Calama: Culture, Earth History and Nature

Calama brings together cultural history, paleontology and nature along the Río Loa. Parque El Loa features a replica of a church, dinosaur installations, and an ecosystem with native trees, shrubs and local animal species. The Museo de Historia Natural y Cultural del Desierto de Atacama complements these themes with exhibitions on natural wonders, fossils and present-day wildlife.

Culture and Earth History

Parque El Loa features a replica of the Church of San Francisco de Chiu Chiu. It was restored to preserve traditional building methods of the Andean sector of El Loa Province. This brings the preservation of regional building styles into focus alongside the church replica.

The Titanes Es-Culturales route in Parque El Loa and along the Circuito Paseo Borde Río includes life-size sculptures of the Atacamatitan and a pterosaur, as well as other dinosaur installations. The Atacamatitan is considered the first sauropod discovered in Chile. Thus, alongside several depictions of prehistoric animals, the route also offers a link to a specific paleontological discovery in Chile.

At the museum, the Maravillas de la Naturaleza exhibition features around 200 species of butterflies, beetles and other natural wonders from Chile and abroad. Paleontología Mesozoico has a different focus: the exhibition presents fossils of Jurassic marine animals, including ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and marine crocodiles. Fauna y Ecosistemas Andinos showcases a selection of around 60 species of present-day wildlife. The exhibitions thus bring together natural wonders, prehistoric marine life and contemporary fauna.

Nature along the Río Loa

The Parque El Loa ecosystem includes native trees and shrubs. Local animal species include great egrets, black-crowned night herons and Yellow-billed Pintails; the species composition may vary seasonally. The Circuito de Fauna Silvestre del Río Loa aims to promote both tourism and ecosystem conservation in Calama and its surroundings. The similarly named Mirador Borde Río is an extension of the Circuito and aims to introduce the public to the birdlife along the river.

A 2022 report on the inauguration of the Paseo Borde Río described the recreational project along the riverbank, which is over 1.2 kilometers long and features an illuminated suspension bridge. The Paseo and the Mirador are therefore part of different, similarly named attractions related to the Río Loa: one is described as a recreational project, the other as an extension of the wildlife circuit.

An educational Flora and Fauna Tour organized by the Municipality of Calama for the winter holidays followed the Río Loa through Parque El Loa. The Corporación de Cultura y Turismo de Calama's laboratory and archaeological depot are also located in the park area. Free guided tours were offered to the public to view the archaeological heritage kept there.

Discover more destinations: San Pedro De Atacama.

Return to the main travel overview: El Loa Province.