Day 20 – Sunday, February 15, 2026

So I spent this Sunday in Antofagasta — not that I necessarily wanted to be idle, but I used the day to first of all take a rest, then in the AF‑ternoon I ventured into the city for the second time. BTW, the breakfast at my hotel was quite good — or at least better than expected.

Antofagasta, one of the largest cities in Chile, is dramatically positioned between the Pacific and the vast Atacama Desert. Its origins trace back to the 19th century, when it grew rapidly as a mining town — initially for nitrate, later copper and lithium. Despite its industrial roots, Antofagasta developed into a modern urban center with universities, cultural institutions, and a busy port. Antofagasta contributes to Chile’s mining economy while also evolving into a more diversified and livable city. Its blend of harsh desert surroundings, industrial heritage, and coastal beauty gives it a unique character.

I got on a bus to reach downtown; it stopped right in front of my hotel (though as far as I can tell, they can be hailed from pretty much anywhere). On one of these lines, the wife of the driver was counting the ticket fare (a ride costs €0.60), while her son was loitering around, with the daughter sleeping peacefully on the floor beside her feet.

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The father is the driver, his wife is the ticket collector, the boy is loitering around — see the feet of the daughter sleeping on the floor

There is always some sort of on‑board entertainment — ice‑cream, chips, soft‑drink vendors, musicians, people asking for money — all board the small buses and loudly present their case. Not a boring moment.

The beachfront is rocky and the few artificial sand beaches are crowded — so I did not take a dip.

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Rocky beach front

There are malls, historic colonial‑style buildings and a large park — which on this Sunday AF‑ternoon was completely deserted. Do bear in mind, we are in the midst of a large desert, still, there are oleanders, palm trees and (what I believe are) Norfolk Island pines. How do they grow here?

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Colonial buildings, green...

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...red

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A wonderful park

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There seems to be plenty of water to feed these plants

At the south end of town was a massive fortress‑like ruin, with the fancy name of Las Ruinas de Huanchaca — I thought I was seeing some historic structure from the 18th century, of a civilization called the Huanchacas (though it did not fit my knowledge of history). I was humbled to find out that these were 100‑year‑old remains of a silver mine. There was an interactive museum (mostly in Spanish only), where I learned that they used the desert area around Antofagasta to test the Mars rover in the late Nineties.

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