We got up at 2:00 in order to meet the 2:40 Uber that would take us to the Santiago airport. We had a 4:24 flight to Arica. Everything went smoothly and we landed in Arica shortly before dawn. By the time we got some coffee and picked up our rental car, it was 8:30. We drove straight to our hotel where we had arranged to leave our bags until the 14:00 check-in time. The scenery was desolate and the neighborhood of our hotel on the edge of town was rather unattractive. Nothing in Arica opened until 10:00, so we arranged to eat breakfast at the hotel, made a reservation for a tour to Parque Nacional Lauca the following day, and set off to do a little sightseeing.
We drove twelve kilometers out of town to look at the geoglyphs on Cerro Sagrado. There was a small parking lot and well marked path at the first stop, but the geoglyph was not very distinct. We climbed a long way up a hill to view it and were more impressed with the parched and desolate landscape. The main activities seemed to be gypsum mining and the cultivation of tomatoes in large, dust-coated shade structures. It was difficult to see the geoglyphs past the fences and shade structures lining the road.
We continued on to San Miguel de Azapa, where the university had established a small but excellent archaeological museum to house the world’s oldest mummies from the Chinchorro civilization, some of which were 5,000 years old. The oldest ones were quite elaborate, with the flesh being removed and the bones wrapped in vegetable fibers and then coated with clay, painted black, and finally adorned with a mask. It is speculated that these mummies may have been kept around the house to include them in daily life. The mummification process changed over time, with the most recent ones having simply been wrapped in fabric and dried in lifelike positions. The climate and mineral content of the soil served to preserve them. Even miscarried fetuses were mummified and buried with their siblings.
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| Later Chinchorro Mummy |
The museum was located on a former olive plantation and the olive grove and massive tool used to press olive oil were also on display, along with Chinchorro, Aymara, and Inca artifacts.
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| Olive Crusher |
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| Cathedral San Marcos by Eiffel |
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| Arica Customs House by Eiffel |
We explored the main shopping street. We were in need of money, but most of the Chilean banks would not accept our ATM cards and the Scotiabank ATM was out of order. The currency exchange places had all closed before we got there.
It was nearly 17:00 by the time we returned to our hotel and we were quite ready to relax and retire early.
January 7, 2026
Hotel Andalucia
Arica, Chile
None of the tours of Parque Nacional Lauca that I had seen on the internet were running on the day we needed to go. I had almost admitted we were going to have to make the 3.5 hour drive 4500 meters up the Andes in our own car when we spotted a flier at our hotel. The guide was willing to take us and the price was about $45 less than the other companies.
Our guide, Freddy from Suma Inti Tours, picked us up promptly at 6:30. There was only one other passenger – a young woman from Belgium. We headed towards the Peruvian border and then made a right turn to follow Chilean Route 11 uphill towards Bolivia. Route 11 is the main truck route between Bolvia and the port of Arica. Trucks toiled up the steep and narrow highway at a very slow pace, requiring cars to pass in maneuvers that would have scared my socks off had I been driving.
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| Oasis by the Rio Lluta |
We followed the Rio Lluta, which flows from Lago Chungara (the world’s highest lake) down through the world’s driest desert to Arica. Arica gets its water from wells, but the river water is used for agriculture along the Oasis Rio Lluta and the Valle Azapa. Onions, garlic, and corn are grown in the oasis. The contrast between that greenery and the completely lifeless mountainsides is striking. There is no rainfall at all in that area and the slopes are smooth because no rain means no animal trails and no gullies. The only erosion is from wind, which tends to fill imperfections with blowing sand. There were geoglyphs along the southern slopes, but the light was too dim at that hour to see them.
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| Candelabro Cactus |
We climbed steadily. The sun cleared the peaks about the time we reached the zone where enough rain fell to support a type of cactus called candelabro, a cactus with a straight trunk topped by a wild tangle of snakelike branches. We stopped to take some pictures.
