Iquique is a city of 191,000 people (2017) in the Northern Chile. The city is home to the Zofri duty-free zone, and a growing number of high-rise resort hotels along its beaches. Slightly more expensive and polluted than neighboring population centers, such as Arica, but a convenient place to stock up on duty-free perfumes and laptop computers.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
The city developed during the heyday of the saltpetre mining in the Atacama Desert in the 19th century. Once a Peruvian city with a large Chilean population, it was conquered by Chile in the War of the Pacific (1879–1883). Today it is one of only two free ports of Chile, the other one being Punta Arenas, in the country's far south. Copper mining is also an important industry in Iquique. Visit Iquique website
Micros run along the major streets in the center and takes you from the center to the Zofri in no time. Walking is the most convenient mode of transport for getting to and from the beaches. You can share a taxi for 500 pesos and or get a private one for 2000 pesos. Faster than taking the bus.
1 Baquedano Street (Paseo Baquedano). A cobbled, old-Western style street with plentiful tourist and artisan activities. Buildings around constructed during the 19th century offer interesting architecture mainly in Georgian and Victorian styles adapted to the coastal desert climate. (updated Jul 2019) Historic sites – They can be found along the city and nearby the coast and desert, most of them related to the Pacific War against the coalition of Perú and Bolivia during the 19th century and with the massacre by the government against miner workforce demanding social and economical rights, known as "the Santa Maria School massacre". 19th-century architecture – Mainly downtown and its origins …
Beaches – This is a must. Iquique is known for its good weather and beaches (playas) with "Playa Cavancha" being the largest. Some of them are not suitable for swimming: submarine tides are dangerous in some places, as for example "Playa Brava" or "Playa Huayquique". Surfing – Right in town
Iquique's Chinese immigrants that arrived during the 19th century as slaves to work in saltpetre extraction, have had a distinct influence on the local food. The area around the Mercado is Iquique's Chinatown. You will find a large number of Peruvian influenced "Chifa" restaurants here, all pretty expensive. The smaller restaurants between them are cheaper, and serve sandwiches and burgers for 800 pesos and up. McDonald's, Domino's, KFC, and other fast food chains can be found in malls. For dessert you can try the chumbeque invented by Chinese descendants. It's prepared with layers of fried thin dough filled with different fruity caramels.
Pisco Sour prepared with lemons from "Pica" is the local speciality.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Aug, Iquique typically sees ~19°C daytime highs and 0 rainy days.
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