Chile - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 414

ACCOMMODATION
Ì Backpacker's Hostel Iquique Amunátegui 2075,
about 2km south of Plaza Prat T 57 2320223, W hostel
iquique.cl. With English-speaking staff who help organize
trips in the area, a friendly atmosphere and a superb
beachside location, this hostel remains a firm backpacker
favourite. Kitchen facilities, free inte rnet and frequent
barbecues a re part of the draw. Dorms CH$6500 , doubles
CH$25,000
Casa de Huéspedes “Profesores” Ramírez 839
T 57 2314475, E [e-mail]. Friendly
guesthouse with internet and wi-fi, laundry service, bike
rental and a tour agency. Rooms by the pati o have been
recently refurbished. Dorms CH$9000 , doubles CH$21,000
Hostel La Casona 1920 Barros Arana 1585 T 57
2413000, W casonahosteliquique.cl. Excellent, welcoming
hostel in the childhood home of charming owner Isabel,
offering spotless rooms with good lockers, spacious
communal areas and a fam ily atmo sphere. No private
bathrooms. Dorms CH$8000 , doubles CH$20,000
Hostal Cuneo Baquedano 1175 T 57 2428654, E hostal
[e-mail]. Cosy, quiet and conveniently located
family-run residencial , with tidy rooms for up to four, and
dorms, many wit h cable TV, some en suite; breakfast
included. Doubles CH$25,000
Flight Park Via 6, Manzana Am Sitio 3, Bajo Molle, about a
15min bus ride from town T 57 2380110, T 9 98862362,
W altazor.cl. Built almost entirely of ship containers, the
rooms at this international paragliding centre are surprisingly
inviting, with shared kitchen, internet access and chilled-out
communal a reas. Check their website fo r directions. Doubles
CH$18,000 , camping/person CH$4000

fish dishes and good daily specials. Grilled fish CH$5500.
Doña Lucy Vivar 855, local 4. Pleasant café to while away
an afternoon or wait for a bus, with huge slices of cream-
filled cake (CH$1700).
Mercado Centenario Barros Arana. This market is the
place for fresh produce and generous helpings of fish and
seafood for lunch; Sureña II and La Picada are very popular.
Fish with side dish CH$4200.
M.Koo Latorre 600. An excellent central spot for takeaway
pastel de choclo and humitas , as well as tasty empanadas
and chumbeques (local sweet biscuits). Empanada CH$600.
Otaku Av Arturo Prat 3082 T 57 542850. Small but
excellent and reasonably priced sushi restaurant with
takeaway on Playa Brava; open late. Six California rolls
CH$3500.
Ì El Tercer Ojito Patricio Lynch 1420, between Perez
and Riquelme T 57 2426517. One of the best restaurants
in town, set in a pretty courtyard, with sublime fish dishes,
delicious bread and sushi in the evenings. Vegetarian
lasagne CH$6500.
El Viejo Clipper Baquedano 796. Popular pub/restaurant
with outdoor terrace on pedestrianized Baquedano,
offering meat, fish, pasta and pizza. Pizzas from CH$3600.

4

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE
Casino Español Plaza Prat 584. The food here is pricey,
but it's worth a visit for some of the best pisco sours in
Chile. Pisco sour CH$3000.
Sala Murano Bajo Molle Km7 W salamurano.com. Two-
tiered dancefloor mostly playing dance and pop music.
Entry CH$3000-5000. Wed-Sat midnight-5am.

AROUND IQUIQUE
The nitrate pampas inland from Iquique
is dotted with ghost towns left over from

EATING
Canto del Mar Baquedano, at Thompson. Popular and
bustling restaurant on the plaza, serving filling meat and

IQUIQUE TOUR OPERATORS
Apart from sandboarding and paragliding on Cerro Dragón, and surfing all along Iquique's
coast, the area around the city has a wealth of attractions on offer, including trips to the
ghost town of Humberstone, the Gigante de Atacama geoglyph , the hot springs of Mamiña
and the Pica oasis, the burial site of an Inca princess at the village of La Tirana, and the
sobering mass graves from the Pinochet era at the tiny settlement of Pisaqua. The cheapest
- though perhaps not the most satisfying - tours combine a whistle-stop trip through all these
attractions in a day (about CH$20,000). We recommend the following operators:
Avitours Baquedano 997 T 57 413334, W avitours
.cl. Day-trips to the local hot springs, geoglyphs and
ghost towns as well as longer excursions to Parque
Nacional Volcán Isluga and multi-day trips to Parque
Nacional Lauca and Reserva Las Vicuñas, finishing either
in Arica or in Iquique.
Civet Adventure Bolívar 684 T 57 2428483,

E [e-mail], W civet-adventure.cl. Customized
4WD trips to altiplano destinations with an expert guide
and an all-new desert buggy.
Turismo Santa Teresita Ramírez 839 T 57 2314475.
Arranges paragliding sessions and runs day-trips to
the hot springs, Pisagua, La Tirana and other regional
attractions.