El Tatio

Andes Mountains, Atacama Region, Chile

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El Tatio, a vast geothermal field in the Andes Mountains of Chile's Atacama Region, sits at over 4,300 meters elevation, making it the world's highest geyser field and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere with around 80 geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, mud pots, and steaming pools across 30 square kilometers.

Located about 80-90 km north of San Pedro de Atacama near the Bolivian border at the foot of stratovolcanoes, it erupts boiling water and steam columns, some reaching 10 meters, most dramatically at dawn when cold air contrasts with rising vapors amid colorful mineral deposits and icy surroundings. 

Best visited via early morning tours from Calama or San Pedro for safety due to scalding hazards and altitude, the site offers surreal landscapes akin to other planets, nearby thermal pools for soaking, and rich biodiversity adapted to extreme aridity fueled by underground volcanic heat.