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Writer's pictureMarion Marquardt

Adventure Atacama - traveling in Chile's desert

Endless dunes, bizarre stone formations in bright colors in the Valle della Luna
A night on the Magic Bus - or is a pile of scrap metal in a magical landscape really magical?
Even a Toyota has to go to the workshop sometimes
The El Tatio Geysers - the third largest geyser field in the world

 

We arrived in Chile. We drive via the Paso di Jama to San Pedro de Atacama, in the middle of the desert of the same name. It is probably the driest place on earth outside of the poles. We are excited about the landscape that awaits us here. And Micha is looking forward to astrophotography.


San Pedro itself is a small town characterized by tourism. So it's nice here. We are positively surprised. There are small cafes with really good coffee everywhere and many souvenir shops and tour providers. Let's first take a look at what the latter have on their agenda. This gives us a good overview of the highlights in the area. We definitely want to see the Valle della Luna. As the name suggests, a moon-like landscape that originated around 33 million years ago. Here around San Pedro everything is strictly managed and of course you pay (quite a little) entrance fee. The Chileans know how to market their nature very well; We can still remember this quite well from our time in Patagonia. You can drive your own car to Valle della Luna; There are several viewpoints along the approximately 20 km long route. The temperatures are now quite pleasant in winter, around 20 degrees during the day. However, the sun is really extreme. You can really feel the high UV index. You shouldn't go out without a hat and sunscreen. We still walk all the hiking trails there are. Like everywhere, there is significantly less going on just a few meters away from the parking lot. And you have a great view from the elevated points. All the more important since flying drones is of course prohibited. We didn't expect much and are even more excited about this magical landscape. Endless dunes and bizarre stone formations in bright colors await us.


Valle della Luna Chile Atacama
Valle della Luna




Just around the corner, on the other side of the Valle della Luna, is the so-called Magic Bus. Actually a pile of scrap from the 1960s, it has nevertheless acquired cult status. We definitely want to go, the colorful bus is perfect as a photo opportunity. It is embedded in a very beautiful landscape. And you can fly drones here. We are a little surprised at how many tour operators come here. Especially at sunset, it's swarming with tourists who, for a lot of money, are served their Pisco Sour in front of the backdrop. Luckily, once it gets dark, things get quieter. However, there are some who spend the night there. And so everyone has to wait until they have the photo opportunity for themselves. The next morning we want to take some time to take “family photos” on the bus. But the first tour buses start rolling in at 7 a.m. Luckily, by 9 a.m. things had calmed down again and we had the spot to ourselves.


Magic Bus San Pedro de Atacama
Magic Bus at nighttime
Magic Bus San Pedro de Atacama
Family Pic next day...

In the Atacama plateau there are also some lagoons, most of them with very high salinity. Accordingly, like in the Dead Sea, you can lie in the water without any effort. That sounds relaxed. We head to Laguna Baltinache, about 50 km from San Pedro. Unfortunately the path is very unpleasant. It goes over a bad corrugated iron road on which we get a lot of shaking. When we got there, we were slightly annoyed. Until the unmotivated boy at the entrance explains to us that for reasons of regeneration we are not allowed to swim in the lagoon. Then we get really annoyed. And the lagoons don't offer much as a photo opportunity. We'll cgive it up with the lagoons in Chile; After all, we want to set off for Bolivia soon via the so-called lagoon route. Hopefully we have more than enough of it.


The only thing we want to see in the area is the El Tatio geyser field, which is located at 4,300 m. On Sunday we set off; unfortunately only briefly. About 20 km outside the city we notice that our clutch no longer works. There is also smoke coming from the engine compartment. When we look inside we see that our battery has come loose and it is scorching in some places. The smoke runs through the driver's cab into the living room. We quickly get Diego out of the car. Soon the first passer-by stops, a local who, like us, has no idea about cars. He offers to drive us into town, but all the mechanics are drunk on Sundays. Quite possible! In fact, a lot of cars stop; After a few minutes, an expert woman comes to the conclusion that there is nothing to be repaired on the street. She organizes a towing service for us and even negotiates good conditions for us. And so we end up in a random workshop in San Pedro on Sunday afternoon; specifically, the only one who opens the gate.



