Northern Chile is among the driest parts of the world. It includes the regions of Arica-Parinacota, Tarapacá, Antofagasta, Atacama and Coquimbo。

城市

Coquimbo's plaza

• 1 Antofagasta — a relaxed mining city with lots of leisure activities and a large car industry
• 2 Arica — the "city of the eternal spring" offers beautiful beaches, and a very dry, mild climate
• 3 Calama — "copper capital" of the country with the giant mine of Chuquicamata nearby
• 4 Caldera — gateway to Bahía Inglesa, a picturesque and lovely beach to just enjoy the sun
• 5 Copiapó — gateway to Bahía Inglesa and Desierto Florido
• 6 Coquimbo — includes the Union Flag of the UK in its coat of arms
• 7 Iquique — a seaside city with long beaches and a picturesque city centre
• 8 La Serena — gateway to the Pisco Valley
• 9 Pisco Elqui — famous for the national schnapps produced here, Pisco
• 10 Punta de Choros — gateway to the National Humboldt Penguin Reserve to see Humboldt penguins, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, sea otters, and many types of seabirds
• 11 Putre — gateway to Lauca National Park
• 12 San Pedro de Atacama — gateway to popular attractions such as Salar de Atacama, El Tatio Geysers and Valle de la Luna
• 13 Vicuña — supposed to be best stargazing in the world, but nowadays just a regular town on the way to Pisco Eqlui

其他目的地

• 1 Lauca National Park – in the Andes with large volcanic mountains, and its neighbour Las Vicuñas National Reserve just south.
• 2 Llullaillaco National Park – home to Llullaillaco Volcano.
• 3 Valle de la Luna – an impressive dry desert landscape.

了解

Northern Chile has been thriving on the mining industry since the middle of the 19th century. It started with saltpetre which came to an abrupt end at the beginning of the 20th century when the synthetic production of nitrates was invented. The remains of the old production sites are still impressive and provide an insight into the hard life of the workers. Nowadays copper has taken over the role of Chile's main export good and is mined in giant open pits. Furthermore some minerals like lithium are produced in the salt lakes.

Many visitors come to see the spectacular landscape of the Andean Highlands. Snow-covered mountains more than 6,000 m high contrasting with blue lakes, mountains showing all shades of red and brown due to their volcanic origin, and a number of geothermal areas with hot springs and geysers are among the natural attractions of the region.

On the more relaxing side, Arica and Iquique offer long sandy beaches at the Pacific coast.

抵达

乘飞机

Airports in this area with several flights daily from Santiago

• Andrés Sabella Gálvez International Airport (ANF ^IATA) in Antofagasta – also connections to/from Peru
• Chacalluta International Airport (ARI ^IATA) in Arica – also connections to/from Bolivia
• El Loa Airport (CJC ^IATA) in Calama
• Diego Aracena International Airport (IQQ ^IATA) in Iquique – also connections to/from Bolivia
• La Florida Airport (LSC ^IATA) in La Serena

乘汽车

The national highway #5 (Panamericana) is the main artery of the region connecting central Chile with Antofagasta, Iquique, Arica and Peru. Access from Bolivia (La Paz and Oruro) is via highway #11 passing Lauca National Park and Putre towards Arica. The alternate route from Oruro via Colchane and highway #15 towards Iquique is less used and thus in better condition (at least on the Chilean side). Access from northwestern Argentina (Salta) goes along Chilean highways #23 or #27 to San Pedro de Atacama and Calama.

四处逛逛

乘汽车

The highways outside of the highlands are generally in good condition as are the main highways through the highlands to the neighbouring countries. Other roads in the highlands can be very rough. Before moving along such roads individually it is best to enquire locally about road and weather conditions.

Renting a truck or 4WD in Antofagasta or Calama is a great idea if you are 3-5 people and want to explore the region around on your own. This will save you a lot of money on expensive tours in San Pedro de Atacama, and rental cars are much cheaper in Antofagasta or Calama. But due to the rough terrain, it is strongly recommended to get a 4WD or truck, instead of a regular, unless you plan to stay on proper roads.

乘巴士

Buses connect all cities and also provide connections to neighbouring countries. There are no longer any passenger trains in Northern Chile.

看

• 1 Atacama Desert. The driest place in the world.  
• 2 Bahía Inglesa (about 20 minutes away by collectivo (1,000 pesos) or hitchhiking away from Caldera). A picturesque and lovely yet windy beach if you just want to enjoy the view, sun and maybe a beer at one of the bars facing the sea. (updated Apr 2018)

  

  Bahía Inglesa

• 3 Rocas Negras (3 km south from Bahía Inglesa along the beach). A set of pitch black rocks in between sand of shells along the beach, where you can find many pecten shells of up to 10 cm in diameter. (updated Apr 2018)

• 4 Desierto Florido (Flowering desert). A desert area and nature reserve that becomes a beautiful and impressive field of flowers once a year when the rain has fallen. (updated Apr 2018)

  

