El Tatio, 4200m in the Chilean Andes, is the highest geyser field in the world.
We drove there before dawn under a spectacularly clear sky. By first light every scrap of the previous day's heat seemed to have escaped into space and there was ice forming on the car. When the sun broke the horizon the geysers and fumeroles were steaming spectacularly, adding a sulphury tang to the thin air. It was tempting to snuggle up to a geyser but I was warm in my Torres Smock – the partial front zip is a definite advantage when it's this cold. The warmest looking locals we came across by the hot pools were viscachas, large hopping rodents, with flamboyant whiskers like Salvador Dali's moustache – living here they must be glad of their very thick fur. A few hours later the air had warmed enough for the steam to vanish but the viscachas were still soaking up the sun.
John Aitchison
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