For your plans in Caldera, there are two main areas to focus on: time on the coast and the history of the port. Playa Mansa is the town’s main beach, located 800 metres from Plaza de Caldera. In the historic centre, the Ruta Histórica leads to the port’s first houses and to landmarks that have shaped the history of the Región de Atacama and Chile.

The Coast and Historic Centre

Playa Mansa has no waves, making it especially suitable for families and children. However, sea conditions can change depending on the weather. Public toilets and showers are available at the beach; lifeguard services are seasonal or depend on operations. Playa Brava is on the coast of Caldera’s historic centre. This gives you different coastal settings to choose from, without needing to treat the beaches as if they offered the same kind of stay.

The Ruta Histórica runs through the historic centre. It includes the port’s first houses and landmarks that have shaped the history of the Región de Atacama and Chile. For a trip focused on urban history, it offers a way to explore these local points of interest.

Historic Houses and Cultural Sites

Casa Tornini tells the story of two periods in the city’s history. Thomas Smith, the railway’s administrator at the time, had the house built in 1875. Bernardo Tornini Capelli acquired it in 1907 and used it as a residence and the office of the Italian consulate. Today, it houses collections on the Guerra del Pacífico, the Revolución Constituyente of 1859, and migration processes in the late 19th century. Visits are possible by advance reservation; check the visit arrangements before planning your trip.

The former Aduana de Caldera has also served a range of purposes: it previously housed the first British consulate in northern Chile, as well as a civil registry office, radio station, and nightclub. Today, it is home to the Universidad de Atacama’s Centro de Desarrollo Cultural. Estación Caldera, meanwhile, was declared a National Monument in 1964 and converted for use as a cultural centre. These two buildings show different ways historic buildings have been put to cultural use.

The Gruta de Lourdes was begun in 1934 as a shrine in honour of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was built by parish priest Crisógono de Sierra y Velásquez, known as “Padre Negro”; local residents supported the project. The grotto is also popularly known as “La Gruta del Padre Negro.” Iglesia San Vicente de Paul is a historic and religious landmark in Caldera, as well as an important place of worship in the Región de Atacama.

Places to Visit Nearby

If you’d like to explore beyond the historic centre, there are different points of interest in the surrounding area. Mina San José is 30 kilometres from Caldera. The site is associated with the events of 5 August 2010, when 33 miners were trapped more than 700 metres underground. It is therefore an important historical point of reference for the region.

Zoológico de Piedras is 15 kilometres north of Caldera on Ruta 5. You can explore its signposted circuit on foot or by vehicle; the site is also a bouldering area regularly visited by Chilean climbers. The Los Dedos paleontological site is 12 kilometres from Caldera on Ruta C-302 towards Morro and can also be reached by bicycle. As a protected open-air museum accessible to the public, it offers a route with several stops and life-size representations of species that once lived in the region. The two destinations therefore differ both in their subject matter and in the ways of exploring them described here.

In the municipality of Caldera, the Museo Paleontológico de Caldera presents the municipality’s and the Región de Atacama’s paleontological and historical heritage. It is currently closed for repairs. If this museum is important to your plans, take its stated closure into account.

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Discover more destinations: Tierra Amarilla, Copiapó.

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