There are many ways to explore the north of Chile. Some people prefer to have it organized in advance by an agency and have everything scheduled. Other people like to rent a car and travel by themselves and organize their accommodation where available. But for those who love adventure, nature and independence, our campers are the perfect option to accompany you during your journey and to provide you with a unique and fascinating experience.
The cities in the north like Arica, Iquique, Calama and La Serena are a good option to stay and start or end your excursions if you do not have a camper. Most of the highlights like Parque Lauca, Salar de Tara, Geyser del Tatio, Lagunas Miscanti y Miñiques, are many kilometers from the cities. If you are traveling by camper you don't have to return to the city every day, thus avoiding many more kilometers. You can simply stay in the place you like the most to spend the night. You also have the facility to have lunch where and when you want, rest when you are tired and follow your own rhythm while you are surrounded by the most stunning nature that the north has to offer. Far from civilization but with your own camper, feeling at home, since you have your own bedroom, kitchen, dining room and bathroom. You will have the advantage of when all the tourists return to the cities, of being alone with your camper in the mysterious and silent valleys, desert or beaches of this wonderful northern area.
The route by zones
Arica, entrance gate to the country, can be characterized as a desert zone with some oases appearing in the middle of the plain. This city is widely known because of the “Morro de Arica”, heroic act from a daring battle taking place in The War of the Pacific. Arica's average temperature in the coastal area invites people to enjoy the beaches all year round.
Arica, “The City of Eternal Spring”, is the starting point to explore the far north of Chile.
Arica “The City of Eternal Spring” is a zone where various Pre-Columbian towns that left their mark converged; besides, it is also rich in native flora and fauna. On the other hand, Iquique is widely known for the Zona Franca (Duty Free Zone), a 200 hectare business center where steady wholesale commercial and industrial activities are carried out.
The famous ZOFRI, (Zona Franca de Iquique in Spanish) is also a retail shopping center which offers amusing leisure activities.
Undoubtedly, the coastal zone which is the most beautiful and longest in the region allows visitors to swim and do nautical sports nearly the whole year. In the Pampa, and large geographic area in the inner parts of the region, some ghost towns which remind saltpeter exploitation abundance times may still be found. Geoglyphs, petroglyphs and cave paintings form important vestiges which give testimony of the Tiwanaku culture.
In the Andes and the Altiplano Aymara and Atacaman communities still reside performing ancestral customs devoted to quinoa cultivation and camelid breeding. High and snowed mountain peaks, Aymara ceremonial hills, long plains with native vegetable species, lagoons, rivers and wetlands with rich fauna, geysers and thermal baths stand out in Volcán Isluga National Park.
Atacama Desert, geographically located in what is known as “El Norte Grande” (The Big North), in which the desert village San Pedro de Atacama has established itself as a vantage point for many excursions. Known worldwide as the driest desert on earth, Atacama Desert comprises of a vast territory involving important archaeological, natural and cultural riches.
A rich archaeological tradition can be found there, including the Cerro Pintado Geoglyphs.
A rich archaeological tradition can be found there, Cerro Pintado Geoglyphes and Quitor and Lasana Pukaras confirm how highly developed native towns were by that time.
In Chile’s modern history, Atacama Desert has played an important role in the nation’s development to such an extent as to be a truly silent witness of the glorious past nitrate industry once had. The living testimony expressed by some nitrate offices is the symbol of a no longer existing life which still remains alive in Chile’s memory.
Aridity and dryness in Atacama Desert contrast the fertility found in valleys and oases (such as Azapa Valley and Pica Oasis). Flora and fauna are also an important part of the desert landscape. Protected species in Lauca, Isluga and Surire Salt Flat national parks and monuments symbolize part of the wonderful attractions nature has given this region, where life – despite its inhospitable scenario – has managed to successfully continue.
Desert and Altiplano constantly captivate the visitor due to its diverse geography: Valley of the Moon, portraying its particular rocky shapes, takes this scene to limits out of this world; Atacama Salt Flat and El Tatio Geysers featuring surrealist characteristics rise among the calm thermal waters such as Camina’s as a kind of heavenly paradox which contrasts the endlessly startling reality.
Los pueblos del altiplano de Atacama: Socaire is located about 90 km from San Pedro de Atacama. With is Spanish background is it much more than just a village, it is a sequence of terraced cultivated areas on a broad slope, which use the inclination of this area. Here you will find beautiful houses made of stone and in the rear part of the village a small church watches over the place, and sports a stone tower with is sung to every year on August 24 (Fiesta San Bartolomé).
