I visited this WHS in 2023 visiting all 3 locations. Arica in Northern Chile is a dusty town, very close to the Peruvian border (it also experiences the infamous "Garua" overcast weather at times!). Apart from the pretty Cathedral of St. Mark designed by Gustave Eiffel and built in the 1870s, the highlight in town for WH travellers lies in the vicinity of the Morro de Arica Natural Monument.

As a WH traveller I was more keen on exploring its cultural and prehistoric importance rather than its natural importance or its more recent military importance. Half way up the Morro de Arica Natural Monument, you'll be able to spot the fenced off archaeological site of the Faldeo Norte del Morro de Arica, the first location I visited. There isn't much to see at the moment, apart from orange flags and plots marking ongoing digs. At the bottom, at street level, there is the UNESCO WHS inscription plaque.

By the time I took in the view from the top and explored the first location, the next location I wanted to visit, Colón 10, had opened and I was the first to enter (and the only one for that matter till the end of my visit). A kind old lady indicated the QR code available for interesting information and videos on the site. This central archaeological dig is practically hidden in what would easily seem like any other house along the steep street. Clean glass floors make it easy to walk over the different mummies found, although reflections make it difficult to appreciate the details without getting your camera close to the glass floor. Upstairs there are a few interesting statues, fishing tools and objects found, and some information boards. The latter, together with the online information via the QR code, are key to grasp the gist of this WHS as well as the many theories put forward.

The next location is just a small detour on the way to/from the Humberstone/Santa Laura Saltpeter Works WHS. Off the Atacama Desert highway you'll see several Chinchorro mummy statues at different viewpoints. At a place called Cuya, just after crossing a bridge and a police checkpoint, you'll spot the colourful Espacio Cultural Chinchorro building, housing a permanent exhibition on the Chinchorro culture, with infographics, replicas of some of the mummies found in the third location I visited, cerimonial masks, bone necklaces, fishing gear made from shells, etc. From there make a sharp turn towards the third location, Desembocadura de Camarones. On the way there's another place with Chinchorro mummy statues called Plaza de la Cultura Chinchorro, and then the road leads to a sort of makeshift shabby surfing "town". I didn't feel comfortable parking my car there and walking, so I drove down the unpaved road to the bay stopping next to the few signs showing a "Chinchorro trail (Sendero Chinchorro)" at Caleta and Desembocadura de Camarones. Apart from the splendid views combining the desert, the river and ocean landscapes, here you'll also see a roped-off human-like or cross-like figure made up of lots of shells and earth, surrounded by a number of equally distanced rocks, believed to represent the spirituality of the Chinchorro culture.

This WHS is believed to present the oldest known archaeological evidence of the artificial mummification of bodies with cemeteries that contain both artificially mummified bodies and some that were preserved due to environmental conditions. The Chinchorro were marine hunter-gatherers who resided in the arid and hostile northern coast of the Atacama Desert in northernmost Chile from approximately 5450 BCE to 890 BCE. Unlike most prehistoric WHS I have visited so far, I was positively surprised by the sheer amount of original remains I managed to see in situ, and I must say I enjoyed it overall (I had very low expectations though). It was a bonus WHS on my way to the Saltpeter Works WHS in an extraordinary Atacama desert landscape.