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| Freddy Imploring the Sun |
Freddy was ethnic Aymara and insisted on teaching us a traditional love song in Aymara. He sang nearly the whole way up the mountain. At the Pukara Copaquilla overlook, we stopped to implore the sun to give us good weather by making an offering of alchohol and coca leaves. Freddy dressed us in colorful ponchos and led us in a short dance. The vegetation became gradually more abundant as we climbed. We were passing through the zone where guanacos (a larger, wild relative of the llama) roam, but we never saw any. We could see the town of Putre below us. Soon, the volcanoes of Parinacota and Pomerape rose above the horizon and we started to see vicunas (a smaller, wild relative of llamas.)
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| Pomerape and Parinacota |
When we glimpsed our first flamingos, we had to stop. We took a short walk towards the laguna where the birds were feeding and were lucky to see vicunas and vizcachas (a large rodent related to the chinchilla) along the way.
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| First Flamingo Sighting |
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| A Vizcacha |
Our next stop was Lago Chungara, where we saw Andean geese and were fascinated by the large, taguas gigantes that were nesting in the lake. The adults continued to add aquatic plants to their nests while the juveniles watched. The scenery was magnificent. We could see other volcanoes across the border in Bolivia, including one that was smoking. We stopped at two viewpoints but were prohibited from walking along the shore between them because a wrecked truck had leaked fuel into the lake and a clean-up operation was underway. Men in hazmat suits were using neon orange absorbent booms to remove the diesel from the water. We really enjoyed watching the birds and even saw an Andean egret, which Freddy had never seen there before.
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| Tagua Gigante Nest with Juvenile |
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| Lago Chungara and Volcan Parinacota |
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| Egret at Lago Chungara |
We turned around at Lago Chungara and headed back towards Putre, stopping to take pictures at Tambo Cotacotani, a picaresque series of lagoons. Our next stop was the abandoned village of Parinacota, where we visited a church constructed in 1700. The highway followed the route where silver was once transported from the mines of Potosi in Bolivia to the port at Arica. Today, ore travels by train and everyone has moved to the cities in search of employment.
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| Baby Alpacas |
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| Newborn Alpaca |
Between Parinacota and Putre were pastures full of llamas and alpacas. We came across one baby alpaca lying in the middle of the road and saw others playing. One had just been born and could barely walk.
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| Lauca Canal |
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| Putre Plaza |
Putre was once a thriving place, but now is occupied by only about a hundred people. We stopped there to eat lunch and drop off our fellow passenger to planned to stay there for a few days. After lunch, we wandered down to the square, which was still decorated for Christmas. We passed the Lauca Canal which carries water to the olive groves of Valle Azapa where we had been the day before. The banks of the canal were planted with colorful flowers.
Our last, quick stop was at Poconchile where the Church of St. Jerome was built in 1680. Behind the church was a fascinating cemetery where colorful mausoleums bordered the churchyard like miniature apartment buildings.
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| Cemetery at Poconchile |
Closer to Arica, we passed several groups of geoglyphs depicting humans, llamas, pumas, and condors. They were easier to see from the highway on the other side of the valley than they had been from the road to San Miguel de Azapa because the fences and shade structures along that road had blocked our view. We were able to capture clear images of them.
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| Geoglyphs Near Arica |
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Geoglyphs of Humans, Birds & Puma
It was 18:00 by the time Freddy deposited us at our hotel. We were
somewhat brain dead and didn’t have the energy to go in search of
dinner. After eating my last peach and a granola bar, I had just enough energy to write.
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| The "Guardian Presences" |
January 9, 2026
Hotel Terranort
Iquique, Chile
We left Arica right after breakfast and headed through the desert towards Iquique. The landscape was entirely barren, with not a sign of life anywhere. A short distance later, we saw some tall figures in the distance and turned off to investigate. Some artist had constructed huge “guardian presences.” They towered over us and others were visible in the distance. It was a very impressive installation and we would have appreciated more information about it. After taking a few pictures and pondering how and why the sculptures came to be placed there, we continued on our way.
