Waters of Bahia Inglesa, Chile

April 16, 2018 SouthAmerica

For much of length of the very long Peru and Chile coastline, the beach sands are dark gray, mirroring their andesite source terrane from which much of the sediment was derived. Bahia Inglesa overcomes this norm by having more whitish sand from addition of shell material. The waters along the Chilean coastline are frigid, and yet full of nutrients, supports a large fishery, and lively coastal communities of shellfish fauna. The Bahia Inglesa sand really has two components, the white shell material, and darker grains, giving it a salt and pepper appearance. The sand color is important for imparting to the shallow water in coves between craggy rocks a light blue hue. The water’s color is enough to convince somebody for a pleasant time in the Pacific, until you feel the temperature!

southamericatotheworld.com — Close up photograph of sand from Bahia Inglesa. About 80 percent of the grains are from shell fragments, thereby explaining the overall whiter character of the beach.

Bahia Inglesa is located off of the Panamericana Highway at the general latitude of Copiapό, and is just south of the small fishing port called Caldera. The quickest approach is the flight to Copiapό, which lands closer to this beach than to the town, at the Atacama airport. At both Caldera and Bahia Inglesa the small town sites offer restaurants having fresh catch of the day, where the Dorado and Corvina (sea bass) are recommended. Caldera has more services while the village at Bahia Inglesa exists for servicing tourists that flock here in the summer months to enjoy the aforementioned white sands.

About 16 km to the south is another series of less developed beaches at Bahia de Chorrillos that are also worth checking out.

Caldera Museum- the relatively low coastal plains behind Bahia Inglesa feature Pliocene marine deposits that include whale fossils. Old sea cliffs cut into this material is distinct on the aerial photographs. A similar shallow marine basin that is now uplifted exposing whale fossils in Peru surrounds the port town of Pisco, however, Bahia Inglesa wins for having the stunning water colors and whiter sand. Any Chile road trip exploring the length of the country should place a stop at this tranquil beach.