by Sebastián López and Cristobal Fernández Metro World News in Iquique.(Jan 6, 2011)

After each Dakar stage, the hundreds of pilots with their respective teams are directed to the camps. These are not just tents where the mechanics work and where competitors rest, but almost entire cities set up for each stage.

The participants are all now just outside of Iquique, in the desert. The camp, which is almost the same size as twenty football fields together, has all the necessary amenities for the drivers. But not everyone sleeps there. The key drivers stay in hotels if the camp is close to a city.

Bathrooms, press-rooms, and a lot of Dakar organizers wait for the drivers and their teams. The tents also have a huge dining room.

The organization arranged a security team to close the inside perimeter, along with a large contingent of police officers and secret police that make it impossible for an outsider to enter the camp.

The novelty of this comp in 2011 is the huge grandstand for 2500 Dakar fans, where they can witness the driver's arrival.

Where are they today?

Today they’ll be leaving Iquique, the capital of Tarapacá Region, Chile, and one of the biggest tourist centers in the country.

The city that embraces the third [ACCORDING TO THE DAKAR WEBSITE IT’S THE 5TH STAGE] stage of the world's largest car rally offers breathtaking scenery and beautiful warm-water beaches. It also has a great nightlife and a thriving business.

In fact, it has the largest duty-free zone in South America. Known historically as the land of saltpeter, it also enjoys a rich heritage thanks to the original population that live in the highlands.

Factbox

*Pica: Little town just 48 kilometres from Iquique. It's the land of the Pica Lemons. The traditional Chilean drink Pisco Sour is made with grape distillation, sugar, and pica lemons.

*Humberstone: It's the most famous former saltpeter mine in the world. It was founded in 1872, and it worked until 1958. It was named a Unesco World Heritage in 2005.

Most striking drivers of the 2011 Dakar rally

*Nasser Al-Attiyah: This Qatari prince has participated in the last five Dakar rallies, plus some events in the World Rally Championship. But he's not only dedicated to cars. He also competed as a member of the Qatari shooting team at the 1996 Atlanta Games, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympics.

*Robby Gordon: The American racing driver has participated in multiple categories around the world, like NASCAR, Champ Car, Craftsman Truck Series, IndyCar Series, Trans-Am, IMSA GT Championship, IROC and Dakar Rally. Besides having a very outgoing personality, this year he made headlines after towing his Hummer with a Fiat 147, an image that went around the world.

*Eliseo Salazar: The only Chilean who has raced in Formula One, the pinnacle of world motorsports. He became famous after colliding with Nelson Piquet at the German Grand Prix in 1982. After that, he raced for eight seasons in the Indy Car Series.