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| The Road to Iquique |
We saw nothing but rock and sand for at least 100 km. We climbed up and then plunged down into canyons. A couple of the canyons had oases in the bottom where streams ran down from the mountains to the east. Three hours or so into our drive, we came to a grove of dry and scrubby trees that survived inexplicably in that environment. There was not a blade of grass or single shrub among the trees.
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| The Giant of Atacama |
Our first planned stop was the “Giant of Atacama”, a geoglyph that has the distinction of being the largest human figure on the planet. The Cerro de Unitas sits alone on the otherwise flat plain, about 14 km east of Chilean Route 5 which we were following to Iquique. Dust devils swirled across the plain, but generally dissipated when they crossed the road. The hill was decorated with other geoglyphs, although their forms were hard to discern from below. After documenting our visit, we returned to the highway and headed south across the shockingly blank landscape.
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| Ghost Town of Humberstone |
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| Lacy Rusted Siding |
After another hour, we came to the ruins of the Humberstone saltpeter works. At the industry’s peak, the saltpeter mines in that area supported a community of 10,000 people. The company towns are now deserted and have been converted into a museum. We wandered through the former employee homes, now housing artifacts such as toys and crockery from the period. The boss’ house was a large craftsman style bungalow. The industrial buildings were constructed from corrugated metal that, in some places, had rusted to the point where it looked like lace.
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| Power Plant at Humberstone |
The ore, called caliche, was loaded into carts and transported to the plant where it was crushed and conveyed to the next stage where water was added and the mixture was boiled in giant cauldrons to extract the saltpeter. This liquid was then poured into large trays where the water evaporated off to leave the pure saltpeter.
At the height of the industry, Chile produced 60% of the world’s saltpeter. World War One interrupted trade with Europe, marking the beginning of the industry’s decline. The German’s invention of synthetic saltpeter in the 1930’s dealt the industry another blow. By the time the operation was shut down in the 1960’s, Chile produced only 3% of the world’s saltpeter.
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| Company Store at Humberstone |
The ghost town was fascinating. Blocks of employee housing surrounded a large square. There was a large company store selling all the necessities and a theater that seated 800 people. The store had been converted into a museum so extensive that we finally gave up on seeing it all. We had thought our visit would take an hour, but we spent more than three hours at the site.
In 1907, the employees went on strike. The Chilean army herded the workers, along with their families, into the Domingo Santa Maria School. They were given one hour to disband or be fired upon. The workers stood firm behind their demands and the army opened fire with machine guns, killing between 2,000 and 3,500 people. This was not the only masacre of striking workers in Chile’s history. Between 1891 and 1987, there were sixteen such masacres.
Outside Humberstone, we entered the toll road that quickly led to Iquique. The traffic on Route 16 was heavy, due to detours, but we eventually dropped down off the desert plateau to the port city of Iquique. Our hotel claimed to offer parking, but we were unable to find it. There wasn’t room to stop on the narrow street, so after circling the block twice, I dropped Sally off and made another circle. The parking was on the opposite corner, but the entrance was on a one way street that, of course, went the other way. We had to make quite a large circle before we encountered streets running the proper direction and we were afraid the hotel clerk would give up on us before we arrived, but she was waiting patiently when we arrived. The garage was tight, with a dirt floor, and I had to block in other cars to park. I left my keys with the clerk and hoped for the best.
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| Hotel Terranort in Iquique |
The Hotel Terranort was basic, but comfortable enough. The location was good. It was only a few blocks walk through the downtown area to the main plaza. Both of our banks were located near the plaza, but none of the ATMs were working. We must have tried six banks, but all were closed or out of order. The same had been true in Arica. By that point, we were nearly out of Chilean pesos, so we had to be sure the restaurant took credit cards before sitting down to dinner. Finally, we chose an Indian restaurant and feasted on naan, palak paneer, rice, and pakoras. I could barely keep my eyes open by the time we got back to the hotel. I couldn’t even stay up long enough to write and was asleep by 21:00.
