El Tatio

El Tatio is located in Chile and is part of the Andes mountains.  Although the geyser field is is 13,779 feet (4,200 m) high, it is not the highest geyser field in the world.  El Tatio has over 80 active geysers making it the most active and largest geyser field in South America and all of the entire southern hemisphere.  It is the third largest geyser field in the world.

The average height of the eruptions of the various geysers is about 29 inches (75 centimeters) which is not quite 3 feet.  The highest recorded eruption was approximately 19 feet (6 m).

The name El Tatio translates into “The Grandfather.” Visitors are encouraged to experience the geyser field is at sunrise.  Is is during the extremely cold morning air where the geyser steam condenses. The morning light also reflects and highlights well with the steam.

  • Have you been there?
  • How does El Tatio compare to other geyser fields?
  • What was the best part of a visit to El Tatio?