the geysers
