Tacna Services

Other Types:
Services

By Lorraine Caputo

The main office of iPeru is in the old red and white municipalidad building (Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. San Martín 491, Tel.: 42-5514, E-mail: iperutacna@promperu.gob.pe, URL: www.peru.info.com.pe). Branch offices are at the international bus terminal (Monday-Saturday 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.) and the airport. Dircetur, the regional tourism office, is also very helpful (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Blondell 50, oficina 109, Tel.: 74-6944, Fax: 72-2784, E-mail: tacna@mincetur.gob.pe, URL: www.mincetur.gob.pe/regiones/tacna). Other useful offices are:

• Police station (24-hour hour attention. Pasaje Calderón de la Barca 354, Tel.: 41-4141). Tourism police (Calle Callao, across from the Catedral).

• Oficina de Migracions (Peruvian immigration) (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Avenida Circunvalación s/n, Urbanización El Triángulo, Tel.: 74-3231).

• Chilean consulate (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Présbitero Andía and Gregorio Albarracín, just past the train station, Tel.: 42-3063, URL: www.minrel.cl).

• Bolivian consulate (Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Bolognesi 1721).

• Touring y Automóvil Club del Perú (Miraflores 365, Urbanización Los Granados, Tel. / Fax: 24-4237, E-mail: tacna@touringperu.com.pe, URL: www.touring peru.com.pe).

The following banks change American Express travelers checks (no commission) and have ATMs that accept Visa, Plus, MasterCard and Cirrus cards:

• BCP (Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Friday 9 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. San Martín 574)—ATM also American Express, ners Club.

• Interbank (Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6:15 p.m., Saturday 9:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. San Martín 646). GlobalNet ATM also American Express, ners Club; travelers checks, also MasterCard, Thomas Cook.

• Scotiabank (Monday-Friday 9:15 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m. San Martín 476). Also Western Union agent.

Banco de la Nación is a MoneyGram agent; it also exchanges US cash dollars; ATM Visa and Plus only (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m. San Martín, between Unanue and 28 de Julio). Banco Azteca exchanges US cash dollars everyday and is a MoneyGram agent (daily 9 a.m.-9 p.m. San Martín 760). Exchange houses are very common all along San Martín and Avenida Bolognesi. Most close at 7 p.m. and on Sundays. They change US dollars, soles, Chilean pesos and Euros—and some even Argentine pesos, bolivianos and yens. Official money changers hang out near the iPeru office. It is best to get rid of soles in Tacna before heading into Chile.

Internet exists on almost every block of the city. Average hours are 8 a.m. (10 a.m. on Sunday) to 10 p.m., and costs $0.35 per hour. Some have half-price specials on weekends. Skype is common. Locutiros, likewise, are found everywhere and charge standard prices. The post office is Serpost (Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Bolognesi 361).

Hospital Regional Hipólite Unanue is just west of the Cathedral (24-hour attention, Blondell s/n, Tel.: 24-2121). Many pharmacies are along San Martín in the heart of Tacna. Boticas Arángel delivers (Tel.: 24-4074).

To make a good impression on Chilean official before crossing the border, make a stop at Lavandería Tacna. It has next day service (same day, if you get it in early enough) and charges $2 per kilo (Monday-Saturday 8 a.m.-1 p.m., 3-8 p.m. Zela 374A).

The entire length of Pallardelli, near the Mercado Central, is known as the mercado artesanía. Here are many small shops selling sweaters, ponchos, bags and souvenirs at good prices. Behind the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INC) are workshop-galleries of regional Tacna artists and craftspersons (daily 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Ayacucho, between San Martín and Bolívar).