ChileSouth America

Pan de Azúcar. White- sand heaven in the middle of Atacama.

Pan de Azucar, Chile

Pan de Azúcar- Sugar Loaf

In the north of Chile, around 30 km from a little town Chañaral and 100 km north of Caldera, there is a National Park Pan de Azúcar. Although it is famous for its lovely beaches, unusual rock formations, rich flora and fauna and pingüinos de Humboldt that live on the little pointy island that can be seen from the shore, not many people actually go there or even know this place. Some locals might visit it, but I haven’t heard of many foreigners that planned on going there or were familiar with its existence.

I have been to Pan de Azúcar three times so far, mostly because I was so eager to see the Humboltd penguins living in this tiny island. Three times lucky they say? Well, not for this adventure. It seems impossible to arrange a boat trip with the local fishermen. To successfully beat our disappointment, we spend hours walking at the wild, people- less beaches of white soft sand. The beach is so wide, that you cannot even see the ocean and it takes good 20 minutes of walking across to touch the water.

See also: Sandboarding in Atacama.

Pan de Azucar, Chile

 Let me rant a little about the penguins business. It was one of the experiences I wanted to have and being relatively close, what a better chance can I get to meet those little guys? As I said: three times I tried. No luck.

The fishermen can never guarantee if the trip will happen.  It mostly depends on weather conditions and the  permission they obtain is the same day in the morning. As I said the weather conditions is the major reason for cancelling boat trips, however it’s not the only one. As it happened to us one of those days, the fisherman decided  to sell crafts that lovely Saturday afternoon and did not  feel like taking people to see those beautiful birds. Begging did not help  much. The previous day we were told that the trip will be possible. Oh well, did not happen. One of those blue days he had, I guess.

Getting any solid information or to make arrangements is next to nill. One of those slightly annoying habits in Chile I’ve been observing frequently for the last year and half.  Good I could discharge my sadness by spoiling my eyes with  the picturesque panorama of white-sand beach meeting furious foamy waves hitting the rocks.

See also: You know you are in Chile when…

Pan de Azucar, Chile

Pan de Azucar, Chile

Caleta de Pan de Azúcar

Inside the park there is a little inhabited area called Caleta de Pan de Azúcar. It is a complex of a few houses and some places to eat some of the freshest fish the fishermen just caught. It is really worth visiting not only for that yummy food, but mostly to watch the birds. There is many kinds of them, but I find it most interesting to watch the cheeky pelicans begging for a little piece of fish…or trying to steal one from the fishermen. If they don’t beg, they hunt flying over the waters and diving with a great speed like arrows to get some dinner.

The beach in Caleta is not perfect for bathing and sun tanning, but apparently divers can explore some order doxycycline canada parts of the wharf. After big rains a year ago a few areas of the park were destroyed and now they are off-limits, but there’s still plenty to see and do.

 
Pan de Azucar, Chile

Pan de Azucar, ChilePan de Azucar, Chile

Hiking

There’s a lot of places to walk around if you get tired of beach. Just mind the pumas and wild foxes. This place is also home for many types of cactuses,  but those won’t do much harm. Pumas are the ones you need to watch out for. If you are interested in discovering new species of plants, cactuses and flowers, you’ll love this place. If not, you will still like, I can assure you.

Pan de Azucar, Chile

Where to stay

There are cabañas (lodges) inside the park. You can find them online. This is an excellent choice if you want to just stay in one place and relax. You can have a barbecue or try yummy fish straight from the sea   in one of the restaurants.

Stay in a hotel in Chañaral. If you don’t mind a little bit of driving, you can stay in the near town. We chose  this option and stayed in a small hotel called AquaLuna. It is significantly cheaper than renting the lodge and the place was clean and comfortable.

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How to get there

The best way is not go there by car (or a motorbike if you prefer) as you will have freedom to explore the surrounding and all the hidden gems.  The park is big and to get from place to place is rather far. In Caleta de Pan de Azúcar you might ask for a bike to rent.

There are buses going to Chañaral, from Santiago the trip takes 14 hours.

Entry fee to the park

Adults from Chile: $CL 3000

Adults foreigners: $CL5000

Children: $CL 1500

See also: Keep calm…and go to Chile. What you need to know before your trip.

Long walk at the beach for sunset

You can have a very, very long walk at the beach. Just keep in mind that the sun in Atacama gets really hot and strong and in winter you may not feel it much, it still can burn you, so use plenty of cream.

In winter there is no one else at the beach inside the park and even in peak season you can count people on the fingers of your one hand. Basically, you are alone there. You, the ocean, the waves, the birds happily tweet-tweeting and the sea lions. It is really a place far from anywhere, where you can recharge your batteries if you are tired of the business and crowds of cities.


Pan de Azucar, Chile

Pan de Azucar, Chile

What I like most about this places is its clean, beautiful beaches. Although most of them are not very suitable for swimming due to occasionally rock appearance and strong water streams, they still make a beautiful place to be. It is such a surprise to see that in the middle of the desert. As I mentioned a number of times in the past, Atacama never stops surprising me.

Thank you for visiting. Please let us know what most surprising places you have visited. I am looking forward to hear your stories.

See also: 12 favourite shots from Atacama this year

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