Caplina River, Brook in Tacna Department, Peru.

The Caplina is a river in the Tacna region of southern Peru that flows from the Andes toward the Pacific Ocean. It passes through dry terrain and picks up smaller tributaries along the way before approaching the coast.

The river system served as a vital water source for settlements and agriculture in this arid southern area since pre-colonial times. Management and use of its waters shaped the region's development across centuries.

In Tacna the river runs channelled beneath the Alameda Bolognesi, so the city's central promenade is built over its course. Downstream, its water feeds a narrow strip of farmland crossing the La Yarada alluvial fan before the channel dries out through filtration, evaporation and extraction.

Within Tacna the Caplina runs channelled beneath the Alameda Bolognesi, so the central stretch is seen as a covered watercourse rather than an open river. Downstream it crosses the La Yarada alluvial fan before reaching the Pacific. Flow is torrential and irregular, with about 75% of discharges concentrated in the austral summer rains.

In Tacna the river runs in a channel beneath Alameda Bolognesi, so pedestrians walk over the water without seeing it. Beyond the city it dries up through filtration, evaporation and extraction, and only reaches the sea across the La Yarada alluvial fan.