Bahía Inglesa is a small resort town and beach about 70 kilometres west of Copiapó near the port of Caldera, with unusually clear turquoise water and white sand that looks more Caribbean than South American. The Humboldt Current keeps the water cold even in summer, but the beach is beautiful and the seafood at the restaurants along the waterfront is excellent.
For Copiapó residents it is the nearest escape from the desert interior. For travellers, it makes a good half-day or overnight excursion — combine the beach with the port town of Caldera (another 5 km), which has some decent historic architecture and a fish market. The drive west through the desert from Copiapó to the coast is itself striking, passing through mining operations and over bare ridges before the Pacific suddenly appears below.