Arica Surf House

Viipuri of Peru

by hartti

"On the Border"

Arica is situated on the north border of Chile. It's in the same position for Peru as Viburg is for Finland. The whole area is like Karelia for Finland. It has been moved from Peru to Chile after the war about 1880.

In the photo you can see the center: Plaza de Colón and the church designed by Eiffel. Behind it is the commercial center.

"The War"

The war (War of the Pacific) against Peruvians seems still be important and heroic for Chile, although the battle about Arica war already 7. June in !880. There is a war museum and all the time there is a show how they managed in the battle. I think that was the only war Chile ever had!?

"Harbour"

The port of Arica has been, and is still very important. There have visited such a pirates and bucaneers as Francis Drake, Thomas Cavendish, Richard Hawkins, Joris van Spilbergen, Watling, Simón de Cordes, Leandro de Valencia, Sharp, Dampier, and Clipperton. An now me!!!

Arica

by EagleEye

Arica is the first chilean city when entering the country from the northern border with Perou. You should not miss eating fresh seafood on the harbour or in the central market.

Above all, Arica is the starting point to visit el parque nacional Lauca, located in the northern part of the chilean Altiplano - see Must See Activity.

MODERN ELEGANT DESERT TOWN

by hanspeter_W.

Arica is the most northern town of Chile, best reachable outside from Chile, by coming down the beautiful mountain road from La Paz or then from the Peruvian border town of Tacna..it is very clean and fine to relax at the beach..in middle of desert around

visit the historial hill of Morro

PARQUE NACIONAL LAUCA 2

by swesn

We spotted many vicunas along the way up!

Vicunas are the rarest of the four types from the llama family here in South America.

The llamas were rather common, mostly domesticated and used for carrying loads and sadly, so tame that some were brought down to lower towns (too hot for them) for tourist photography.

The alpacas were slightly smaller, just as woolly and mostly reared for their wool.

The guanacos were wild and brownish in colour.

The vicunas, also wild, were the smallest of the four and its colour is the sort of brown that looks almost gold. Wool from vicunas was the softest and most precious of all and because of it, they had been killed off for many, many years. Hence, they were the rarest now.

And they looked the most elegant, delicate, feathery and graceful of all.

The ground turned very barren after we reached a certain altitude but somehow, beyond 4000m, the entire place turned green again.

Here, apparently, due to their microclimate, it actually rained pretty frequently. So, the grounds were covered with a type of green moss and had many shrubs all over.

Gosh, I had expected dry, desert altiplano I saw coming from Salta to San Pedro but yet again, the altiplano here was different.