After an hour and a half of bare pampa, Pica comes as a shock: a town buried in fruit trees, about 1,300 m up at the foot of the Andes, watered by warm springs that rise from underground. It has been cultivated since long before the Spanish arrived, and in colonial times it was known for its wine.
Today it is known all over Chile for the limón de Pica, a small, thin-skinned, intensely aromatic lime that is the classic ingredient of a pisco sour, and for its mangoes, guavas and oranges. It is the favourite weekend escape for people from Iquique.
Top things to do at Pica & Matilla
Swim at Cocha Resbaladero
The best-known of Pica’s cochas — natural pools — is a rock basin fed by a spring at around 30 °C, with small caves at one end. An entrance fee is charged and there are changing rooms. It is busiest on weekends and holidays; come early or on a weekday for calm water.
Drink fresh juice and buy alfajores
Stalls near the pool blend mango, guava and other fruit to order. Pica is also known for its alfajores, soft sandwich biscuits with a sweet filling, and for jams made from local fruit.
See the church of San Andrés
The large 19th-century church on the main square is one of the finest in the region, with a timber interior and a life-size Last Supper. It has been damaged and repaired after several earthquakes.
Stop in Matilla
A few kilometres before Pica, the hamlet of Matilla has a whitewashed church with a separate bell tower, and an old lagar, the press where the oasis’s wine was once made.
How to get to Pica & Matilla
- By car: about 115 km from Iquique — up to the Pan-American Highway, south past Pozo Almonte, then east on a paved road via La Tirana. Allow around two hours.
- By bus: buses run daily from Iquique to Pica; the journey takes roughly two hours.
- On a tour: agencies in Iquique run full-day trips combining Humberstone, La Tirana and Pica. These are not currently bookable on GetYourGuide.
Insider tips
- Bring swimwear, a towel and sandals for the pool.
- Pica is hotter by day and colder at night than the coast. Take sun protection and a layer for the evening.
- There are simple hotels and cabins if you want to stay; book ahead for weekends and for mid-July, when the La Tirana festival fills the area.
- Pica is the last reliable place for fuel and supplies before the road up to the Salar del Huasco.
Bookable experiences to pair with Pica & Matilla
GetYourGuide’s Iquique catalogue is small, so these are the real, bookable experiences that fit best around a visit to Pica & Matilla:
Tandem flight from US$67 Iquique: Paragliding Experience with GoPro Video
The thing Iquique is famous for among pilots worldwide. You launch from the edge of the coastal cliff at Alto Hospicio strapped to a certified tandem pilot, glide out over the great dune and the city’s towers, and come in to land near the beach. The listing includes a GoPro video of the flight.
- Tandem flight with a certified pilot — no experience needed
- Views of the city, the Cerro Dragón dune and the Pacific
- GoPro video of your flight included
Adventure activity from US$52 Experience Sandboarding in the Iquique Dunes
Two hours of sandboarding on the dunes above Iquique with a local instructor. It is the cheapest bookable activity in town and, at the time of writing, the one with the most reviews — every one of them five stars. Expect sand everywhere and a sunset-coloured view of the city.
- Ride down the dunes that rise behind the city
- Equipment and instruction provided
- The best-reviewed Iquique activity on GetYourGuide
