Playa La Virgen

Playa La Virgen is one of a run of coves on the coast south of Caldera where the sand is white, the rock is dark and the water reads turquoise - and where, because the Humboldt current is a little less brutal at this latitude and the bays are sheltered, the sea is warm enough to swim in without a wetsuit, which is not true of most of the Chilean coast. There is a campsite and cabins and essentially nothing else: no shop, no village, no signal in places. The road in is a long stretch of gravel, which is what keeps the numbers down outside the summer weeks.

What to look for

• A white sand cove - among a run of them on this coast.
• Water warm enough to swim - unusual for Chile.
• A campsite and cabins - and nothing else at all.
• A long gravel road in - the reason it stays quiet off season.

When to go

Year round; January and February are busy. A full day, or camping.

Practical notes

Everything must be brought - there is no shop and no fuel nearby. The road is rough and slow. In January and February the campsite fills and books ahead. There is no shade on the beach.

Nearby

Bahia Inglesa and Caldera are north; Copiapo is inland.