Arica Overview

Overview

Arica, near the northern border with Peru, is an excellent tourist centre. It has good beaches and the famous San Marcos Cathedral. Conditions in the area are ideal for deep-sea fishing. It is also know to be located in the most rainless area of the world. Many People who live there can never remember seeing it rain. It is said that it rains two or three times every 100 years. If you take a tour or rent a car you can drive up the Green Lluta valley. The valley cut through the desert with water from rain and melting snow up in the Andes Mountains. There is a lot of history and life in this area.

While you are in Arica, you may want to check out the famous fort up the hill, EL MORRO. The view is breathtaking. This is significant, dating back from the War of the Pacific, when Chile won the war against Peru and Bolivia (present day Arica used to be part of Peru, and nowadays still a thorny issue between Peruvian and Chileans alike)

You can also visit the Valle de Azapa, about 20 mins away, and check out these 8000 year old mummies from the Chinchorro people...these mummies are OLDER than even the egyptian ones.   There is a museum there.

And, if you want to venture east, consider driving toward the city of Putre and further out to the Parque Nacional Lauca.  This is high desert in its best show....awesome snow covered mountains,  crystal clear blue skies,  and beautiful Lago Chungara,  an alpine looking lake higher than Lake Titicaca in Peru (but not navigable, as Titicaca is) situated among all these llamas, vicunas, and alpacas.  This is very close to Bolivia, but still Chile, within 3 hrs from Arica...really worth seeing on a 2 day trip, minimum.

Arica area is great....and you may want to choose to head out to Peru or Bolivia from here.... if you have time...