The South American Altiplano March 2013 - Crossing Into Peru Via Tacna

***This post is part 15 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

The towns of Arica in Chile and Tacna in Peru are separated by merely 35 miles of land. Crossing the international border between them isn't difficult, but the information on how exactly the process works is a bit scattered online, resulting in confusion and uncertainty among independent travelers. There are currently only two public ways to do this trip: by colectivo or by bus.

Prior to May 2012, there was a historic one-car train that ran the Arica-Tacna route once per day. However, due to lack of maintenance and safety issues, the service has been suspended ever since. According to this article, Peru is in the process of investing $4 million USD to revive the train, and it is expected to be operational again by December 2013.

Even taking the train into account, however, the fastest way to get from Arica to Tacna is by colectivo. Colectivos are essentially shared taxis that run the border route several times per day. The vehicles are typically older Lincoln Town Car or Ford Taurus models, and drivers will wait until there are five passengers to depart. Buses leave from the same terminal in Arica, and the cost may be slightly cheaper than colectivos. However, with room for a lot more passengers, the journey will also take longer.

I was in no rush the morning of departure, since Peru was two hours ahead of Chile, taking into account daylight savings time. I walked from the hostel to the bus terminal, which took about half an hour, and arrived at approximately 8:30 am. Be aware that the large building with the pyramidal roof is the domestic Rodoviario Terminal. Keep walking past this building until you see a sign that says Terminal Internacional. 

Domestic Rodoviario Terminal

International Terminal

Once you enter the gates, the first thing you have to do is pay the international departure tax at the window immediately to your right. This token amount totals 250 CLP, or roughly $0.50 USD. Afterwards, take the slip of paper and continue into the terminal. On your left, through a short alleyway, are the buses waiting for departure to Tacna, and straight ahead are the colectivos.

Paying the departure tax

Buses through the alleyway

The South American Altiplano March 2013 - Exploring Arica

***This post is part 14 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

Hostal Jardín del Sol is located in a quiet neighborhood a few blocks away from central Arica. While they had shared dorm rooms just like typical hostels, I was also happy to see that they had private rooms available for an extremely reasonable price. After reading through the stellar reviews on TripAdvisor, I reserved my one-night stay using Booking.com for only 12,500 CLP, which was an absolute steal.

When I arrived at the hostel, I noticed the front door was locked. After ringing the bell, there was a buzz and the door automatically opened. I walked through two lounge areas before finally locating the reception off to one side of a narrow outdoor hallway. 

The owners were there to greet me and give me a very descriptive rundown of the hostel and the town of Arica. I really appreciated all the information they provided on what to see during my short stay. In fact, they were probably some of the friendliest and most helpful people I came across during this entire trip. I would highly recommend Hostal Jardín del Sol based on that fact alone.

Hostal Jardín del Sol

Lounge #1

Lounge #2

The South American Altiplano March 2013 - Bus To Putre Via Arica

***This post is part 12 of a full trip report. The index can be found here***

To be honest, I was a little nervous about this part of my journey through South America. I had been traveling with my two friends the entire way up until now, but our paths were to diverge here in San Pedro de Atacama. My plan was to head up to the northern tip of Chile to see Lauca National Park, near the small town of Putre, while my friends' itinerary took them further south to the Lake District and Puerto Montt.

Since there were no regular flights available between any of these Northern Chilean cities, my only option was to make the nearly 520-mile journey by bus. In San Pedro de Atacama, both Tur Bus and Pullman had offices where we could purchase tickets. Only Tur Bus, however, offered an overnight direct route to Arica. As with all things in Chile, prices weren't cheap. I ended up splurging a little and booked a first class seat for the 10-hour bus ride, thinking I would be able to get better sleep that way.

Bus route from San Pedro de Atacama to Putre via Arica

I later regretted that decision when I realized that there really wasn't a significant difference between the first class and regular coach seats. Both were simple recliners, with the upgraded version slightly wider and more cushioned. I found the first class cabin, located on the lower level, to be small and claustrophobic, and would have much preferred to sit in the larger coach cabin upstairs. Sadly, the ticket cost me 26,000 CLP, which was quite a bit more expensive than the 18,000 CLP for a regular seat. Live and learn I guess.

The departure point for Tur Bus in San Pedro de Atacama is not at the main bus station, but rather around the corner from their office in a large parking lot. I walked there from the hotel and arrived approximately 20 minutes before departure. After confirming my tickets and loading my large backpack, I stepped on board and took my seat in the first row.

Tur Bus to Arica

First class was almost completely full, which made an already small cabin feel even tighter. And unfortunately, the bulkhead seat made it impossible for me to stretch out, despite a decent pitch. I was exhausted though, having woken up before 4:00 am that morning, so I reclined my seat and quickly fell asleep. About an hour and a half later, we made a scheduled stop in the city of Calama, where some passengers disembarked and others got on.