Things to Do in Humberstone and Santa Laura

Two abandoned nitrate towns in Chile's Atacama Desert preserve an entire industrial era in rust and sand. Humberstone and Santa Laura, UNESCO World Heritage sites ~47 kilometers east of Iquique, operated from 1872 to 1960 when thousands of workers extracted saltpeter from one of Earth's driest places. The desert mummified everything naturally. Schools, theaters, and swimming pools sit empty alongside massive processing machinery, creating a landscape that feels frozen in time.

Bring your own food. The ghost towns have zero restaurants or cafes—that is the point after all. Stock up in Iquique, where waterfront seafood restaurants around Cavancha serve fresh Pacific catches prepared Chilean-style. Empanadas and other portable foods work well for desert picnics. Pozo Almonte has basic Chilean restaurants, though options are limited.

Visit May through September for cooler weather. Summer temperatures (December-March) can hit 35°C (95°F), making midday exploration brutal—winter days are manageable but nights turn surprisingly cold. The desert air provides excellent photography conditions year-round, though winter light is softer. Weekdays are less crowded than weekends, and early arrival beats both crowds and heat.