What would you like to do?
Arica is Chile’s northernmost city. Located around a coastal port yet within the world’s most arid desert, it is about a 20 minute drive to the nearest border (Peru).
Many use it as a transit stop, often missing out on the fabulous beaches, surf and weather, nightlife, a rich cultural history, adventures, and the world’s oldest mummies.
So once you get to Arica, what is it you would like to do?
Getting in, getting out and getting about.
Your options for getting to Arica (and your subsequent departure) are through border crossings with Peru or Bolivia (direct or in stages) OR directly from Chile’s capital Santiago, or (almost) every city in between.
You can travel in and out either by:
- air (Arica has a domestic airport)
- by land (by bus via the national or international terminals located in the Avenida Diego Portales, one block away from the intersection with Avenida Santa Maria
- by sea (a number of cruise ships enter the port and allow passengers to visit the city during the summer season.
Arica itself is large enough to be called a city, but small enough that you can literally walk to (almost) any part! Apart from walking, biking and private taxi options, there are excellent and efficient systems of shared taxis (colectivos) and mini/micro buses (micros).
While Chile’s economy has been on the rise, the budget traveller has been finding it more and more difficult to find economical accommodation. For the ultra low-budget there are freedom camping opportunities, a couple of active couch-surfer hosts, rural options as well as cheaper long-term options (‘residenciales’ or similar) that usually cater to the thousands of migrant-workers coming to Arica in search of better opportunities. In the lower-mid range are some ‘residenciales’ as well as shared-room hostels and lower-end hostales, private apartment or room rentals. For the higher budgets, full-service hotels with stunning views are also available.
Eating in and eating out
Arica has a range of restaurants, cafes and bars to suit the entire spectrum of budgets. Most are located in the central region however some can be found on the various beaches and residential areas. The selection on offer caters to various tastes: fresh seafood; specialty meats; local and international fast food; oriental and even vegan/vegeterian options.
For those on a tighter budget (and perhaps with access to kitchen facilities), apart from the supermarkets (a few in the centre, and the rest scattered in other parts) and mini farmers markets, there is one large farmer’s market and adjacent flea market located on the Pan-American highway (the southern entry/exit of the city) and one slightly smaller one located on the Avenida Santa Maria, one block away from the bus terminals.
Housekeeping: Emergencies, money-matters, communications and basic services.
Arica has one 24-hour emergency hospital located on the corner of streets 18 de Septiembre and Benjamin Vicuña Mackenna, with emergency phone number +56 (058) 204496
The emergency numbers for Ambulance, Firefighters and Police can be dialled from any phone on the chilean networks and are a follows:
131 (Ambulance – Ambulancia), 132 (Firefighters – Bomberos), 133 (Police – Carabineros). The best way to remember is to take note of the ending numbers and the corresponding words in Spanish: A-B-C easy as 1-2-3
The pedestrian section of the main street 21 de Mayo has ATMs and branches of all major banks in Chile and the ones available in the city. Some even with 24-hour access.
The international call code to Chile is +56. Some mobile phone companies will let you purchase a chilean mobile number on a prepay plan without a national ID. They are relatively cheap to obtain and are great for receiving calls from friends and family around the world. Cellphone numbers are identified with the call code “9” followed by 8 digits.
Internet is fairly widespread with most mid to high-end accommodation providers having wifi facilities. A number of cafés and restaurants around the city centre also have wifi access for patrons. If you need free internet access the local Public Library located 1 block behind the main cathedral can provide you an access code (if you are a foreigner) for use in 45-minute intervals. They also have a computer room which is available when not booked for classes.
As Arica is located in the world’s most arid desert the scarcity and price of water is high. Most accommodation providers will encourage water conservation and strictly prohibit the use of bathrooms facilities etc for washing clothes or similar. However, there are numerous full-service laundry facilities located right around the city.
While Arica doesn’t yet have an all-encompassing shopping centre (its first mall closed down soon after its opening and there are rumours and preliminary works being done on a shopping centre), various parts of town cater to varying budgets and needs. There are offers from department stores and chain stores on the main street 21 de Mayo, various commerce centres (or mini malls) and stores on and around Velazquez street, as well as a new and used market located in the Agro part of town. There are also numerous pop-up street markets (ferias) during the week right around the city with the Sunday market (La Dominical) on Juan Noe street being a weekly outing for many. There you will find a range of items, both new and used, as well as various street foods on offer.
(coming soon!)
Explore and get to know the city
The city is more-or-less divided into the city centre (home to offices, nightlife, shopping, major events, maritime activities and historical monuments), southern beaches (hotels, safe family beaches and the former island and its advanced surf spots) which extend all the way to the ancient caves (with various forms of sea-life), the northern beaches (original home of the mummies, an olympic pool, shallower water, playgrounds, nightclubs and turtle sightings) which stretch the length of the suburbs, Las Machas/Lluta river mouth part of the coast (home of endemic and migrating birds, and surfers), Azapa Valley (home of the Chile’s smallest endemic bird and its conservation site, an archeological museum, old groves of Spanish olives and the produce that sustains the city), the Lluta Valley (home of corn, the corn festival and an eco-site) the Agro part of the city (where you will find the farmer’s and flea markets, a cultural village and the pickup and drop off point of a number of transport providers) and of course the stadium / university part of town.
The sport of the masses, like in most Latin countries, is football (soccer). In fact in 1962 Arica was host of the 4 teams from Group A in the 7th FIFA World Cup. This historically significant stadium is now home of the home team San Marcos de Arica and football fans can visit the stadium both on and off match days. For the surf buffs, Arica has great surf spots almost the whole year round and caters to varying abilities including the jaw dropping “El Buey” in winter, when it also hosts various competitions both on national and international circuits. Cycling, paragliding, running/jogging, swimming (at the olympic pool) are prolific among its citizens as well as rock-climbing and various martial arts clubs.
Nightlife
Arica caters to a variety of sensibilities. While the music scene is dominated by reggaeton and cumbia there are other music options on offer including hip hop, rock, salsa, andean-influenced music as well as Chile’s favorite: karaoke! There is also an active LGBT scene, live family events such as carnivals and concerts throughout the year as well bars where you can just eat, relax and enjoy a good catchup with friends you haven’t seen or other travellers you have met.