La Serena, another port town on the West Coast of Chile was my next stop on my determined way to Santiago.
As I discussed in my previous post to Antofagasta, I was going to put in some big miles to get to Santiago as I would need to get my KTM Super Adventure serviced, new tires and also replace parts in my helmet, which was causing me issues.
After just one night in Antofagasta, I left before daybreak so I could get off a great start, on a journey which would cover over 550 miles (900 km)
Hand of the Desert – Mano del Desierto
The Hand of the Desert (Mano del Desierto) is about an hour outside of Antofagasta, along Ruta 5. It is not exactly in the greatest setting, but it is pretty cool. I would think about 15-30 minutes is all you need here. Probably best in the evening for photos with the sun coming up beh9nd you. I got there at first light, and it was pretty cool, but the sun was rising behind it, making it tougher to get a good shot!
To La Serena
I would travel via Panamericana Norte/Ruta 5 on my way to La Serena. Zig Zagging through seaside towns of Taltal, Cifuncho, Chañaral, Caldera, Vallenar, La Higuera and then finally onto La Serena.
La Serena
La Serena is the capital of the Coquimbo region on Chile’s coast. The city is known for its long beaches, like El Faro with its landmark Faro Monumental lighthouse, and its colonial and neo-colonial architecture. The late-Renaissance Iglesia de San Francisco is one of many churches dominating the skyline. The Archaeological Museum displays pre-Hispanic pottery and a giant stone head (moai) from Easter Island. From Wikipedia
Hotel Playa Campanario – La Serena – Chile
I got there around 6 pm and my room was ready on arrival, it was a pretty basic hotel, but I could park my bike right at reception. There was a pretty simple, but nice and cool swimming pool and rooms were very simple. I had a nice little balcony.
The WiFi is very basic with less than 1 Mbps download and about 0.5 Mbps upload. So not much can be done with this.
The people at the hotel were nice and very helpful.
Once I got to my room, I got all my gear ready, all my devices on the charge, showered and changed and then I went touring the little city.
I went for a walk to local shops, got some delicious street food, then went for a swim in the pool and returned after about 3 hours.
