Very beautiful places, but the guide was way too strict and not flexible at all. He seemed tired of his job and had no desire to show tourists the beauty of his country. We saw only one part of geysers completely missing the rest. At the very beginning of the tour, the guide made it clear that we had to follow him at all times — no step left, no step right. We did follow his rules, but one girl from our group doesn’t speak English well and somehow got lost. After around 8–10 minutes we found her and brought her back to the car. Yes, it was her fault, but come on — it was not more than 10 minutes! The guide became angry and refused to show us the next geyser (the biggest one, called “Killer”), not even for a photo stop, saying that we had no time and driving straight to the breakfast point. Well… we were the first ones there. Other cars started arriving 20–30 minutes later. There was plenty of time for breakfast, so for me it was clear that the guide did this to “teach us” the importance of his rules. Honestly, this is so stupid. We are all people after all: we traveled so far, and he decided to lecture us instead of showing the geyser. He is not my father to teach me anything. For him it’s a daily routine, but for some of us it was the only chance to see the geysers. Also, the other people in the group (whom we didn’t even know) missed it as well, even though it wasn’t their fault at all. So if you book this tour, be prepared that other tourists may “ruin” your trip, and there’s nothing you can do. All this caused arguments between us and the other members of the group — all because of a stupid 10 minutes! He had more than enough time to show it to us, at least as a quick photo stop. He refused purely out of principle. If I were a guide, my priority would be to make sure people enjoy the tour and feel happy, but he seemed absolutely fine with people being disappointed and immediately arguing. But that’s not all. I had a bit of altitude sickness, and the guide never slowed down his pace. I felt completely fine walking a bit slower, but he didn’t pay attention at all. And later, when he accused us of not respecting his rules, I said that it was one person who was late, not the whole group. He then claimed that I broke the rules too! That made me so mad. I was on the bus on time — what was the problem? That I was following him from 3 meters behind because of sickness and taking a few pictures? Then we had a stop at a lake with beautiful flamingos. Unfortunately, the car stopped at a point where the shore was very far away, so it was difficult to capture the flamingos even with the iPhone zoom. The guide told us not to walk too far from that point. But just one minute of driving further, the lake is right by the road and you can stand just a meter away from the flamingos. I asked the guide if we could drive a bit closer for a better view, but he refused, saying: “Rent your own car and drive wherever you want.” So sweet, thanks… And finally — after the tour we found out that they had “warned” us on WhatsApp that we could be eliminated from El Tatio if we didn’t follow the rules. I can imagine how frustrated the guide was, but how were we even supposed to see this message if there is no phone signal there? Definitely wouldn’t recommend. I bet booking another even cheaper tour for like $50 would save you money and nerves. I wanted to take a private tour, but unfortunately it had a limit of 6 people, while we were 7. I regret choosing this tour. I think of course tour may be fine if you don’t mess up with the time (or get another guide) but messing up time is not about 20 minutes or sth like it, anyone can get lost or sick, we are all people and make mistakes. Also situation with flamingos shows that guide is not flexible AT ALL. I see no problem in that situation, he could easily drive us to better point like many other cars. It would take 1 minute. And yeah, tour finished 15 minutes before planned that confirms we had more than enough time to see geyser or at least stop by flamingos a bit closer. It is not about the time. It is about the approach. I travel a lot and have visited many countries, and I’ve had all kinds of experiences — but this is the first time I’ve encountered such an unpleasant and completely unempathetic guide. I love highlighting good people and great tours on my YouTube channel, but not this time. I’ll likely visit Chile again, and then I’ll go to El Tatio one more time — but with another tour company. But I guess it is not about the company… that is about the person. We were just very unlucky :(
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Hotel Pick-Up (Drop-off is in the downtown area)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Breakfast
- Professional Bilingual Driver-Guide Assistance
Excludes
- Gratuities
- Tatio Geyser Entrance Fee (included on our Private Tour)
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Traveler pick up offered
Itinerary
After an early morning pick-up at your hotel, you will be driven to Tatio Geysers. Be prepared to experience one of the most astonishing phenomena produced by nature! **Due to the altitude, it is not advisable to eat anything until you reach the Geysers.
