La Serena

La Serena - Photos: Marcelo Sola

apital of the Coquimbo Region, La Serena is one of the most popular seaside destinations in the country. The choice is not at random, as nature has managed to mingle its vast shores of sandy beaches on the Pacific Ocean with coast desert weather characterized by a low rainfall regime and moderate temperatures.

The average annual temperature is 13.6º C, whereas the maximum and minimum range between 19 and 12º C. This is the result of the camanchaca or fog of the coast, typical visitor to the city every morning, generated by the condensation of masses of wet air.

Tourists visiting these shores find first-level services to make the most of their vacations or business trip in a unique environment. A significant hotel offer along Avenida del Mar (Avenue of the Sea) and a refined gastronomy that shows off with the exquisite products of the ocean await the arrival of customers.

La Serena lies 472 kilometers from Santiago and 534 kilometers from the City of San Juan, Argentina, through the Agua Negra Mountain Pass. Highway 5 North is in excellent condition to reach the city by land, or else, Route CH 41 enters the area from the East.

To enjoy sunshine and the sea waves, there are 13 bathing resorts with outdoor pubs of good infrastructure to offer visitors all the services they will need on the beach. Amusing TV shows are broadcast live for Televisión Nacional every year from El Faro Beach.

The urban center of La Serena features interesting cultural, architectural, artistic and recreational attractions. A city tour around the city takes visitors back in time to the Plaza de Armas (main square), the church cathedral, the museums, the churches, the parks and its monumental lighthouse –an unquestionable icon at La Serena.

The tourist offer is completed towards the inland territories. The range of tours around the geography upholstered with vineyards in the Valley of Elqui invites visitors to go along the Pisco Rad and behold the sky in the local astronomic observatories.

Furthermore, the Humboldt Current enables the waters of La Serena to concentrate a significant amount of sea fauna for visitors to watch. For such reason, boat tours are organized to observe penguins, sea lions and dolphins in the surroundings.

Discover La Serena, an entire coastline to be enjoyed.