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A very easy country to travel in, Chile maintains a lifestyle similar to Europe! It has something for everyone including the icey southern
regions to the lagoons and desert in the north! If you enjoy fine cuisine and wine, trekking, outdoor activities, the inspiring views of
lakes, salt flats, amazing forests and beautiful mountains, Chile is an inspirational country to travel!
I have spent a short time in Chile on a couple of occasions, most of my time has been spent up in the north of the country. Here are my
experiences and story.
Argentinian Border, Paso de Jama to Calama:
I travelled from Salta in Argentina to Calama in Chile on a bus for 10hrs, I crossed the border at Paso de Jama, it took over an hour for the Argentinian immigration to process us, there is about 160kms of travel before the Chile border control. There is some nice scenery along this route which is highway 27, mountains, salt flats, lagoons and wide open space. More
Calama:
Calama is not the most exciting or most beautiful city I have been to, I stayed here for 2 nights as a break from bus travel. Around town there were some buskers, a rock fountain, a church, plaza, another rock fountain with a few animals on top, a man selling colorful dust brushes who posed for a photo and another fountain with a statue of a man drilling rock. More
Iquique:
I arrived in Iquique in the mid-evening, and walked for 10 minutes to the central Plaza Prat, the clock tower Torre Reloj is lit up with lights, there is a fountain bridge leading towards the Teatro Municipal which has a sequence of colored lights lighting it up so it is changing color. More
Iquique to Arica to Peru Border:
From Iquique to Arica is about a 5hr journey through a rocky and mountainous wilderness, the long and winding road weaves its way through the bleak and barren no man's land, the huge faces of rock are hard to comprehend. About 3hrs into the journey the bus stopped at a little sandwich and helados (icecream) stand called Donde Pepe, some locals came aboard with food at one point too. More
Arica:
The 2nd time I came from Salta in Argentina and crossed into Chile at Paso de Jama I was heading non-stop north to Arica, I had on a previous trip already stayed in Calama and Iquique, although, this bus did make a stop in Calama for a few hours before continuing onward to Arica, which was good because I needed some food and a break from this all day bus journey. More
Santiago:
My experience in Santiago is limited, although I have stayed here for 1 night on my first trip, I have only really been to the airport a few times and haven't done any sightseeing, however I did take some nice photos of the snow-capped mountains that surround the city as I flew in from Lima on my 3rd trip. More
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