Sights in Northern Chile
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Valle de la Luna
Watching the sun set from the exquisite Valley of the Moon is an unforgettable experience. From atop a giant sand dune, you can drink in spectacular views as the sun slips below the horizon and a beautiful transformation occurs: the distant ring of volcanoes, rippling Cordillera de la Sal and surreal lunar landscapes of the valley are suddenly suffused with intense purples, pinks and golds.
The Valle de la Luna is named after its lunar-like landforms eroded by eons of flood and wind. The valley is San Pedro's most popular organized tour, with trips leaving in good time to explore before sunset.
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Casa Solar de los Madariaga
Dating from 1875, and looking good for it, the adobe mansion Casa Solar de los Madariaga contains furnishings and artifacts from an influential family who made its money exporting chinchilla.
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Edificio de la Aduana & Museo Naval
Meter-thick walls enclose this haughty colonial-style customshouse, built in 1871 when Iquique was still Peruvian territory. Peru incarcerated prisoners here during the War of the Pacific, and the building would later see battle in the Chilean civil war of 1891. The Aduana houses a small naval museum with artifacts salvaged from the sunken Esmeralda, a plucky little Chilean corvette that challenged ironclad Peruvian warships in the War of the Pacific.
The ship was captained by Arturo Prat (1848-79), whose name now graces a hundred street maps, plazas and institutions. In an impassioned speech aboard the Esmeralda, Prat swore to die in battle and challenged his officers to…
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Iglesia San Marcos
Arica’s oddest attraction is also its most admired. The Gothic-style Iglesia San Marcos has a threefold claim to fame. First, it was designed by celebrated Parisian engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, before his success with the Eiffel Tower. Second, it was prefabricated in Eiffel’s Paris shop in the 1870s (at the order of the Peruvian president), then shipped right around the world to be assembled on site. Still more curious is the construction itself: the entire church is made of stamped and molded cast iron, coated with paint. That’s everything from its unusually thin walls to its pillars, beams and pointy arches; only the door is wooden. The resulting atmosphere is…
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Cerro Paranal Observatory
In the world of high-powered telescopes, where rival institutes jostle to claim the ‘biggest,’ ‘most powerful’ or ‘most technologically advanced’ specimens, Paranal is right up there with the big boys. This groundbreaking Cerro Paranal observatory has a Very Large Telescope (VLT) consisting of an array of four 8.2m telescopes – for a time at least, the most powerful optical array in the world. The observatory is run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and is so futuristic-looking that portions of the James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace, were filmed here. It’s situated on Cerro Paranal at 2664m above sea level, 120km south of Antofagasta; an…
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Parque el Loa
At the south end of Av O’Higgins, Parque el Loa has a riverside swimming hole and a replica of Chiu Chiu’s celebrated church. It’s the best picnicking spot in town and a nice break from the bustle. Also here is the diminutive Museo Arqueológico y Etnológico (316-400; adult/child CH$200/100; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Tue-Fri, 2-6pm Sat & Sun), with decent exhibits on the highland culture of the Atacama. Also in the park, across the river, is the Museo de Historia Natural y Cultural del Desierto (349-103; adult/child CH$500/200; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm). This small, well-presented museum explores the region’s ecology, culture and paleontology.
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Museo Histórico y de Armas
The imposing coffee-colored shoulder of rock, El Morro de Arica, looms 110m over the city. It makes a great place to get your bearings, with vulture-eye views of the city, port and Pacific Ocean. However, this lofty headland has a far greater significance to Chileans, for this was the site of a crucial battle in 1880, a year into the War of the Pacific. The Chilean army assaulted and took El Morro from Peruvian forces in under an hour. The story is told step by step in the flag-waving Museo Histórico y de Armas, which has information in Spanish and English. Look for plaques placed by ever military-minded Pinochet.
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Museo Histórico Casa Gabriel González Videla
Although richly stocked with general historical artifacts, this two-storey museum concentrates on one of La Serena’s best-known – and most controversial – sons. González Videla was Chile’s president from 1946 to 1952. Ever the cunning politician, he took power with communist support but then promptly outlawed the party, driving poet Pablo Neruda out of the Senate and into exile. As you might expect, the reverent exhibits omit such episodes. But do pop upstairs for a look at the general historical displays and changing modern-art exhibits.
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Ex-Aduana de Arica
Eiffel’s legacy in Arica does not stop with Iglesia San Marcos. He also designed the grand Ex-Aduana de Arica, the former customshouse. Prefabricated in Paris, it was assembled on site in 1874, with walls made of blocks and bricks stacked between metallic supports. Though it once fronted on the harbor, a century of landfill has left it 200m inland, facing Parque General Baquedano. Restored as the city’s Casa de la Cultura, it hosts a smattering of exhibitions and has an impressive 32-step wrought-iron spiral staircase.
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Museo Gabriela Mistral
The town’s landmark Museo Gabriela Mistral, between Riquelme and Baquedano, is a tangible eulogy to one of Chile’s most famous literary figures. Gabriela Mistral was born Lucila Godoy Alcayaga in 1889 in Monte Grande. The museum charts her life, from a replica of her adobe birthplace to her Nobel Prize, and has a clutch of busts making her seem a particularly strict schoolmarm. Her family tree indicates Spanish, indigenous and African ancestry. Like Pablo Neruda she served in the Chilean diplomatic corps.
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Museum
From the El Tatio geysers it’s 46km along some switchbacks to highland idyll Caspana, as delightful as it is surprising. Nestled in its namesake valley, the ‘new’ village is built into the rocky escarpment, while the ‘old’ town teeters on the edge of a high plateau above. It’s exactly what an Andean village is supposed to look like – verdant terraces, thatched roofs, the colonial Iglesia de San Lucas and an archaeological museum. Do not drink the tap water here.