Next up, walk across the trails of this amazing geothermal field. Tatio Geysers are the largest group of geysers in the southern hemisphere and the third-largest in the world. At dawn, an impressive and wonderful show may be appreciated, generated by the violent steam flows that rise up to 10 Mts., reaching high temperatures. The Tatio spring waters is a natural thermal water pool rich in minerals!. After visiting them, you will go along the imposing Andes Mountain Range, and participate in the adventure of observing native plants and animals in their natural habitat. Your breakfast will be provided when the sun rises during this tour. **Tatio Geysers Entrance fee is only included on Semi-Private tour.
On your way back, you will make several stops to take photos and see Altiplano flora and fauna. We will be able to spot the village of Machuca. It is a small Atacama village located over 4,000 meters above sea level. In this village, the peasants live isolated from civilization, and their main activity is shepherding llamas and cheese production.
You will also have the opportunity to observe the Rio Putana bofedal (wetlands), which is a small valley full of native vegetation and wildlife. At the end of the trip, you will be driven back to San Pedro de Atacama. **Notes: Schedules and the order of the visited attractions are estimated and may vary due to conditions of an operational nature such as bad weather, traffic, etc. **Drop-off is at downtown area
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Amazing. And very, very cold. Dress for 10 to 20 below 0, Celsius, or 4 to 14 Fahrenheit. The tour guide, Daniel, was very knowledgeable and took good care of us. Gave us tips on how to take an awesome picture.
Great experience. The geysers are glorious at sunrise. We were picked up from our hotel and the guide texted us the order of pickups for the morning and then texted us again when he was two minutes away so we didn’t have to stand in the cold. Word of warning, when they tell you to dress warmly for this trip, they really need to be more specific: dress for 10 to 20 below, Celsius, or 4 to 14 Fahrenheit. Yes, it’s that cold at 14,000 feet above sea level at sunrise! The tour guide, Daniel, was very knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. We learned a lot and with his help/instruction, took a fabulous photo.
Alex and Polly were welcoming from the start. All the information you need is provided to you the night before so that you are able to dress accordingly. Alex knows the area very well and is very informative. The geysers and sunrise is incredible and the breakfast was a delicious break. Would thoroughly recommend.
Machuca is a waste. Tour guide was knowledgeable, but like most of his passengers at 5 am, it seemed like he would’ve rather have stayed in bed a bit longer.
It was a very good tour to the Tatio Geysers & Rio Putana wetlands. The guide was funny and very experienced! I recommend this tour!
bad weather caused the tour to be canceled. that was very disappointing. be sure to check the typical weather before traveling to the area.
Wetland was our favorite. We could have stayed there all day. Alexi was so knowledgeable and friendly. It’s totally worth the 3am alarm!
Alex made this an exceptional experience ! Very knowledgeable. Great fun and made delicious breakfast including scrambled eggs at iced 8400metres. Minus 2C when we arrived but once the sun rises it warms up quickly
The tour is alright. But the guidance of bringing "very warm clothes" is too ambiguous. I expected to be around zero degree celsius given the daytime temperature of Atacama but it turned out to be minus 10 degrees when we got there. The view is not as impressive as that in Moon Valley. But the pickup experience is really good -- compared to my other tours in Atacama.
The tour is very well organized. Our guide Alex spoke good english and was quite familiar with the history of the Geysers. He took the time to show us different parts that are currently active and gave enough free time to take pictures. Breakfast was also quite nice!
Really enjoyed this tour despite the early start (which is needed). The guide Alex was prompt in pick up and the geysers were very cool to see in the cold weather (wrap up warm). The breakfast was nice (egg, avocado, bread, juice etc). We saw flamingos and the village as a drive by. Dropped back around 12noon at our Hostal
It was overall a pleasant day with lovely sights but seeing the geysers in the morning was ruined by the altitude sickness. I know this cannot be helped but there was no warning to prepare for this potential in the itinerary sent beforehand. And when I was feeling incredibly ill, the tour guide had no provisions to help ease the sickness. I spoke to other travellers and their tour guides had all had something to help their groups feel better, be it method or medicine. Mine simply suggested I sit back in the bus and miss out on the geysers which I had come all this way to see! Very unimpressed, poor preparation.
