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Iquique

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Iquique paraglider, Atacama paraglider.

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Overview

Barefoot surfers, paragliding pros, casino snobs and frenzied merchants all cross paths in the rather disarming city of Iquique. Located in a golden crescent of coastline, this city is counted among Chile's premier beach resorts, with a glitzy casino, beachfront boardwalk and more activities (from paragliding to sand-boarding) than any sane person can take on in a week. The big draw here is the swaths of pitch-perfect beach, which offer some of the best surfing around.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Plaza Prat

    Iquique

    The city's 19th-century swagger is hard to miss on Iquique's central square. Pride of place goes to the 1877 Torre Reloj clock tower, seemingly baked and…

  • Museo Corbeta Esmeralda

    Iquique

    This replica of sunken Esmeralda, a plucky little Chilean corvette that challenged ironclad Peruvian warships in the War of the Pacific, is Iquique's new…

  • Muelle de Pasajeros

    Iquique

    Hour-long boat tours around the harbor leave from Iquique's 1901 passenger pier, just west of the Edificio de la Aduana. The tour floats past the Boya…

  • Museo Naval

    Iquique

    Take in the artifacts salvaged from the sunken Esmeralda at this small museum inside the haughty colonial-style customs house, built in 1871 when Iquique…

  • Centro Cultural Palacio Astoreca

    Iquique

    Originally built for a nitrate tycoon, this 1904 Georgian-style mansion is now a cultural center, which exhibits contemporary work produced by local…

  • Museo Regional

    Iquique

    Iquique's former courthouse now hosts the catch-all regional museum, which earnestly re-creates a traditional adobe altiplano village and also exhibits…

  • Casino Español

    Iquique

    The prize for the showiest building in Iquique goes to this Moorish-style place from 1904, on the plaza's northeast corner. The gaudily tiled creation is…

  • Edificio de la Aduana

    Iquique

    A grand old colonial building dating to 1876, the ex-customs house was ravaged by fire in early 2015.

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