Parinacota

Parinacota is a small Aymara village on the high-altitude plateau of the Arica y Parinacota Region, situated at 4,400 m within the Lauca National Park buffer zone. The village is home to about 500 people and is best known for its striking whitewashed adobe church — one of the oldest churches in Chile — and its setting at the foot of the Volcán Parinacota (6,348 m), one of the highest peaks in the Andes.

The village name comes from the Aymara language, possibly meaning "place of the flamingos" — a reference to the flocks of Andean and Chilean flamingos that feed in the nearby lagoons and wetlands. Parinacota is the highest permanently inhabited settlement in Chile and one of the highest in South America. The climate is cold year-round, with nighttime frost in every month and daytime maxima of 10–16°C from November to March.

By Plane

Chacalluta International Airport (ARI) in Arica is 160 km west. From Arica, a bus to Putre (CLP 5,000–7,000, 2 hr), then a local connection to Parinacota (30 min, CLP 3,000).

By Car / Road

Take Route 11 east from Arica to the international border crossing at Paso Chungará. Parinacota is 10 km north of the highway on a signed gravel road, 150 km from Arica (2 hr drive). The road is paved as far as Putre, then good-quality gravel. A 4x4 is not essential but helpful.

The village is tiny — you can walk from end to end in 10 minutes. For exploration of the surrounding lagoons and the volcano area, a vehicle is necessary. Local guides in Putre offer tours that include Parinacota.

• Iglesia de Parinacota: a 17th-century adobe church with striking white walls framed by a backdrop of blue sky and green altiplano. Designated a National Monument in 1951. The interior holds 18th-century altarpieces covered in gold leaf.

• Volcán Parinacota: the perfectly symmetrical 6,348 m stratovolcano looms over the village. Its last eruption was about 1,800 years ago. The cone is mirrored in the waters of Lake Chungará.

• Bofedal de Parinacota: a high-altitude wetland (bofedal) just east of the village, kept green by mountain runoff and teeming with waterbirds.

• Aymara homesteads: traditional stone-walled houses with straw-thatched roofs, surrounded by corrals for llamas and alpacas.

• Photography: Parinacota's white church against the blue sky and snowy volcano is one of the most photographed scenes in the Chilean altiplano. Best light is in the morning.

• Lauca National Park day trip: Parinacota sits at the edge of the park — hike the short trails to Lake Chungará, visit the Lagunas Cotacotani, and spot flamingos.

• Llama and alpaca trekking: local Aymara guides offer short treks with pack llamas across the altiplano (CLP 40,000–60,000 per half-day).

• Weaving demonstration: several families in the village still use pre-Columbian backstrap looms to weave textiles from alpaca and llama wool. Ask at the municipal office.

• Cocinería Parinacota (budget): a basic eatery opposite the church serving quinoa soup, llama charqui (dried meat), papa rellena (stuffed potatoes), and coca tea. Mains CLP 4,000–7,000.
• Most visitors bring a packed lunch from Putre. There is no restaurant serving dinner — meal times are arranged with your accommodation in advance.

Tap water is from mountain springs — generally safe but high in minerals. Bottled water is not available in the village. Mate de coca is the drink of choice and is served everywhere. Avoid alcohol at this altitude (4,400 m).

• Budget: Hospedaje Parinacota (basic shared rooms with thick wool blankets and a wood-burning stove, CLP 12,000–15,000 per person).
• Mid-range: Hostal Aymara (private rooms with en-suite bathroom and electric blanket, CLP 35,000–50,000, dinner included).
• Camping is not recommended — the altitude and extreme cold make it unsafe without expedition-grade gear.

• Artesanías Parinacota: a small craft shop near the church selling handwoven scarves, hats, gloves, and small tapestries — all in traditional Aymara patterns.
• There is no supermarket or general store — stock up on essentials in Putre or Arica before coming.

• Putre (25 km west, 30 min): the main altiplano town with shops, restaurants, thermal springs, and the CONAF Lauca office.
• Lauca National Park (integrated with Parinacota's surroundings): Lake Chungará (4,517 m), Lagunas Cotacotani, and the Parinacota and Pomerape twin volcanoes.
• Lago Chungará (15 km east, 15 min): one of the highest lakes in the world, set directly beneath the Parinacota volcano.
• Las Vicuñas National Reserve (30 km east, 30 min): a vast reserve protecting the habitat of the vicuña and the endangered Huallata goose.
• General Lagos / Visviri (60 km southeast, 1.5 hr): the tripoint border junction with Peru and Bolivia.
• Arica (160 km west, 2.5 hr): the regional capital — El Morro, Chinchorro mummies, and the Pacific coast.