Chile - norte
 

I have been thinking of my next "sidetrip" in Chile to be to the North. It seems like their summer temps aren't horrid, and its as dry as can be... Any suggestions as to which cities / towns / beaches you would recommend? Trip still in the early plans...so any suggestions are welcomed.

Dry as can be certainly describes it. The Atacama desert is said to be that dry. My friend hung around (for work reasons) Antofagasta (only significant city in the area) and commuted to one of the copper mines frequently. All depends on what you want to see & do (if it's desolation, it's nice but similar to the Nevada high desert).

If you can make it to Arica, you might want to consider taking the train to La Paz, Bolivia. That'd certainly be quite a trip.

http://www21.lanchile.com/english/un...iadestinos.htm

Just kicking this back up for new life - specifically for recommendations regarding La Serena y Iquique.

I spent 2 days in Iquique in June 1999 as a stopover on the way from Easter Island to La Paz. I really didn't find it very interesting or scenic and there was little to do. The waterfront does have a casino, a few highrise condos, and some OK seafood restaurants and there is a duty-free shopping area which is publicized a lot, but in my opinion is a complete waste of time (I certainly did not see any bargains). Perhaps there are some interesting sights out in the desert nearby (We wanted to see the Giant of the Atacama, but did not have time), but as for the city itself, I would either skip it outright or allow one day maximum there. Although I have not been to Arica, I have not heard many good things about it either.
If you have not yet been to the Lake District and Isla de Chiloe, that is far more scenic and interesting in my opinion.

I went to Peru and Chile last October, and found the weather all over both countries wonderful. The north of Chile (I was only in Arica and then flew south) is indeed a dry desert, but the city is pleasant enough, if boring, and the seafood is great. The idea was to take as many trains as possible, but unfortunately no passenger trains run to Arica anymore. The La Paz train disappeared decades ago, and the one from Arequipa only runs now and then (no one could tell me when), so I crossed the border in a "colectivo," which was efficient enough. The train from Puno to Arequipa, in Peru, by the way, ran through some pretty dramatic and interesting countryside. I also wanted to take the ancient sleeping car in the train from Temuco to Santiago, and I recommend it only for hard-core train buffs. Chile is a vibrant, successful country, so enjoy yourself.
By the way, Chile charges Americans about US$60 for a visa (about what the US charges Chileans), but Europeans can get in for free.

[This message has been edited by Track (edited 10-09-2002).]

I have been to Chile twice, this will be the third trip. I have been to Santiago, Punta Arenas, and the central coast (Viña/Valpo). This trip (based upon the AS awards on LA) I will be able to visit 4 places, so long as the domestic award stopover "en route" is on the way to somewhere else. So, my routing is LAX/SCL/PMC/SCL/LAX for the main award, and then I was thinking a SCL/LSC/IQQ/SCL domestic trip. So, I want to see some of the norte and just wonder what the top 2 places might be - also keeping in mind that sun/beach and some modest nightlife as well as reasonably-priced decent beachfront lodging are part of my formula, too.

I traveled the length of Chile earlier this year and visited San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, and La Serena in Norte Chile.

San Pedro is a nice little oasis town which is increasingly popular with travelers. I pit-stopped in San Pedro after an amazing 4 day 4WD trip across the Bolivian southern altiplano from Uyuni, Bolivia. From San Pedro, the popular attractions are the Valle de la Luna (there are a lot of Valle de la Lunas in South America), the El Tatio geysers, and Laguna Chaxa for the flamingos. But the number one reason for the flock of travelers to this tiny town is to do the 4WD trip mentioned above. If you're up for a little adventure and willing to trade comfort for some spectacular scenery, I highly recommend it. You may want to note that San Pedro is at about 2500m/8200feet above sea level (The El tatio geysers are over 4000m/13100feet), and some may be susceptible to altitude sickness.

AFAIK, there are no flights to San Pedro. The nearest airport is in Calama, about an hour's away from San Pedro.

I didn't find anything interesting in Antofagasta. It's the biggest city in Northern Chile (and supposedly the second biggest Chilean city after the capital Santiago) and so there's the usual city scene.

La Serena has a beautiful beach, although as I was there in April, it was too cold to take a dip. The beach was deserted then. But when I walk along the endless stretch of paved walkway by the beach, passing by blocks after blocks of motels, condos, cabanas, and hotels, it's a sure bet the beach is a major Chilean summer destination.

From La Serena, there are daytrips to the surrounds, such as the Elqui Valley, where there are a few wineries for the Chilean wine fanatics, or maybe some pisco sour tasting!

