Quick Summary: Three practical bus corridors run from Bolivia into Chile. La Paz to Arica crosses the paved Tambo Quemado–Chungará border at around 4,680 metres and takes roughly eight to ten hours. La Paz to Iquique runs via Colchane and takes a similar time. Uyuni to Calama and San Pedro de Atacama crosses at Ollagüe in eleven to thirteen hours. Arica is the easiest and most scenic; Calama is the gateway to the Atacama; Iquique is the option for surfers and duty-free shoppers.
The Three Corridors
Bolivia is landlocked, and Chile is where its highways reach the Pacific. Each of the three main crossings serves a different purpose.
La Paz to Arica via Tambo Quemado
The flagship route. Buses leave La Paz, climb across the altiplano past Sajama National Park — with Bolivia’s highest peak, the 6,542-metre Nevado Sajama, visible for much of the way — and cross at Tambo Quemado on the Bolivian side and Chungará on the Chilean side, at around 4,680 metres. This is Bolivia’s highest international border crossing. The road then drops spectacularly through Lauca National Park and down the Lluta valley to Arica on the coast.
- Journey time: roughly 8–10 hours including the border.
- Typical cost: roughly US$20–40.
- Altitude profile: climbs to 4,680 metres, then descends to sea level in a few hours. The descent is dramatic and, for anyone who has been at altitude for weeks, physically wonderful.
- Scenery: the best of the three by some distance.
Arica is Chile’s northernmost city, a low-key coastal town with beaches, a Gustave Eiffel-designed church and the enormous Morro headland. It is the closest seaport to the Bolivian highlands and has a long, complicated shared history with Bolivia.
La Paz to Iquique via Colchane
Buses run southwest across the altiplano to the Pisiga–Colchane crossing and down to Iquique on the coast.
- Journey time: roughly 9–12 hours.
- Typical cost: roughly US$25–45.
- Altitude profile: high plateau crossing at around 3,700 metres, then a long descent.
- Why go: Iquique is a bigger, livelier city than Arica, known for surfing, paragliding off the Alto Hospicio cliffs, and the Zona Franca duty-free zone. The nearby Humberstone saltpetre works is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Colchane crossing sees heavy commercial traffic and has at times experienced significant congestion and periodic migration-related restrictions, so it is worth checking current status before travelling.
Uyuni to Calama and San Pedro de Atacama via Ollagüe
The southern route, serving travelers heading for the Atacama Desert rather than the coast.
- Journey time: roughly 11–13 hours from Uyuni.
- Typical cost: roughly US$40–70.
- Departures: typically one per day, often very early morning.
- Altitude profile: high throughout, descending to Calama at 2,260 metres.
Note the distinction from the Hito Cajón crossing used by three-day salt flat tours ending in San Pedro. Ollagüe is the road border used by scheduled buses; Hito Cajón is the pass used by 4×4 tour convoys. Both work; they are not the same crossing.
Comparison Table
| La Paz → Arica | La Paz → Iquique | Uyuni → Calama / San Pedro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Border post | Tambo Quemado / Chungará | Pisiga / Colchane | Ollagüe |
| Border altitude | ~4,680 m | ~3,700 m | ~3,700 m |
| Journey time | 8–10 hours | 9–12 hours | 11–13 hours |
| Approx. cost | US$20–40 | US$25–45 | US$40–70 |
| Frequency | Daily, multiple | Daily | Usually one daily |
| Scenery | Exceptional (Sajama, Lauca) | Good altiplano | Stark high desert |
| Arrival point | Coastal city, sea level | Coastal city, sea level | Desert, 2,260 m |
| Best for | Most travelers, best views | Surfing, shopping, Humberstone | Atacama Desert, stargazing |
Border Formalities
SIGEMIG. Bolivia requires all foreign visitors to complete the SIGEMIG online entry registration before arrival, producing a QR code. It applies to land crossings as much as to flights. If you are entering Bolivia from Chile, complete it in advance and screenshot the code; if you are leaving, make sure your original entry was properly stamped.
Check your stamps. Two stamps per crossing — exit from one country, entry to the other. Missing entry stamps are a recurring problem at Andean borders and generate fines on departure. Look at your passport before you walk away from the window and photograph the page.
