Travel Guide Arica

Arica is an atypical Chilean destination: the atmosphere is already reminiscent of Peru, the faces have more pronounced Latino features, and the tropical atmosphere that emanates from this seaside resort popular with Bolivians (the sea is relatively pleasant all year round) can hold your attention for a few days. At least enough time to discover the Cordillera, its magnificent colonial villages, its geoglyphs and its superb natural parks, which are among the most impressive in the country. As Subercaseaux writes, " if you come from the north, [Arica] seems to you a city overflowing with Chileanness; if you come from the south, it breathes foreign soil: that's why Arica has something of a myth about it, and visitors never know where its reality lies ". For Arica is a city " where everyone comes and goes". Arica's geographical location at the mouth of the Azapa River - a position that provides it with a water supply and lush vegetation in comparison with the rest of the Far North - gave it a role as a center of settlement very early on. The Chinchorro culture flourished here around 12,000 BC: the world's oldest mummies bear witness to this distant past. Another indigenous culture is that of the Camanchacos, masters of the art of geoglyphs.