The most northerly city in Chile, just 20km from the border with Peru. It's stuffed into a valley by the sea surrounded by desert. There's some nice beaches, especially the northern one. The city centre is quite small and pedestrianised, there's a park towards the port with an old steam engine and a church.

Accommodation - Maison de France, run by a French couple and a guy called Vladimir, who is also French and has communist parents. The rooms and bathrooms are OK and they have a laundry service, I don't think you can use the kitchen. Christian, the owner is a fantastic chef and you can have dinner there for 2500 pesos, that's as cheap as the breakfast. It's a 20 mins walk into the city centre but the nicest beach and the bus station are only 5 mins walk.