Best of Calama

Calama Essentials

Calama serves as the industrial and historical gateway to the high Atacama. This list highlights the region's diverse heritage, from the massive Chuquicamata copper mine to the 12th-century stone fortifications of Pukará de Lasana and Pukará de Turi. The collection includes the colonial architecture of Chiu Chiu, high-altitude indigenous villages like Caspana, and natural landmarks such as the San Pedro volcano and the Inka Coya lagoon, alongside the site of the 1879 Battle of Topáter.

Didier Descouens / CC BY 3.0

Chuquicamata Mine

Chuquicamata is the largest open pit copper mine in terms of excavated volume in the world.

Sygic Travel User / CC-BY-SA

Geyser El Tatio

High-altitude geothermal field located at 4,320 meters above sea level, featuring over 80 active geysers and natural thermal pools.

Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0

San Francisco de Chiu Chiu

San Francisco de Chiu Chiu, or simply Chiu Chiu, is a village located about 30 km northeast of the city of Calama, in El Loa Province of…

Pukará de Lasana

A 12th-century pre-Inca stone fortress and national monument situated along the Loa River, featuring the remains of over 100 defensive and residential structures.

Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0

San Pedro

San Pedro is a Holocene composite volcano in northern Chile and at 6,155 metres in elevation one of the highest active volcanoes in the…

Inka Coya

A deep, oval-shaped lagoon located near Chiu Chiu, known for its high salinity and significance in local indigenous legends.

Codelco - Officina de visitas Chuquicamata

The administrative center for coordinating guided tours of the Chuquicamata open-pit mine and the preserved historical mining town.

Caspana

An indigenous village known for its traditional stone architecture, terraced agriculture, and the 17th-century Church of San Lucas.

Pukará de Turi

The largest pre-Columbian fortification in the Atacama region, originally built in the 12th century and later expanded during the Inca period.

Battle of Topáter

The Battle of Topáter, or Battle of Calama, was fought on March 23, 1879 between Chile and Bolivia.