La Serena & Coquimbo Sights
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Port
Coquimbo (La Serena), Chile
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
Local Sightseeing,All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$99.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4 Hours
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Meals Included
Meals included
On a panoramic drive through Coquimbo's downtown core, you will pass the Plaza de Armas -- the main square.
You are headed to beautiful La Herradura de Guayacan Bay via the Pan-American Highway. Snap photos of this gorgeous seaside resort on the Pacific Ocean. It boasts a colorful history of visits by pirates and corsairs, including Sir Francis Drake, Sharp and other equally notorious characters.
Your next destination is the city of La Serena, whose iconic landmark is the El Faro lighthouse on the coastal avenue. This area is packed with visitors and locals alike, drawn to modern architecture, popular hotels, lively pubs, pulsing discos, and fine restaurants.
Make your way down the lovely tree-lined Francisco de Aguirre Avenue to appreciate the many reproduction marble statues installed between the trees of this popular park.
You will visit the Archaeological Museum, which houses the region's most comprehensive selection of pre-colonial artifacts. There is a splendid display of Diaguita pottery and an original Moai from Easter Island.
Stroll one block up to the La Recova handicraft market to find papaya products, lapis lazuli (semi-precious stone), handicrafts of Combarbalita, pottery and ceramics with Diaguita motifs, and alpaca wool articles.
A light snack is served en route.
Notes:
The Archeological Museum is closed on Mondays and Sundays; a guided visit to La Plaza de Armas and a walk to La Recova will be substituted. Wear comfortable walking shoes.