North Chile Travel Tips

North Chile

Norte Grande features the Pacific Ocean, the starkly desolate but unique Atacama Desert with its deeply incised canyons, and the Andean altiplano (steppe) with its volcanic summits. The region's great mineral wealth has given it a special role in Chilean history; most cities in the Atacama, such as Iquique and Antofagasta, owe their existence to nitrates and copper.

The Atacama is the most "perfect" of deserts; some coastal stations have never recorded measurable rainfall, although infrequent "El Niño" events can bring brief but phenomenal downpours in other places.

Results 1–5 of 5

3 Days in North Chile: Suggested Itineraries

Viator

Written by Viator, August 2010

The Atacama Desert of Northern Chile is the driest spot on earth, where rainfall is measured in millimeters and centuries. Caught up between the Andes and a string of snowcapped volcanoes, including ... 
Read more

Chile: The Lone Star

Paige

Written by Paige, Nicaragua, March 2012

Chile is sometimes called La Estrella Solitaria, “The Lone Star,” for the single celestial body on its tricolor flag. When the bandera was first adopted in 1912, however, its designers probably had ... 
Read more

Chile: The Lone Star

Paige

Written by Paige, Nicaragua, March 2012

Chile is sometimes called La Estrella Solitaria, “The Lone Star,” for the single celestial body on its tricolor flag. When the bandera was first adopted in 1912, however, its designers probably had ... 
Read more

The Chilean Miners Go Hollywood

Paige

Written by Paige, Nicaragua, August 2011

On August 5, 2010, deep in the Atacama Desert , the San José copper mine in Copiapó collapsed. It was assumed that all those trapped inside had perished, until a drill bit sent ... 
Read more

Visiting Chile's El Tatio Geysers

Written by esmith, March 2013

The Geysers at El Tatio are one of the most exciting, unique and photogenic spots in the north of Chile . They are visited from the small desert outpost town of San Pedro de Atacama, the seat ... 
Read more

Results 1–5 of 5

Want to share your own recommendation?

 
 
Advertisement