Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 413

Moorish-style wooden building with an
opulent interior, graces the northeast
corner of the square and is worth a visit
both for the interior decorations and for
the delicious pisco sours.

with bikers, rollerbladers and scores of sun
worshippers; in the evenings a relaxed
atmosphere prevails. At the north end of
Playa Cavancha lies rocky Playa Bellavista ,
with several good surf breaks, while the
large stretch of Playa Brava , lined by
fun-fairs and themed restaurants, is south
of the Peninsula de Cavancha, and is a
popular landing spot for paragliders. The
less crowded Playa Huayquique is located
to the very south of the city; it also has
good waves for surfers and can be reached
by colectivos from the centre.

Calle Baquedano
Heading south from Plaza Prat towards
Playa Bellavista, quiet pedestrianized Calle
Baquedano , with its elevated boardwalks
and grand wooden buildings, is strikingly
different from the modern parts of
Iquique, with a faded colonial feel about
it. The Museo Regional , at no. 951
(Tues-Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat 9.30am-
6pm; CH$1000), is home to a number of
curious pre-Columbian artefacts, the most
impressive of which are the Chinchorro
mummies and skulls, deliberately
deformed by having bandages wrapped
tightly around them. The natural history
section features a sea-lion embryo pickled
in formaldehyde and an informative
exhibition on nitrate extraction in the
area, along with a scale model of the ghost
town of Humberstone.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
By plane Aeropuerto Diego Arecena lies 41km south of
Iquique; Aerotransfer ( T 57 2310800) drops you off at
your door for CH$5000.
Destinations Arica (2 daily; 45min); La Paz (8 weekly; 1hr
5min); Santiago (up to 6 daily; 2hr 20min).
By bus The main terminal is inconveniently located at
the north end of Patricio Lynch; numerous colectivos run
to the city centre (CH$1500) and some bus companies pick
up passengers at their central o ces around Mercado
Centenario. The Tur Bus terminal is slightly more central,
on Esmeralda, at Ramírez.
Destinations Arica (10 daily; 4hr); Calama (4 daily; 6hr);
Colchane (2 daily; 6hr); Copiapó (6 daily; 15hr); La Serena
(6 daily; 18hr); Pica (13 daily; 1hr 30min); San Pedro de
Atacama (1 daily; 8hr); Santiago (8 daily; 24hr).
Tourist information Aníbal Pinto 436 (Mon-Fri
10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm; T 57 2419241, E infoiquique
@sernatur.cl). Staff can advise on city attractions and
provide maps of the city. The Conaf of ce at Juan Antonio
2808 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-1.30pm & 3-5pm; T 57 2432085)
can provide information on the Volcán Isluga National Park
and arrange accommodation there.

4

The beaches
Iquique's most popular beach, Playa
Cavancha is sheltered in a bay alongside
the busy main thoroughfare of Avenida
Arturo Prat, about 2km from the main
plaza. It is particularly popular with
sunbathers and boogie-boarders and is
safe for swimming. The boardwalk, which
winds along the beach amid the palm
trees and giant cacti, is always teeming

PARAGLIDING IN IQUIQUE
Few things compare to the sheer rush of running off the cliff at Alto Hospicio on the plateau
above Iquique. Once the butterflies settle, you find yourself soaring gently with white-headed
eagles as tiny houses with minute turquoise swimming pools, ocean-side high-rises, beaches
and the giant sand dune of Cerro Dragón spread out beneath you. Paragliding feels entirely
different from flying in an aeroplane, and the views from above are nothing short of incredible.
You fly in tandem with an experienced instructor, who guides you through the entire
procedure, from take-off to landing. Recommended operators are Altazor Sky Sports
( T 57 2380110, T 9 88261860, W altazor.cl), and Puro Vuelo , Baquedano 1440 ( T 57 2311127,
T 9 95350157, W purovuelo.cl), which both offer paragliding courses as well as tandem flights.
Puro Vuelo also provide a CD of pictures of you during, before and after your flight (optional:
CH$13,000). Flights typically cost CH$40,000 for half an hour; transport to and from the
paragliding site is included. If you want to enjoy a beer with some of the world's best
paragliding talent, consider staying at Flight Park Altazor (see p.418). For the more faint of heart,
tour companies will also help you organize a sandboarding trip on the dunes.