High peaks, salt flats, beaches, lagoons and the southern part of the Atacama Desert are all part of the natural attractions of the region, which has the Desierto Florido (Flowering Desert) phenomenon as one of its must-see's, a unique and surprisingly colorful spectacular.

 

 

The desert in bloom is a climatic phenomenon that is unique in this world, consisting of the emergence of a wide variety of flowers between the months of September and November.

The beauty of this natural event, which transforms the usually arid landscape into a gigantic multicolored garden, generates a great tourist attraction due to the peculiarity delivered through the mixture of its geography and rare images.

The phenomenon is particularly intense in the coastal area of the region, in the Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe national park, from the city of Vallenar in the south to the city of Copiapó in the north, approximately 800 kilometers north of Santiago.

The coastal circuit running from Caldera to Chañaral and the mountain range that starts in Copiapó and goes up into the highlands, bring together major natural expressions that identify the northern region.

One of the coastal landmarks is the Parque Nacional Pan de Azúcar, in which stands Pan de Azúcar (Sugarloaf Island), which is inhabited by a permanent colony of Humboldt penguins, with clear water beaches where you can dive and fish and an environment that allows one to observe animals characteristic of the area, such as guanacos and foxes.

 

Towards the mountains other natural wonders unfold, such as the Salar de Maricunga, the Laguna Santa Rosa and Negro Francisco, sites that are part of the Parque Nacional Nevado Tres Cruces. In this region is Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano in the world, at an altitude of 6,893 meters.

Considered one of the most beautiful beaches of Chile, Bahía Inglesa (English Bay) was named so by the repeated visits of English pirates during the seventeenth century. The bay has white sands and clear waters and receives tourists throughout the year.