Antofagasta Historic Center: Plaza Colón, the British Clocktower, the Portales Waterfront, and the Nitrate Era Architecture
Antofagasta's historic center route covers Plaza Colón as the most architecturally distinctive single civic square in the Norte Grande featuring a replica of London's Big Ben donated by British residents, the Portales waterfront as the most scenic single coastal promenade in northern Chile, the historic train station as the most impressive single railway heritage building in the Atacama, and the nitrate era commercial buildings as the most intact single example of British-influenced industrial port city architecture in South America.
Chuquicamata and Calama: The World's Largest Open-Pit Copper Mine, the Mining City, and the Atacama Industrial Heritage
The Chuquicamata and Calama route covers Chuquicamata as the world's largest single open-pit copper mine and the most economically significant single mining operation in Chilean history, the Chuquicamata company town as the most completely preserved single mining company town in South America, and Calama as the most mining-culture-defined single city in Chile and the gateway to the San Pedro de Atacama tourist circuit.
Atacama Desert Interior: Valle de la Luna, the Salar de Atacama, the Flamingo Lagoons, and the Pre-Andean Desert Landscape
The Atacama Desert interior route from Antofagasta covers Valle de la Luna as the most otherworldly single desert landscape in South America with its salt-and-clay formations eroded into the most lunar-like single terrain in the hemisphere, the Salar de Atacama as the largest single salt flat in Chile and the most lithium-rich single geological resource in the world, and the flamingo breeding lagoons as the most biologically unexpected single wildlife habitat in the hyperarid Atacama.
Antofagasta Food Culture: Caleta Coloso Fishing Harbor, the Norte Grande Seafood Tradition, the Port City Market, and the Mining Camp Cuisine
The Antofagasta food culture route covers Caleta Coloso as the most authentic single artisan fishing harbor in the Antofagasta metropolitan area, the Norte Grande seafood tradition as the most Humboldt Current-defined single regional cuisine in Chile, the hybrid mining-and-maritime food culture of Antofagasta as the most culturally mixed single culinary identity in the north, and the Bolivian and Peruvian immigrant food influences as the most internationally diverse single food culture in the Norte Grande.
Southern Antofagasta Region: Taltal Historic Port, Paposo Nature Reserve, the Coastal Desert Fog Zone, and the Atacama Southern Wilderness
The southern Antofagasta Region route covers Taltal as the most intact single nitrate-era port town in the southern Norte Grande, the Paposo Nature Reserve as the most biologically rich single fog-desert coastal area in the Antofagasta Region, and the southern Atacama coastal wilderness as the most remotely spectacular single landscape accessible by road from the Norte Grande capital.
Paranal Observatory: The VLT, the World's Most Powerful Optical Telescope, the Residencia, and the E-ELT Construction Site
The Paranal observatory route covers the Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Cerro Paranal as the world's most scientifically productive single ground-based optical telescope facility, the Paranal Residencia as the most architecturally extraordinary single scientist accommodation in the world, the Cerro Armazones E-ELT construction site as the location of the largest single optical telescope in human history currently under construction, and the Atacama Astronomy Park as the most accessible single public stargazing facility in the Antofagasta Region.
Antofagasta Science and Culture: The Museo del Desierto, the Atacama Paleontology, the Huanchaca Ruins, and the Desert Natural History
The Antofagasta science and culture route covers the Museo del Desierto as the most comprehensive single natural history museum dedicated to the Atacama Desert in the world, the Huanchaca ruins as the most dramatically positioned single industrial heritage site in northern Chile, and the Atacama's extraordinary paleontological record as the most fossil-rich single desert in the southern hemisphere.
Antofagasta Coast: La Portada Natural Monument, the Municipal Beach Circuit, and the Atacama Coastal Cliffs
The Antofagasta coastal route covers La Portada as the most photographically iconic single natural landmark in northern Chile, a massive wave-carved volcanic arch rising 42 meters from the Pacific, the Balneario Municipal as the most family-oriented single beach in the Norte Grande capital city, and the Antofagasta coastal cliff drive as the most scenically dramatic single coastal road in the Atacama Region.