El Tatio — Attraction in Antofagasta

The geysers are cool and the sights along the half-day trip up to El Tatio from San Pedro well worth it. BUT MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH GAS!!! The road is extremely bumpy & it's all uphill, it'll take more time & gas than what Google maps says!! My family & I went up in a regular car and half a tank of gas. By the time we got to the El Tatio, our low-fuel warning light was already on!!! BUT THE ONLY GAS STATION IN THE AREA IS ALL THE WAY BACK IN SAN PEDRO!!! We were so lucky, the staff (or maybe they were researchers??) were extremely kind and helpful. I barged in on their meeting and begged for some gasoline in English (because my Spanish was woeful) ... there were Americans and others who spoke fluent English that came to my aid -- nobody had any gasoline, but they spent like 20-30 minutes helping me strategize the best way for my family to avoid a night sleeping in mountains (and missing our flight too). But one of the staff members went searching around the facility, asking around until they found somewhere who DID have a can of gas that we were able to buy! So we made it back LOL, but it was only because we got very lucky. One of the staffers actually passed us on our way back (she was in a 4-wheeler so she moved much faster). Even then she checked in on to make sure we were okay. The whole experience was a bit white-knuckling, but I'll forever be grateful to the people at El Tatio.

LAST TIPS FOR THOSE THINKING OF SELF-DRIVING TO EL TATIO -- we drove everywhere during our trip in Atacama, but the drive up to El Tatio was truly very bumpy. Even in a 4-wheeler it's no walk in a park. It's downright miserable in a regular car (not to mention the chances of ending up with a flat tire). I WOULD NOT MAKE THIS TRIP IN THE DARK -- those of you who are thinking of self-driving up before dawn to make sunrise at the geyers ... just splurge on the tour. The drive is too hard (and dangerous) for a non-local to make in the dark -- even before the bumpy road there are areas were you drive up the mountains with not much railing and no road lights -- which must be terrifying in the dark. But in the day, it's quite lovely and...

You CAN get here in a normal, two-wheel drive car!! We heard so many horror stories about the road to get here that we almost didn't try, but in the end we gave it a go and we're so glad we did. We set off super early (4am) to give ourselves loads of time, and took it real slow. Most of the road is paved and no problem, there is a section (maybe 15km) where the road is very bouncy/ribbed, but absolutely passable and no need for a high clearance or 4x4. Once inside the site the roads are a little rocky, but again if you just take it slow it is no problem at all. We were driving a VW voyager.

We really just wanted to see the geysers without the extras the tour companies were adding on (breakfast and stopping in a village) because we didn't want to pay out for those extra things and even with a tour you have to pay the entry to the geysers as extra. The result would have been 100,000CLP for two of us, instead we paid around 70,000CLP including fuel, hire car costs and entry fees.

The geysers themselves were amazing and surreal, completely worth the early start and much better than the pictures can do justice. As everyone says, it was very cold! About -6 for us but soon warmed up as the sun rose.

We drove back to Calama rather than San Pedro to return our hire car. This is a journey we would 100% recommend, even if you don't need to go to Calama. The road was tarmac and good condition and the scenery was mind blowing. We saw loads of llamas, donkeys and flocks of small birds, it was one of the best things we have done in the Atacama. A complete contrast from the dry dustiness of San Pedro, this scenery is green and varied with a postcard perfect mountain backdrop. The route was the Camino a Tocopuri, onto the B-159, then B-165 and B-169 through ChiuChiu...

What a cool place!

We started out on the road at 5am and benefited from the full moon. Take B245 all the way.

I’d recommend an SUV for higher clearance but you don’t need 4x4. We did see some saloon cars on the road. There are areas of extreme washboard but otherwise the usual potholes to avoid. Pick a line and go at a comfortable speed.

If you have a 4x4 you can take the routes off the side of the road to avoid the washboard but we just did 20 KPH as there is deep sand. When done CHECK your hood latch as it probably will work loose with the vibrations and just needs to be closed before getting on a highway or getting up to speed.

Google maps says 1 hr 30 but I’d recommend 2 hs to drive and 30 minutes to get tickets and park up.

The geysers at dusk and sunrise are awesome. But it you don’t fancy driving in the dark they still looked great around 10 am and it was a lot quieter. Don’t beat yourself up if you get there later than you wanted as it’s a magical place.

You don’t need tickets in advance. We paid cash on arrival. Good washrooms and parking areas.

Lots of tour groups having fun. Tour is an option to sleep on the way and not have to drive. Honestly the drive was ok if you go slowly and carefully. Nothing outrageously steep (2nd gear was fine) and lots of sign posts and barriers to mark the way. Plus you can follow other cars and buses (just dip the headlights and turn off full beams if you are following).

Drive back is beautiful at your own pace. Enjoy the flamingos, vicuña and mountains. Stop in the town of Machuca on the way home for some BBQ, tea and empanadas.

Have fun. Slow and steady driving...