Playa Las Tijeras
Isla Damas, Coquimbo Region, Chile
Playa Las Tijeras is one of two beaches on Isla Damas, part of the Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humboldt off Chile's Coquimbo coast, reached only by hired boat from the fishing village of Punta de Choros. White, crushed shell sand and clear water make it look tropical, but CONAF caps every visit at one hour, and swimming has been banned here since 2015 to protect the reserve.
The one hour cap and swim ban keep it feeling genuinely protected rather than overrun, which locals and CONAF both seem to want, though it does mean you can't just relax on the sand the way you would at an ordinary beach.
How we score beachesBook the earliest boat you can from Punta de Choros. CONAF limits how many people land on the island at once, and later slots sometimes get pushed back or cut short if the morning groups run long.
There's no independent access, boats leave from the fishing cove at Punta de Choros and CONAF regulates the whole reserve. The island can't be visited overnight, every trip is a single day landing.
From the boat landing, it's about a 45 minute walk on a signed nature trail to reach Las Tijeras specifically, unpaved and not suited to strollers or wheelchairs.
Pets aren't allowed on the island at all, along with a long list of other restrictions meant to protect the seabirds and marine mammals that live here.
Boat tours run year round, but September through May brings the calmest crossings, and December through March overlaps with the best whale sightings in the wider archipelago. The Humboldt Current keeps the water cold regardless of season, one more reason swimming is off the table here.
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