Iquique

(Place to sleep for marine birds and wolves – dormidero de aves y lobos marinos)

Iquique is called “land of champions” (“tierra de campeones”); and offer great opportunities for those who want to purchases items and entertain themselves, due to the existence of the Free Trade Zone (known as ZOFRI as well). More than 99 miles of coast, in which place beaches and creeks, allow the practice varied recreational and sport activities, as the fishing at open sea .

Exceptional climate and geographic conditions and more than 124 miles of coast, with an average temperature of 68 Fahrenheit transforms the capital of the first region, in a great tourism point. Iquique is well equipped as far as international gastronomy, transports, public strolls and a modern Casino and Iquique hotels offers only the highest standards for their visitors than come from every part of the world and specially from Perú and Bolivia.

Within the city there is a lot to visit:

The Baquedano Street (Calle Baquedano) was transformed by the  Iquique  town hall into an attractive pedestrian boulevard, with paths of wood and paving stone floor, by where an electrical street car journeys.

The Church Catredral  of Iquique is a construction finished in 1885, in Italian neoclassic style, has a beautiful interior with the ceiling of its central nave painted in blue color with stars and separated of the lateral naves by Corinthian style pillars.

Plaza Arturo Prat since 2001 and after the construction of an underground parking space, the plaza turn into a great relaxing spot where flowers are distributed surrounding the old public square by fused iron and the Tower of the Clock of 1877, symbol of Iquique.

The Anker Nielsen National Museum is a building constructed in 1892 that lodged the Courts of Justice. It has an archaeological collection where mummies of the Chinchorro culture stand out, tools and equipment used by the population that inhabited the coast, ethnographic objects of the Aymarás populations of the plateau, and photographies as well as pieces of the peak period of time of the saltpeter industry. It is worth a visit.

The elegant and majestic Municipal Theater of Iquique was inaugurated the January 1^st of 1890 as theater of the Opera, in the peak of the gold time of the saltpeter. Designed in neoclassic style by Bliederhausen architect, it was constructed in wood in less than 1 year, with a thickness tabiquería of Oregon pine, covered in cane of Guayaquil and stuccoed of anhydrite (insoluble plaster). Its interior, with capacity for 784 spectators, has three floors crowned by a cupola, of which it hangs an enormous spider of 60 lamps and of 661 pounds of weight.

The Spanish Center (Centro Español) was raised in Iquique for the Hispanic Colony, in 1904, by Miguel Retornano. Its structure is of wood and its style is Moorish. In the second floor, there are six oils of the Chilean Sixto Rojo that represent passages of Spain history which are dated from 1931. The center has an active club with a good restaurant. In it, you can taste one of best pisco sour of Chile, elaborated with lemon of Pica.

In the Historical District of Iquique an elegant wharf, with a roof of passengers, constructed in 1901 by Pascal Lefrenz, stands here, made in Oregon pine on metallic pillars, coming from the disarmament of the saltpeter camping Barrenechea. From its gangplank, the view includes the sector of the bay with movement of schooners and shallow-draft vessels, and a perspective of the Port of Iquique.

The former Building of Customs was constructed by Peru between 1871 and 1875 as Government Office and Customs (Aduana). The building, of two floors, displays a classic style with a view point tower with eight sides in its center. The inner hall is surrounded by runners in two levels. By a lateral door, you can accede to the Naval Museum (Museo Naval) that was founded by the Navy of Chile in 1983 and has valuable testimonies of the Naval Combat of Iquique.

The ZOFRI, is the largest free-taz area of South America, with 2.198.162 feet of warehouses covered for the merchandise storage that enters the country in a regime of free import in transit and they are destined to its re-export to the neighboring countries and the to rest of Chile. It is a place of retail sale, with around 400 stores, 13 banking branches, houses of currencies exchange, seats of food, cafeterias and other services. It offers an ample variety of electronic, electric-households, photographic and cosmetic products, among others, to very advisable prices.

Casino of Iquique. It was constructed during the year 2000, with the style of the houses of Baquedano Street (Calle Baquedano). It counts on slot machines, American roulette, black jack, Caribbean poker, baccarat, point and bank, craps, in addition to pubs with live music over the week ends.

While you are in Iquique taste the Chumbeque, a sort of cookie of flour and oil sweetened with honeys of diverse fruits. In Iquique you will also find one of the best pisco sour of Chile.

Beaches in Iquique

The Cavancha Beach (Playa Cavancha) it is the most popular and concurred of Iquique. It is surrounded by palms and sheltered of the wind; its sea, bellwether and tempering, it is apt the entire year for the bath, even for the nocturnal bathing.

By the southern coast of Iquique to 39 miles, it is located in a beautiful rocky place; that has restaurants and summering houses the called Chanabayita Beach

The beach of the mouth of the Loa (la playa de la desembocadura del Loa) is excellent for the fishing sport of border and frequented by fans of surf when there are not waves in Iquique; next to the route, there are pubs and groceries stores.

The pretty Larga beach is a place of egg-laying of giant marine turtles and excellent for sport fishing, in special of soles (lenguados).

Nearby attractions:

Towards the interior of the beautiful northern city of Iquique, in Pampas, ghost towns recall the bonanza periods in the operation of the saltpeter. The presence of geoglyphs, rock art and cave paintings constitute important vestiges of the Tiwanaku culture. In the mountain range and Andean plateau of Iquique.

Near Iquique, in the Isluga Volcano National Park be amazed by the high snow-covered summits, ceremonial Aymaras hills, and extensive plains with native vegetal species, lagoons, rivers and bofedales with rich birds, geysers and thermal pools in its natural surroundings.

Access:

To visit Iquique you can access through the Ruta Norte by car, bus (36-40-hours ride from Santiago, Chile), or plane.

There are local flights from the Arturo Merino Benitez Airport (SCL), Chacalluta international Airport (Arica) and  the Cerro Moreno international airport (Antofagasta), all the local flights and international flights land in the Aeropuerto Internacional Diego Aracena, placed 45 kms away from the city and connected through the Ruta Costera.

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