  Desierto Florido

• 5 Gigante de Atacama (The Tarapacá Giant) (15 km east of national highway #5 (Panamericana) along national highway #15 towards Colchane; the intersection of the dirt road is signposted). The largest geoglyph in the region. A remarkable planning effort considering that it is hundreds of years old. You get the best overall picture when looking on Google Earth though; therefore you could stop there if you are driving along these roads any way but it's doubtful whether it really pays to come here from a long distance. Free.  
• 6 La Portada (15 km north of Antofagasta, use your bus when coming into Antofagasta to get off at the junction towards the sight, after or before Antofagasta depending on where you come from; otherwise, local bus 103 goes closest to the sight from Antofagasta center. Or any bus heading for Mejillones will let you off at the road cross nearby, from where it is a 3-km walk to see the natural stone arch in the sea.). The yellowish rock gate stands in the sea at along a picturesque and wild cliff coast. If you bring a mattress and sleeping bag, there are many dry places to camp and stay over night. (updated Apr 2018)

  

  La Portada

• 7 Mano del Desierto (75 km south of the city). A sculpture of giant hand rising from the sand. (updated Jul 2023)
• 8 Oficina Humberstone (Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works) (Iquique 以东 50 公里，在阿塔卡马沙漠，沿 A-16 公路与 5 号国道（泛美公路）交汇处). 09:00-19:00. 此 UNESCO 遗址是硝石时代的旧居民点和生产点。少数住宅已布置家具，但大部分遗址由于干燥的气候而保存完好。建议预留 1-2 小时在此广阔区域漫步。 3,000 智利比索.  
• 9 Parque Paleontológico Los Dedos (在罗卡斯内格拉斯（Rocas Negras）以北), ☏ +56 976160891. 周二至周日 11:00-19:00. 位于距离海滩约 1 公里的荒凉之地，是一个露天博物馆，展出企鹅、鲨鱼、鳄鱼、鲸鱼等化石。 (更新于 2018 年 4 月)

活动

• 2 Isla Damas (在名为乔罗斯（Choros）的沿海村庄以北 120 公里处). 在那里你可以游泳，沿着小径漫步到观景点，或者进行水肺潜水和浮潜。值得一看的是企鹅和海狮。海豚也很频繁地出现在该地区。回到大陆后，住在蓬塔德乔罗斯（Punta de Choros），那里的小木屋和露营地会让您享受温暖的海滨夜晚。 (更新于 2023 年 7 月)
• 3 Parque Nacional Fray Jorge (Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park) (您可以从南部进入弗雷·豪尔赫国家公园，沿北泛美公路行驶至 241.7 英里处，然后向西行驶一段长达 13.6 英里的辅路，直至到达公园主门。这是一条土路，但全年路况良好。). 1 月-2 月：每日 09:00-17:00；其他时间：09:00-16:00. 弗雷·豪尔赫国家公园（Parque Nacional Fray Jorge Nacional）占地面积广阔，海拔高达 2,188 米，位于沿海地区，距离最美丽的地方有数英里之遥。最受欢迎的景点是亲水小径，就在河口附近。最佳游览时间是周末，从 10 月底到 11 月，贯穿整个开花期。至少需要 4 小时游览。 设有野餐区和营地，每晚 8,000 智利比索，可供 5 人入住的小屋为 25,000 智利比索。不允许携带宠物。请带上外套，因为森林里很冷。门票为 1,600 智利比索，儿童 600 智利比索.  
• 4 Nevado Ojos del Salado. 这是一座海拔 6,893 米的休眠火山，是智利的最高点，亚洲以外的第二高峰，也是世界上最高的火山。坐落在阿根廷边境上，该山在阿根廷一侧有第二个几乎同样高的山峰。在山顶下方约 500 米处可以看到一个湖泊，据信是世界上最高的湖泊。奥霍斯德尔萨拉多火山的坡度非常缓和，周围干旱的阿塔卡马沙漠意味着通常积雪很少。这使得该山成为汽车创造世界高度纪录的热门地点，事实上，汽车甚至卡车都曾被开到 6,000 米以上的高度。也许更重要的是，它是可能存在的最高可徒步到达的地方（距离附近的公路 30 公里，外加 2,400 米的攀升；只有最后一部分到山顶的路程有点挑战性）。在如此高海拔下，高山反应几乎肯定是一种风险——不要爬得太快！由于高海拔、低湿度的环境的普遍极端性，单独进行 8-15 天的冒险之旅非常困难。各种旅行社提供支持服务（例如餐饮和交通），每人的价格似乎从 2000-2500 智利比索起。  

注意安全

请注意，您很容易就能在普通道路上达到 4,000 米（13,000 英尺）以上的高度。通过循序渐进地提高高度来适应。如果您参加从阿里卡到劳卡国家公园的一日游，您很可能会患上高山反应，必须认真对待。

在山区，手机信号通常仅限于城镇附近。如果您走的是连接城镇或热门旅游景点以外的土路，带上卫星电话可能是一个好主意。加油站很少，请确保您了解您的选择。