The whole Trip was outstanding. Organisation top, breskfast top but the mist outstanding thing was our guide. Valentin was outstanding with a passion for the nature and animsls. I
This was a great tour - possible my favorite in San Pedro! The logistics were very well organized, including communication about pickup. The geysers themselves were beautiful, and our guide (Javier?) clearly knew a lot about the area, which made for a very engaging tour. In addition to the geysers themselves, the drive back featured a lot of cool locations, and we saw some flamingos and vicuñas, as well as some great scenery in general. Side note - take the cold weather warning seriously and dress accordingly (even if you are from a cold place to start with). But don't be discouraged by this or the 4:30AM start time, it was 100% worth it!
This tour is very different that other geyser tours I have been on. You need to leave before dawn to witness the vapors and steam. If you are going. Be prepared! It is cold. Chicago winter cold! Just before sunrise it’s about 14°F but as the sun comes over the volcano it drops to 6°F. Then in an hour it’s in the 40s. Bring scarf hat gloves warm socks down jacket. I did fine but I’m used to cold. In addition, we were able to see James’s Flamings that are only found in the high elevations. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and it was a very enjoyable morning tour.
A great experience! Our guide Chris is funny and well prepared! Being up close to the geysers is definitely amazing! Also seeing some Guanaco and flamingos! The 4:30 am pick is well worth it!
This trip was very fun! The wake-up time is 4:30am which can be a bit daunting. I will say that if that is a deterrent, this trip would not be worth it. The tour was very unique. We toured all around the desert and saw several different landscapes of Chile. It will be COLD in the morning! The altitude at the geysers is also very high. Tour guide was amazing! Shoutout to him, forgot his name!
Every aspect of this tour was top shelf! On time, great host/guide could say enough good things about the tour. Would do it again and also other tours with the same guide! Breakfast was excellent as well.
This tour started very early in the morning but the scenery was just stunning. It is at dawn when you can spot the majority of the steamy geysers. The guide was very knowledgeable and patiently answered all of my questions. After visiting the geysers, the company offered a very complete breakfast which I enjoyed. There were also some hot springs but they were closed to visitors because of covid. On our way back, we made a quick stop to see some beautiful wetlands.
We really enjoyed this tour. One of the most impressive images we've ever seen. The assistance from the contracted company was essential to the success of the day.
Poder estar no Altiplano andino e apreciar a natureza e os povoados na melhor companhia. Experiência incrível!
Excelente tour, el guía Javier, muy bien informado, amable y atento, los lugares a los que nos llevó son realmente excelentes, toda una experiencia. 100% recomendable
Por mucho una de las mejores vistas en nuestra estancia en Atacama. Nuestro guía Alex nos enseñó bastante en todo nuestro recorrido y nos dio tiempo libre para explorar en cada uno de los puntos. La vista de las termales y los géiseres fue increíble. Tuvimos un desayuno muy rico con una vista preciosa, además. Luego, la visita al vado del río Putana fue una de mis favoritas. Pudimos ver vicuñas, taguas, patos, flamingos y gansos andinos en ese mismo lugar. La visita al pueblo Machuca fue muy linda. Estando ahí, podés escoger entre comprar brochetas de llama (se hace fila) o subir a ver la iglesia.
Best tour we did in San Pedro. The place is wonderful, the guide was excellent, very friendly and attentive to everyone. The breakfast was very good.
Unser Guide war sehr freundlich und hat uns viele Informationen gegeben. Er hat uns sehr gut durch Geysirenfeld begleitet. Das anschließende Frühstück war super. Auch unterwegs hat er uns viele Informationen gegeben ( Tiere, Pflanzen,Sternenhimmel) Unbedingt zu empfehlen
Excellente sortie malgré le froid intense Alex notre chauffeur guide au top Des paysages magnifiques
Die Tour mit unserem Guide Valentin hat uns sehr gut gefallen. Er hat uns allen viele, interessante Informationen während der Tour gegeben und ein grandioses Frühstück mit bestem Ausblick zubereitet. Wir empfehlen eine Tour mit Valentin unbedingt weiter.
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