The road meets the Pacific at Tocopilla, a port city whose entire history is bound up with the extraction industries of the Atacama. Founded as a caleta in 1843 for the shipment of guano and copper, it passed to Bolivian administration in 1871 as a minor nitrate port before Chilean troops occupied it in 1879 during the War of the Pacific, after which it remained Chilean territory. Through the first half of the 20th century Tocopilla thrived as the shipping point for the nitrate produced at the nearby Oficinas María Elena and Pedro de Valdivia, and it remained the last active nitrate-exporting port in Chile long after the industry elsewhere had collapsed. The town's most recognisable landmark is La Piedra del Camello, a large rock formation on the waterfront shaped, as the name suggests, like a resting camel — the natural counterpart to the Moai monument nearby, and the spot locals point to as Tocopilla's signature sight.
Lunch is at D'lamarti, directly across from the Piedra del Camello, with a clear view out over the water — a fitting place to eat the first seafood of the day after weeks of high-altitude cooking. Tocopilla's kitchens draw on the ocean at their doorstep: corvina, congrio, and local shellfish feature on most menus in town, prepared simply and without pretension. The town's cafés are also known for a strong pastry tradition, if there's room for something sweet before continuing.
Deleting this waypoint is permanent and cannot be undone.