Day 17 – Thursday, February 12, 2026
My hostel in Taltal for €15 was quite good (the same price as the crappy camping two days prior), I had a nice warm shower both the previous night and this morning. Having organized my stuff, I realized dry (or wet) cleaning of my clothes would really not hurt. Just 2 minutes from my accommodation was a dry cleaner; they did charge the price of gold (more or less, I am schlepping 6 kg of washable stuff – and it is €3 per kilo, so I left €18 there).
Taltal is surprisingly pretty, especially compared to other coastal towns; take a look at the church and the park. With a view of the sea, I got an excellent breakfast.
Pretty church
Green park in the desert
At noon, I returned to the laundry – and was in for a great surprise. Seldom have my clothes been cleaned, dried and folded so delicately. As I was packing my bags, a pleasant odour of fresh field flowers (FFF) hit my nose and I was a happy fellow. Yes, the €18 was a Swiss price, but if you want good laundry service, I recommend you to pay a visit at the one and only laundry in Taltal. A cute event took place: a pretty lady showed up with a truck, the back of which was full of dirty laundry; I helped her carry the things to the laundry, we chatted for a while, then she said good‑bye with a kiss on my cheek. Nice!
Taltal some 100 years ago
My simple, but tasty breakfast
It was almost one pm in the afternoon by the time I left town. For a while, there was a wonderful bike path leading out of town, taking me next to surprisingly well‑developed beaches, with umbrellas, changing booths and toilets – the only thing missing were beach‑goers. The ride was real fun and easy, as the road was level – not something I had experienced in the last two weeks. Alas, this did not last long and it was back to the roller‑coaster norm.
Pretty beach, the only thing missing were beach‑goers
A noteworthy thing was a wreck of a truck, which was idling next to the road. When I was taking a photo of it, a funny scene happened. A cab stopped, two people got out and they started scavenging the wreck.
No longer a globe‑trotter...
...especially with folks scavenging it
Not only the scenery, the weather also made a change. Earlier, we had a pleasant, twenty‑something‑degree sunshine. Then I entered camanchaca, a phenomenon typical to the Atacama’s coastal area; it brings fog to the region.
For the next 50 km or so, there were practically no signs of dwellings, except for a couple of shabby houses and then families camping in their huge tents.
Scattered signs of life...
...some vultures
...and a donkey
It was about 4:30 by the time I reached Paposo (sounds like a figure from a Mozart opera) – a small village. Looking at my map, I saw there would be absolutely nothing, no settlement, petrol stations, kiosks – for pretty much 100 km – so it was time to fill up my supplies, especially water.
Next to the small shop was a surprisingly large restaurant, where I ordered a chicken speciality; it was one of my favorite meals on this entire trip.
Spicy chicken – I was unable to find this anywhere else...
There, at the restaurant, I discovered something really interesting. One road led the 100 km next to the coast. There was, however, a fork to the northeast, running inland, parallel to the coast road. Now, do you know what the abbreviation VLT stands for? It is the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It is one of the world’s most advanced ground‑based astronomical facilities, being 65 kilometers from the village, however at an elevation of some 2,800 meters. I decided to go there. The reason for this decision is that there are guided tours every Saturday; now it was Thursday and I would need the better part of the following day (Friday) to make it there. I checked the availability, it was booked out for the following month, but I figured if I make it on bike, they would probably not send me away.
Strengthened, I set off around 6 pm. The first few kilometers were especially tough, with the gradient at or even above 10%, but it offered wonderful views over the ocean, of the road I had ridden on earlier, and the town I had just eaten at.
Major incline
The view of the village from above
It was clear to me that I would have to wild‑camp in the desert – as there would be no settlements in the area. The good news is that there was no wildlife in the Atacama – unlike the wolves in Italy and Turkey, the foxes in Slovenia and (what I think was) a grizzly in Alaska. Some adventurers seek places far away from everything and hide far away, tucked behind rocks (or bushes/trees in arid places). As for me, I prefer being close to the road, so that there is a way out should there be any trouble.
Sunset somewhere in the Atacama Desert
I managed to find a perfect spot. It was a drainage for rainwater, below a small bridge under the road – no one could see me, but I was near the road. It was a bit surprising that a few insects gathered in front of my headlight... where did you guys come from? If you are around, there must be birds, frogs, etc. – I did not see any of those.
Anyhow, I did make 10 kilometers – and needed some two hours for that on this crazy incline. There I found this perfect spot and set up my tent – and met no living creatures except for those few insects. A couple of days later I told someone about sleeping in the desert; I was asked sternly whether I had encountered the Spirit of Atacama. Chilean folktales talk about desert spirits as guardians of hidden knowledge and natural treasures. I slept well, so do not recall meeting any spirits for that matter.