Calama Tourist Information
Because of its unique location in the middle of the Atacama Desert and on the banks of the River Loa, Calama has always been a mandatory stopping place for travellers heading for the villages of the High Plateau, although in olden times it was merely a poor town to pass through. In fact, the city of Calama is located at what used to be the junction of the Inca of Cobija's road leading to Upper Peru and the Arequipa Copiapo road. Today, however, the city has a different face because of the boom of neighboring Chuquicamata, the world's largest opencut copper mine, where the process of extraction and refining can be observed in guided tours. Because of its active trade and good services, it forms the most extensive oasis in the region and supplies the inhabitants engaged in mining related activities as well as meeting the needs of the increasingly large numbers of tourists who arrive there to see the natural beauties of the desert.
From the city to the High Plateau, there is an enormous number of towns and villages of special beauty and archaeological importance to visit. At kilometer marker 33 on the international road leading to Bolivia is the town of Chiu Chiu, which was founded by the Spanish and possesses the most beautiful church in the region. Very close by is the Pukara de Lasana, a fortress town of Inca origin dating from the twelfth century, with its narrow lanes and its buildings of stone.
About ninety kilometers to the southwest of Calama on the northern edge of the Atacama Salt Flat, the biggest in Chile lies San Pedro de Atacama. This town is considered internationally as being of "exceptional touristic interest" and indeed it is the main centre of the old Atacamanean Culture. On the square of San Pedro, the sixteenth century church stands out, as does an ancient Inca house. Another internationally renowned site is the Padre Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum, which contains more than three hundred thousand archaeological remains of the pre - Colombian cultures. From there, the Tatio Geysers can be reached, with their daybreak jets of steam forming an attractive landscape. On the way from San Pedro to Calama, the Valley of the Moon can be visited, with its quaint formations sculptured by the elements and its changing colors, which produce effects of singular beauty at sunset.
Calama has amenities, hotels, and restaurants of good quality. San Pedro de Atacama can provide medical attention, hotels, postal service, telephone service, and a tourist information center.
© by Lanchile S.A.
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