La Serena city is placed in the Elqui Valley, one of the three valleys crossing IV Region. Having mild and very hazy temperatures in the coast, in the inner parts of its mountain sides its climate changes to become a very dry ecosystem featuring unique and fascinating microclimates. One example of the aforesaid can be seen in Fray Jorge National Park, an area which presents unusual features allowing trees which regular habitat is in the south of Chile to find an ideal place to live.
From La Serena, it is possible to get to Elqui Valley, a very mystical and green valley in the middle of the dry mountains.
From La Serena, it is possible to get to Elqui Valley, a very mystical and mysteriously magnetic place. Known as one of the best coastal cities in the famous “Norte Chico” (Small North), La Serena’s beaches and busy coastal highway called “Avenida del Mar” (Avenue of the Sea) are the meeting point for the youth all year long and particularly in summer. A great deal of stores and first-class restaurants offering an international menu where fish and seafood are the main courses can be found here. In the same way, La Serena’s squares, historic colonial architecture, colorful and traditional fruit and vegetables market known as “La Recova” as the imposing and classic Faro Monumental (Monumental Lighthouse) have given this city a unique look always present in the collective unconscious of visitors.
Near La Serena, neighbor towns offer such beautiful beaches as “La Virgen”, Tongoy, Isla Damas, Morrillos all of them sectors widely valued by visitors.
Valle del Elqui: If there is a destination where the climate does not betray, it is undoubtedly the Elqui Valley, in the center-north of Chile. In this place, located about five hours from Santiago de Chile, there are the clearest skies of the southern hemisphere and it is also said that here the magnetic center of the Earth would be, which has attracted travelers for years. Everyone who seeks in their landscape answers to the deepest questions of human life. Blue skies, crystalline rivers, green meadows and an air of tranquility make this place a special destination for those who wish to escape stress. Here the noise does not exist: all live in peace, tranquility and harmony. The route through this transverse Valley - that is, from the mountain range to the sea - allows us to obtain a spectacular mountain range view from the curtain of the Puclaro Reservoir. Located in the middle of the impressive greenery of the Elqui Valley, Vicuña is one of the unmissable tourist destinations in the region. One of the main characteristics of this area is that it has at least 300 days and nights totally clear, so that its local observatory Cerro Mamalluca becomes a protagonist for those who wish to see the universe through their telescopes in entertaining astronomical observation tours . Along with the growing offer of themed accommodation and adventure tourism that incorporates the observation of the night sky as a central element, through horseback riding, hiking, trekking and outdoor dining, highlights the emergence of family businesses that based on astrotourism develop innovative products that offer added value to the observation of the stars.
Chile and its neighbors offer much to discover with a Camper, pleasantly surprising you from end to end. So that you can plan your trip as well as possible, making the most of your trip to meet natural places that will captivate you, we have prepared information and suggestions that will help you organize your expedition.
Between the mountains and the high plateau, Putre is situated at an altitude of 3.500 m and is the vantage point for excursion into the national park Lauca and the national reserve Vicuña, where you will find 80% of the Chilean fauna in an astonishing natural surrounding. The national park Lauca is a biosphere reserve of the UNESCO with more than 130 different species such as Vicuñas, Vizachas und Condors.
A spectacular landscape: by the Quepaico river large herds of llamas and vicuñas drink its salty water, and the Monjes de Pacana rise like stone giants over the wide plain.
The highest geothermal field in the world: columns of steam at sunrise at more than 4,200 meters of altitude.
Socaire is located about 90 km from San Pedro de Atacama. With its Spanish background it is much more than just a village, it is a sequence of terraced cultivated areas on a broad slope, which use the inclination of this area. Here you will find beautiful houses made of stone and in the rear part of the village a small church watches over the place, and sports a stone tower which is sung to every year on August 24 (Fiesta San Bartolomé).
Chile's largest salt flat, home to Andean flamingos at Laguna Chaxa and the altiplanic lagoons Miscanti and Miñiques.
Stone and sand formations sculpted by the wind, minutes from San Pedro de Atacama: the desert's most famous sunset.
Tell us your dates and we reply with a clear offer. Minimum rental of 15 days in high season and 7 in low season: real time to live it.
4,300 kilometers of contrasts: desert, valleys, volcanoes and glaciers in one country made for the road.
Santiago, vineyards, the Pacific coast and the Andes one hour away: the natural starting point.
The purest skies on the planet: sleep under the Milky Way next to the northern observatories.