Things to Do
- Catedral de San Marcos, designed by Alexandre Gustav Eiffel, on the Plaza Colón. Originally intended for the seaside resort of Ancón, the church was instead used to replace an original cathedral destroyed in the 1888 earthquake. See the exterior photo or the panoramic view of the interior.
- The Casa de Cultura, once the Customs House, was prefabricated to an Eiffel design and erected on site prior to the War of the Pacific and is one of the few existing structures from that time.
- El Morro de Arica overlooking the city offers great panoramic views and was the site of a decisive battle in the War of the Pacific. The Museo Histórico y de Armas here devoted mostly to the Chilean army's bayonet charge to dislodge the Peruvian garrison stationed on El Morro. This view, taken from El Moro, is of the coastline and port.
- The best beaches, warm enough for swimming, are south of the city along Avenida Commandante San Martín. Try Playa El Laucho, Arenillas Negras and Playa La Lisera for both swimming and water sports. Playa Corazones has tall cliffs with large cave.
- Playa Chinchorro, north of town, has an Olympic sized swimming pool and other recreational facilities.
- The Casino de Arica has games of chance, a ballroom, bar, and shows.
- El Tambo restaurant in Azapa has a live folk music show on Fridays and Saturdays.
- The geoglyphs at Poconchile in the Lluta valley depict llamas of the pack trains to Tiwanaku, Bolivia. There is more rock art, or pictographs, at Azapa, Camarones, Tiliviche, Tarapacá, Guatacondo and Mani, the latter four in the Pampa del Tamarugal.
- In Poconchile, the Iglesia de San Gerónimo is one of the oldest in Chile.
- The Pukará de Copaquilla is a 12th century fortress built to protect the agricultural settlement. The size of the abandoned terraces gives us a hint of the size of the population they fed.
- Putre was a 16th century Spanish settlement, a reduccíon, built to control the native population. The restored adobe church and other colonial buildings remain from that time. This photo
- Museo Arqueológico San Miguel de Azapa displays regional cultures from the 7th century to the Spanish invasion. The famed Chinchorro mummies are here.
- Lauca National Park photos.
- Las Cuevas entrance to the park has thermal baths, plus offer views of the protected vicuñas
- Between the villages of Chucuyo and Parinacota, wildlife and archaeological ruins offer photographic opportunities.
- Lake Chungará is the highest lake in the world at 14850 ft (4500 m) and supports varied species of birds, including the Chilean flamingo, giant coots and Andean gulls.
- The twin volcanos of Payachata overlooking the lake are dormant, but Guallatire is still active.
- Enjoy these photos taken by Clarence Fisk on his journey through the area.
After you've been to Arica and surrounding attractions, don't forget to rate your experience! You'll find the tools and other reviews at South America Reader Reviews: Chile.
Buen viaje!