I also did a night trip to the Mamalluca observatory. Because the skies over La Serena are very clear throughout the year, there are quite a few 'professional' observatories located in the area. While some of them are open during the day for a poke-around (with advance notice I believe), none are open to amateurs at night. So the enterprising town of Vicuna (45mins away from La Serena) plonked some cash and set up a pretty decent observatory. I'm not an astronomy fan by any means, but Mr. Pumpikin is, so we went (along with like maybe 50 other tourists). I was glad we did though. The staff did a presentation about astronomy, led us outside and showed the constellations, and then brought us up to the observatory, where through the telescope, I got to see very clearly the moon (and all its craters and bumps) as well as saturn and its ring. It was quite enjoyable. Of course, there was the requisite gift shop attached to the observatory too. Many tour agencies in town run trips to the Elqui Valley as well as to the Mamalluca observatory.

Chile is just beautiful, and the Chileans are so hospitable and gracious. It's my favorite country in South America and I would love to return one of these days.

Happy travels!

I never even thought about the "nighttime sky" - I have had so few really clear nights in the southern hemisphere, I've seen very few of the stars.

A question for pumpikin, how did you "get around?" Did you rent cars most of the time? Hire drivers? If you did either, what would your recommend? (ie, companies, etc). I rented cars last year and they are just horrendously expensive down there, but outside of Santiago, I really didn't have any big concerns in driving.

Also, where did you stay in La Serena? Where WOULD you stay in La Serena?

The only "problem" with the norte de Chile is that it is almost impossible to earn hotel points. Que Horror. But it looks like very decent accomodations can be had for very reasonable prices.

Gracias por tu ayuda.

The Atacama Desert is a wild and wonderful place, but outside of the aformentioned activities, there are not a lot of things to do. I have spent a lot of time working in and around the large copper mines in southern Peru and suggest, if you are looking for something a bit different, to head up into Peru. After spending a couple of days in northern Chile you might might want to head up to Tacna (in Peru about 30 km north of Arica) and catch a flight to Arequipa (LanPeru) that takes about 30 minutes. There are a multitude of things to do in and around Peru's second largest city - Colca Canyon excursions, wildlife refuges, etc. Arequipa itself is actually a rather interesting place as well with some good shoping, decent hotels, restaurants and interesting sites. The city has an old Spanish look and feel to it with an interesting plaza area.

Hola!

We had incredible luck with stargazing the entire trip in South America. The skies were clear, especially at high altitudes (and when you're in the bloody middle of nowhere, away from the city lights) and we could often see the southern cross, the milky way etc.

Because this was an extended 8-month "just-wing-it-round-the-southern-hemisphere" trip, I'm afraid I can't give any tips on car rental or hotels as we were el cheapo 99.9% of the way, and stayed in shoestring-priced hostels or with local families. In La Serena, we stayed with a local family for $2. Of course we didn't get to earn any hotel points there. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif Most of the accomodation we passed by the beach in La Serena looked nice! So I don't think you can go wrong there. The beach is about a 5-10 min cab-ride away from the towncenter though.

Our mode for getting around Norte Chile was by bus. TurBus (www.turbus.cl) was our mode of transport and they were excellent. Clean buses, safe drivers, and most importantly, the buses ran ontime. If you were to drive, I wouldn't see any problems with it. As far as I can remember, the road is fully paved up north. For local excursions, we mostly signed up with local travel operators.

rockdoc gave an excellent suggestion too. Arequipa is a beautiful Peruvian city. Loads to do, and soaking in the hotsprings at Chivay (with great views) after catching the condors soaring over the Colca Canyon is such a treat.

My camera threw a tantrum between San Pedro and Santiago, so I don't have any photos along that route. But I have a few pictures of Arequipa and the 4WD trip from San Pedro de Atacama posted online. Let me know if you want to take a peek.

Hasta luego!

Thanks for all the feedback (and more is always welcome). Due to time, airline award, and budgetary constraints and (as it is, this will be the longest trip I have had in years), I will keep it all in Chile. My philosophy is that if I like a place I will just plan on going back (instead of regretting that I didn't stay longer).

Now comes the fun part - putting the insides of the trip together http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

During a two-week "scouting" trip to Chile in December 2001, I visited La Serena and the Elqui Valley and also went to the observatory mentioned above, which is located outside the totally enjoyable town of Vicuna. My recommendation on the observatory tour would be to go on the latest one if possible because they have smaller telescopes set up outside as well, and you can talk to the staff and look at celestial objects after most of the tour buses have gone. Also, I met an Asian woman who paid three times as much for taking the tour from La Serena rather than staying in Vicuna and signing up at the tourist office there.
You can get around by inexpensive, frequent buses to most anyplace you would want to go.
I rode an overnight 'sleeper' bus from Santiago to La Serena for about 8 dollars if I remember right, and then local buses up the Elqui Valley which is beautiful and worth visiting in its own right. It also has wineries and pisco distilleries.
Most of the (very) few gringos I met were heading for San Pedro, but I didn't go there.

I'm going back this winter for 3 weeks in Patagonian Chile and two weeks in Bolivia.