This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Perched in the northern tip of Chile just 20 km from the Peruvian border, is Arica. Situated right on the ocean, its long stretches of sand and stellar surf breaks make it a prime beach destination in this part of the world. Development can tend toward the tacky, but on a clear, hot, summer day, you’ll be willing to forgive a few faults.
If the sea just isn’t your thing, Arica has a many sights in town worthy of note, most strikingly, an iron church designed by Gustave Eiffel himself. Arica hostels offer easy access to the Parque Nacional Lauca, a high-altitude park with (literally) breathtaking scenery: high altiplano, dramatic volcanoes, hot springs, and pristine lakes. Wildlife abounds, so you just might find yourself nose-to-nose with a curious vicuña (something like a llama).
Arica hostels are generally located south of the bus terminal, where taxis and local buses wait to whisk you onward. From the bus terminal, you can also catch long-distance buses to points further south in Chile, or to Tacna, Peru, just over the border. The train station, whose tiny, charming, sluggish train departs for Tacna twice daily, is located downtown.
Written by local expertz for Arica
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