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Oficina Chacabuco
There are dozens of nitrate ghost towns in the Antofagasta region, lining both sides of the highway between Baquedano and Calama, and along the Panamericana north of the Tocopilla–Chuquicamata highway. The best preserved is Oficina Chacabuco, 2km north of the I-5 and I-25 intersection on I-5. This national monument was closed to the public at the time of research, after a 2007 earthquake made it unsafe for visitors. Plans are in the works to re-open the site, but you should call ahead.
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Regional Museum
Iquique’s former courthouse now hosts the catch-all regional museum, which earnestly recreates a traditional adobe altiplano village (complete with mannequins in Aymara dress). The surrounding chambers also have some attention-grabbing exhibits, from animal fetuses floating in formaldehyde to masked Chinchorro mummies and elongated Tiwanaku skulls. Interesting photographs also explore Iquique’s urban beginnings, and a fascinating display dissects the nitrate industry.
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Museo Regional
Across the street, the former Aduana (customshouse) was originally erected in Mejillones in 1869; it was dismantled and transported here piece by piece in 1888. It now houses the Museo Regional, which contains simplistic displays on natural history, and prehistoric and cultural development. Artifacts include mummified babies, a deformed skull, early colonial tidbits and paraphernalia from the nitrate era, including toys fashioned from tin cans.
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Colonial Church
Beautiful Parinacota's undisputed gem is the 17th-century colonial church, reconstructed in 1789 (the key is kept by caretaker Sererino Morales). Inside is a glorious display of surrealistic murals, the heartfelt work of artists from the Cuzco school: think Hieronymus Bosch in a hurry. One of the quirkier features is the depiction of curly-mustachioed soldiers – looking suspiciously like Spanish conquistadores – bearing Christ to the cross.
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Playa Brava
Crashing waves and rip currents at scenic Playa Brava make it dangerous for swimming, but there's plenty of space to sunbathe. Toward the hills, look for the massive dunes of Cerro Dragón, which looks like a set for a science-fiction movie. Taxi colectivos run to Playa Brava from downtown - look for the destination on the sign atop the cab. There are scores of sandy beaches further south, but you'll need to rent a car or bike, or take a taxi.
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Pukará de Quitor
Dominating a curvaceous promontory over the Río San Pedro, this crumbling 12th-century pukará (fort) was one of the last bastions against Pedro de Valdivia and the Spanish in northern Chile. The indigenous forces fought bravely, but were overcome and many were promptly beheaded. About one hundred defensive enclosures hug the slopes here, like big stone bird's nests. The hilltop commands an impressive view of the oasis.
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Escuela de Minas
There's a treat for railroad enthusiasts in the grounds of the historic Escuela de Minas, now the Universidad de Atacama, just west of town; on its grounds is the beautiful yellow-and-black Locomotora Copiapó (1850), the Norris Brothers locomotive thought to be the first to operate on the Caldera–Copiapó railway line (and hence the first to operate in South America). Attached are 1st-, 2nd- and 3rd-class carriages.
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Pukará
Dominating a curvy promontory over the Río San Pedro, this crumbling 12th-century pukará was one of the last bastions against Pedro de Valdivia and the Spanish in northern Chile. The indigenous forces fought bravely but were overcome and many were promptly beheaded. A hundred defensive enclosures hug the slopes here, like big stone bird’s nests. The hilltop commands an impressive view of the entire oasis.
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Plaza Colón
The British community left a visible imprint on Antofagasta's 19th-century Plaza Colón, which sports rushing fountains amidst its palms, mimosas and bougainvilleas. The cute Torre Reloj is a replica of London's Big Ben; its chimes even have a baby Big Ben ring to them, and tiled British and Chilean flags intertwine on its trunk. Pigeons provide amusement slipping into the shallow fountains with comical regularity.
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Iglesia San Pedro
The sugar-white Iglesia San Pedro is a delightful little colonial church built with indigenous or artisanal materials – chunky adobe walls and roof, a ceiling made from cardón (cactus wood) resembling shriveled tire tracks and, in lieu of nails, hefty leather straps. The church dates from the 17th century, though its present walls were built in 1745, and the bell tower was added in 1890.
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Humberstone
The influence and wealth of the nitrate boom whisper through the deserted ghost town of Humberstone. Established in 1872, this mining town once fizzed with an energy, culture and ingenuity that peaked in the 1940s. However, the development of synthetic nitrates forced the closure of the oficina by 1960; 3000 workers lost their jobs and the town dwindled to a forlorn shell of itself.
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Laguna Chaxa
The jagged crust of the Salar de Atacama looks for all the world like God went crazy with a stippling brush. But in the midst of these rough, lifeless crystals is an oasis of activity: the pungent Laguna Chaxa is the reserve's most easily accessible flamingo breeding site. Three of the five known species (James, Chilean and Andean) can be spotted at this salt lake. Sunrise is feeding time for the birds.
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Museo Mineralógico
The must-see Museo Mineralógico literally dazzles. This tribute to the raw materials to which the city owes its existence displays a kaleidoscopic collection of more than 2300 samples, some as delicate as coral, others bright as neon under fluorescent light. The museum was founded in 1857 and supported by the Universidad de Atacama (successor to Copiapó’s famous School of Mines).
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Iglesia Catedral
Copiapó's mining heyday is evident throughout its town center. Shaded by century-old pepper trees, Plaza Prat is graced by several buildings from the early mining era, not least the elegant Iglesia Catedral, with its three-tiered tower, and the musty old municipal Casa de la Cultura. Watch out for the roving fortune-tellers, once they get started you'll have a hard time getting away.
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