Welcome to Calama, El Loa (Atacama desert), Chile

Calama, El Loa, Antofagasta (Atacama desert), Chile

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Calama is a city and commune in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. It is the capital of El Loa Province, part of the Antofagasta Region. Calama is one of the driest cities in the world with average annual precipitation of just 5 mm.

Close to Calama is the worlds largest copper mine as well as some interesting archeological sites. Everywhere are reminders of the precious metal: copper statues, copper wall-etchings and reliefs, and even a copper-plated spire on the cathedral In 2004 the city also inherited a wave of copper refugees when the entire population of polluted mining town Chuquicamata relocated here.

Some of Calama's top attractions are the Licancabur volcano, Los Flamencos National Reserve, the El Tatio Geysers, Pink flamincos, geyser, Moon valley, archeological findings along with many more natural points of interest. The city itself hosts many museums and educational centers.

Take a guided tour or rent a car and get out on your own. You'll be amazed at what you can find in the driest desert in the world.

Calama by the numbers:

by the numbers:

• Population (2022):
  • 194,575 inhabitants
• Location:
  • Lat, Long: (-22.451300, -68.923798)
  • GPS Coordinates: 22° 27' 4.68'' S, 68° 55' 25.6728'' W
  • +/- 1,574 km (978.1 mi) north of Santiago
• Elevation:
  • 2 m (7 ft 7")
• Timezone:
  • CLT – Chile Standard Time (Current offset: UTC -3 hrs)

Map:

Weather forecasts:

The weather:

Historical values:
	Min	Max
January	10ºC/50ºF	27ºC/81ºF
February	9ºC/48ºF	25ºC/77ºF
March	5ºC/41ºF	24ºC/75ºF
April	3ºC/37ºF	25ºC/77ºF
May	2ºC/36ºF	25ºC/77ºF
June	2ºC/36ºF	30ºC/86ºF
July	4ºC/39ºF	20ºC/68ºF
August	1ºC/34ºF	25ºC/77ºF
September	3ºC/37ºF	25ºC/77ºF
October	2ºC/36ºF	28ºC/82ºF
November	-1ºC/30ºF	24ºC/75ºF
December	4ºC/39ºF	26ºC/79ºF