January 10, 2026
Eltoconar Atacama
San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
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| Our Car (Dark Gray) Was Trapped |
We had intended to take our car to go visit the Cerros Pintados on our day in Iquique, but the parking attendant was nowhere to be found and our car was buried in the back corner of the garage. After waiting for some time, we gave up and decided just to spend the day in Iquique, which we liked better than we had expected.
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| Wooden Buildings in Iquique |
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| The Regional Museum in Iquique |
We walked down to the pedestrian promenade and checked out the old, wooden buildings. The regional museum was an unexpected treat with many artifacts and some Chinchorro mummies that were easier to see than the ones at San Miguel de Azapa. The upper floor featured colorful contemporary art that we enjoyed. We followed the promenade back to the main plaza and then walked across to the port.
The fish market was a bustling place. Located on the site of former salt peter warehouses, the modern design incorporated corrugated metal panels reminiscent of the buildings we had seen at Humberstone. Behind the market, the fishmongers dumped their scraps into the bay where immense sea lions waited to gobble up the scraps. These were very lazy and well-fed sea lions. They had grown to monstruous sizes.
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| Immense Sea Lion |
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| The Fish Market in Iquique |
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| Sea Lions |
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| Replica of the Esmeralda |
After spending some time watching the sea lions, we continued along the seafront to the replica of the Esmeralda, a Chiliean ship sunk by the Peruvians during the War of the Pacific. Tickets to go aboard were expensive, so we decided to pass. Across the street, sat the former customs house and a monument to Charles Darwin.
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The Customs House in Iquique
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We reversed course and returned to the square, finally managing to get some money out of an ATM. We stopped for lunch at the fabulous Casino Espanola, with its ornate polychromed interior. I had a marvelous scallop stew over rice. Then we returned to our room to rest.
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| The Casino Espanola in Iquique |
We got up early so as to be able to leave right after breakfast. We had told the front desk to have our car ready to go at 8:30, but it was still buried in the back corner of the garage when we were ready to leave. Fortunately, this time, the parking valet was available and we were able to extract our car from the garage. At 8:30, the traffic in Iquique was not too bad. We drove across town, climbed up onto the plateau, and set off south toward Cerro Pintados.
When we arrived at Cerro Pintados, they could not take the entry fee in cash. The ranger station had Starlink and we had to log onto their WiFi and pay online. Unfortunately, the website would not work on either of our Samsung phones, even though one was English and the other Mexican. We tried for some time, but could not get it to work. The ranger let us through, anyway. It later occurred to me that the problem was the browser. We managed to resolve the issue on the way out by switching to Chrome. I told the ranger what to do in case anyone else had the same problem.
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| Endangered Lizard |
We were the only people at Cerro Pintados. We parked at the museum and observed several supposedly endangered lizards scampering across the parking lot and walkways. The museum was small and partially subterranean to keep it cool. The path across the salt flat started behind the museum.
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| The Museum at Cerro Pintados |
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| Chunks of Minerals on the Salt Flat |
While the salt flats in Bolivia had been very smooth, these looked like they had dried rapidly, leaving big chunks of minerals. The chunks looked brown, but were still white once you scratched the surface. A path stretched for a kilometer along the base of the peninsula of hills that jutted into the desert from the coast. A trade route from the Andes to the coast had followed these hills and the caravans had left the geoglyphs as signposts and religious symbols along the way. A much more recent mine was carved into the hill below the symbols. From the color of the rocks, it looked like they had been mining sulphur.
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| Sally on the Path for Viewing the Geoglyphs |
The path led across the salt flat at the perfect distance for viewing the geoglyphs. It was very bright, but not excessively hot at 10:00. We took our time, enjoying the figures on the hills and taking photographs. Some of the more puzzling figures appeared to depict a man on a surfboard and a shark.
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| What is a Shark Doing in the Desert? |
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| A Row of Humans |
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| Varied Geoglyphs at Cerro Pintados |
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| A Bat Geoglyph |
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| Is That Guy on a Surfboard or Skis? |
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