The next day the mechanic looks at our case. The starter battery came loose, caused a short circuit and there was a cable fire. The impact of the battery on the brake fluid reservoir emptied it, meaning the hydraulic clutch no longer worked. The latter is quickly remedied. The fluid is replaced and the clutch is bled. Easy peasy. However, the extent of the cable fire only became apparent hours later. Cables are burned through not only in the engine compartment, but also in the driver's cab and right up to the rear of the vehicle. Caused by the short circuit and frayed cables. Our car is being taken apart piece by piece. The mechanics work four at a time; they are ready in the evening. And we realize that we won't be able to leave the farm that quickly. All burnt wiring harnesses must be replaced. Of course not with the official spare parts; no, all cables are replaced individually; soldering is carried out at the breaking points to the connector. A crazy effort.



Diego becomes friends with the workshop cat Choca. On Tuesday, other cars have priority. The mood drops. When nothing progresses on Wednesday after the siesta, I freak out. As best as possible in Spanish. Every day we walk to the café in town. We now know Diego by name. On Friday I order a Pisco Sour for lunch. We're at our wits' end. In the afternoon we finally start putting our car back together. At 7 p.m., when it is already dark, we are supposed to do the inspection and pay. And it happens as it has to happen... on Saturday we quickly discover that half of the electronics in the cockpit don't work. Not driving-critical, but still too much to ignore. And so we reluctantly drive up again on Monday. After all, after three hours everything really works - even the tachometer, which has been broken for two years.


San Pedro de Atacama mit Baby
at least Diego made new Friends

On Monday afternoon we finally set off towards the El Tatio geyser field. Only a small part, but consciously, as we have to slowly acclimatize to the altitude. And so we stop at the Puritama thermal baths or the river below, which is warmed up by the hot spring. Packed with swimming gear, we hike down into the canyon. Pretty shady down there. And the water is lukewarm, but nothing more. Micha and I dive in briefly. Diego hasn't bathed in a long time, but the water is definitely too cold for him. All in all, not a big highlight, but it still feels great for us. We are really happy to finally see something outside the workshop again.


Thermen von Puritama San Pedro de Atacama
....taking a quick bath

The next day we continue to Laguna Flamingo at around 4,000 m. In the middle of the barren landscape lies the idyllic lagoon, partly frozen. Vicuñas and donkeys graze on the banks. And there are actually some flamingos here too. A beautiful place to acclimatize.


Laguna Flamingo San Pedro de Atacama
Flamingo on its way...




Now we finally move on to the geysers. They are said to be most beautiful in the morning light, when the temperature difference between air and water really brings out the spectacle. It comes out of the earth at around 85°. Since we want to be there by 6 a.m., we drive up the day before. Right next door is another geyser, Geysir Blanco, largely unknown and only accessible via a 4x4 route. When we arrive at midday, we are alone. A breathtaking landscape awaits us. Boiling hot water bubbles out of the middle of the ground. Perfect for warming up Diego’s lunch porridge. And then we want to go swimming. A river flows below into which the geyser water flows. In fact, this time the water is very pleasantly warm, sometimes even too hot if you get too close to the springs. But here too, Diego has to forego a bath. The water is full of algae and flies and, above all, very sulphurous. It probably shouldn't be.




In the afternoon we set off to the El Tatio geyser field. It consists of over 80 active geysers; This makes it the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest in the world. At sunset we walk to the smaller geysers. The park closes at 4 p.m. so there is no one there. However, we are allowed to enter on foot. We are totally surprised; From our experience, this is an absolute novelty in Chile.




In general, all the rangers here are very nice. The guide at the entrance advised us to run the engine every 3 hours due to the high temperatures below zero at night. So far we have never taken such measures. We also mixed in 10% gasoline so that the diesel doesn't flocculate. There is no winter diesel here in South America. And that's why the freezing point is only -7 degrees. At this altitude, this can be achieved quickly at night in winter. Well, we don't want to risk not getting away at 6 a.m. when the park opens, so we start the engine at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Of course Diego is out of sync with our procedure and wants his milk right in between. So for me the night ends more or less sleepless. After all, our engine purrs like a kitten at 6 a.m. We are the first to stop at the parking lot of the large geyser field. The smoke looks magical in the first twilight. From 7 a.m. one tour bus after the other arrives. Gone is the calm. There is another beautiful moment at sunrise when the sun's rays break through the fog. Getting up early was really worth it.




Geysir el Tatio
Mystic atmosphere for sunrise

And with that we leave Chile for an indefinite period of time. We are now heading to Bolivia. The next day we want to cross the border crossing that leads us onto the legendary lagoon route. We are full of anticipation, but also a bit tense, as the remote route at over 4,000 m has already taken its toll. Confidence in our car is back, we're also acclimatized, we'll see the rest :-)

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