Taking a trip south.

[Roger in the US]

My girlfriend and I are taking a trip south to Chile. Neither one of us have not visited before.
We are going to bus it this time and take our time. Our first stop will be Ica. Can anybody recommend a decent hotel that does not cost a fortune.

We haven't decided on our second stop yet but our third will be Tacna and heard that it is a nice city. I was told to take the train from there to Arica. Any recommendations on hotels and must see's when we arrive in Santiago? Or any other near by cities that we should visit? We will be on the road about 10 days and probably work our way over to Argentina also. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.....

[Dave]

I'm traveling to Tacna next week (by air) for a few days. If you aren't arriving there before then, I'll be able to give you some feedback on hotels and things to do there, unless you already have that leg of the trip figured out.

[chi chi]

Ica itself isn't interesting. There are still a lot of empty plots where homes stood before the devastating earthquake.


The tourist hotspot is the Laguna de Huacachina. There are plenty of hotels located around the laguna.
The place has lost it's former glory but it's still nice to visit. The hotels are cheap, a bit tatty but they are clean.
The place is full of gringos. Mostly backpackers. The only Peruvians you will see there are the ones that work there.

There's no bus service to the laguna but a taxi from the busstation in downtown Ica to the Laguna costs 5 soles.

I recommend to go on a buggy tour. The desert is amazing. They have some of the highest dunes in the world. If you go in the evening, you can see the sunset. And during the buggy tour, you can sandboard.

[Sergio Bernales]

This place has a lot of character and isn't going to break the bank.

http://www.elcarmelohotelhacienda.com/

I think Arequipa would make a good second stop. Moquegua is an attractive town, slightly off the beaten track. There are no trains in Arica or Tacna, only train museums. There used to be a line that went to Bolivia.

Have a look at this thread for more ideas.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=27270

And you must visit Valparaiso.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/959

[Dave]

Agreed with Chi Chi, if passing by Ica you have to do the sand dunes. People travel to Peru just to go there, and with good reason.

[TonyLeslie]

You suggested you will be on the road for 10 days, is that one way only? I cannot see how you will have much time for site seeing if your going from Lima to Santiago and possibly Argentina, which will probably be Mendoza, as it's the closest big city in Argentina to the Chilean Border. I struggle to see everything I want to see around Santiago in two weeks, so best of luck. I think your going to see a lot of the inside of the bus if your going to cover that distance in 10 days.

[inscop]

Whoever said there is nothing to see or do in Ica is obviously not a drinker of Pisco. But other than that, yeah, there are the sand dunes and the little lake.

I would like to hear from the OP whether or not they visit any wineries.