Valparaíso doesn’t have a beach, its got a port, but Viña del Mar, a few miles to the north, does have a long stretch of golden sand, and thats the only reason everyone heads over there, that and the music festival each year (Rod Stewart headlined this year – the weekend I was there). It is a beach resort city much like any other around the world. High rise hotels, casinos etc. Nothing remarkable to see but a good chance to get sunburnt and for my first swim in the pacific ocean.

I came out here to buy a flight ticket from Valparaíso to Santiago. (Foreign credit cards don’t work on Sky Airlines’ website so I’ve been having to go in person to the ticket offices.) And I came back the following evening to shoot the sunset from the beach at Viña del Mar, this trip has been entirely spent inland apart from the first few days in Miraflores, Lima so it was good to mix things up, and do some long exposures of waves breaking on the shore..

Casino, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Playa Acapulco, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Playa el Sol, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Lifeguard Station on the beach, Playa el Sol, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Man standing on beach, Playa Los Marineros, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Playa Los Marineros, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Playa Los Marineros, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile

Man fishing at Playa Los Marineros at dusk, Viña del Mar, Central Coast, Chile