Arriving by land to Iquique from the Pan American Highway is a memorable experience. Route 16 branches west from the Pan American highway - which runs inland, parallel to the coast- and descends gently for some 40km (25mi) until it suddenly takes a dizzying plunge along the face of a 600-m (2,000-ft) cliff. At the bottom lies the Pacific Ocean, with Iquique (pop. 150,000) lying ahead and below on a narrow strip of land wedged between cliff and shore. A huge, sharp-crested sand dune known as The Dragon lurks below on the left. You almost feel as if you were landing in an airplane. Good beaches, a wide range of tourist services and its Duty Free area (the "Zofri") have all contributed to turn Iquique, the Tarapacá Region's capital city, into a prime tourist destination for Chileans and foreigners alike.
In summer, highs of 27°C (81°F), lows of 18°C (64°F); in winter, 19°C and 14°C (66° F and 57° F), respectively. It never rains. Humidity is relatively low (60%-75%).
Aboriginal gatherers had roamed this stretch of coast before the arrival of the Spanish, trading with inland and altiplano tribes. The Europeans established here a major guano extraction and shipping port.
After the establishment of the Republic of Peru, in the early 1800's, Iquique became a nitrate shipping port. In November 1879, during the War of the Pacific, Chilean troops occupied the city. In the 40 years that followed, many of Iquique's Georgian-style buildings were erected, using Oregon pine imported from the U.S.
During the War of the Pacific, a major sea battle took place off the Iquique coast, whereby a small Chilean wooden vessel sunk by a Peruvian warship gave Chile its foremost naval hero, Arturo Prat. He was the captain of the Chilean ship. The anniversary of this battle is a national holiday, held on May 21st. Iquique was granted duty-free status ("Zona Franca") in 1975, a move that greatly boosted the local economy, luring industry and underpinning a sizable import-export trade. Over this past decade, Iquique has developed as fast as a Polaroid, its skyline shooting upwards and the number and quality of its hotels and tourist services increasing by leaps and bounds.
The Historic Quarter at the seaward end of Aníbal Pinto has a quaint covered passenger pier with benches where you can relax and watch the ships, sea lions and pelicans in the harbor. Boats offer rides around the harbor and will give you a closer look at the sea lions. On one side is the Customs building, built in 1871 to serve as a gateway to the city. Next to it is the Naval Museum, which has an interesting exhibition on the Iquique sea battle.
Plaza Prat, with its clock tower and palm trees, has two interesting buildings flanking it. The Municipal Theater, erected in 1890, illustrates the importance attached in this desert outpost to cultural life; it was surprisingly refined and lively, and many celebrities from around the world came to perform here. The Moorish-styled Centro Español was erected in 1904 for the resident Spanish community. The restaurant here is very good. The large format paintings depicting Don Quixote's life and deeds are also interesting. Palacio Astoreca, on the corner of O'Higgins and Baquedano, is an imposing wooden mansion erected in 1904. It still contains furniture from that period and houses a collection of paintings and sea shells. The Museo Regional contains an interesting archaeological and ethnological collection and provides an insight into the nitrate days. One of the museum's most remarkable exhibits is the 500-year-old mummy of an Inca princess, complete with clothing and accompanying pottery. On the corner of Vivar and Sotomayor, the 1883 Railway Administration Building, a National Monument, is now used as a law court. To its right is the old railway station where two old locomotives are still on display, each accompanied by its respective passenger car. Both are of nitrate heyday vintage.
The Zona Franca (Zofri) has a 300-shop complex open to the public, offering duty-free imported goods. Buys range from photographic equipment to camping gear, clothing, automobile parts and much more. The complex -the largest of its kind in South America- includes restaurants, cafés, banking offices, telecommunications offices and other services. In the downtown area, Thompson and Tarapacá are among the main shopping streets. The new Las Américas shopping mall, located near the waterfront south of downtown, includes 180 shops and 6 cinemas.
This article is copyrighted by Lanchile S.A.
Tourist information about another destination in Chile