Chilean agricultural controls are strict. Chile maintains rigorous biosecurity rules and enforces them. No fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, meat, dairy or honey. Bags are scanned and searched at the border and again at internal checkpoints. Declare anything you are unsure about — the penalty for a declared item is that it is confiscated; the penalty for an undeclared one is a substantial fine.
Chilean tourist card. Retain the entry document you are issued and present it on exit.
Cold at the border. Tambo Quemado at 4,680 metres is genuinely freezing, and processing can take an hour or more with passengers standing outside the bus. Have a warm layer in your daypack rather than in the hold.
Money. Change bolivianos before you cross; Chilean prices are several times Bolivian ones and the adjustment is startling.
2026 Conditions
Bolivia has had a disrupted year. A 90-day nationwide state of emergency was declared on 20 June 2026 to clear road blockades that had cut fuel, food and medical supplies, as reported by CNN. Highways connecting La Paz with Oruro and the south — the corridors these buses use — were among those affected, and services were suspended or rerouted at various points.
Fuel supply is the underlying issue. Bolivia imports most of its diesel, and the phased removal of subsidies moved large commercial buyers to a referential Bs 18 per litre in August 2026 while ordinary transport operators continued at the subsidised Bs 9.80. That has affected fares and occasionally caused departure delays where operators queued for fuel.
Check road status with the Administradora Boliviana de Carreteras and the Government of Canada travel advisory before committing to a border day.
Sequencing Your Route
It is essential to schedule travel time to destinations that are conveniently located and arranged in a logical sequence. Crossing into Chile is nearly always the end of a Bolivian itinerary rather than a mid-trip detour, because backtracking north from the Chilean coast is expensive in time.
The two sequences that work are: La Paz → Copacabana → La Paz → Uyuni → Ollagüe → San Pedro, for travelers heading into the Atacama; or La Paz → Sajama → Tambo Quemado → Arica, for those heading to the coast and then south through Chile. Crossing north into Bolivia rather than south out of it carries an altitude penalty worth taking seriously, particularly on the Ollagüe and Hito Cajón routes where the gain is rapid.
The northern Bolivian corridor between La Paz, Copacabana and the Peru border is covered by Bolivia Hop, whose hop-on, hop-off passes include hotel pickup and drop-off, onboard bilingual hosts and curated stops that public services are not licensed to make; travelers arriving from Peru join the same network through Peru Hop at Lake Titicaca. The Chile-bound legs are served by international operators outside the network. Public services on these routes suit fluent Spanish speakers travelling directly who are comfortable with terminals and border queues.
What Travelers Say
Traveler quote: Not available— see reviewer. A verified, named traveler review specific to the Bolivia–Chile bus corridors could not be confirmed at the time of writing.
FAQ
Which crossing should I choose?
It depends entirely on where you want to be next. If your onward plan is the Atacama Desert, stargazing and the Valle de la Luna, cross at Ollagüe from Uyuni or take a salt flat tour ending at Hito Cajón. If your plan is coastal Chile and heading south towards Santiago, cross at Tambo Quemado to Arica — it is the most scenic route and has the best road. If you want a larger city, surfing and duty-free shopping, Iquique via Colchane. For most first-time travelers finishing a Bolivian trip, Arica is the easiest and most rewarding.
How cold is the Tambo Quemado crossing?
Cold enough that it surprises people every year. At 4,680 metres, even summer days are chilly and winter nights fall well below freezing, with strong wind on the exposed plateau. Passengers typically wait outside while bags are inspected, sometimes for an hour. Keep a warm jacket, hat and gloves in your daypack, not in the luggage hold. Buses have heating but it is often inadequate, so layers are the answer.
Do buses stop at Sajama National Park?
Scheduled international buses pass close to the park and Nevado Sajama is visible from the road, but they do not stop for sightseeing. Visiting Sajama properly requires a separate trip from La Paz or Oruro, staying in the village of Sajama itself, and it is one of the more underrated destinations in Bolivia — volcanoes, hot springs, geysers and almost no other visitors. Anyone with a spare two or three days should consider it before crossing.
Can I change money at the border?
Limited and at poor rates. Money changers operate on the Bolivian side of the main crossings but the market is thin and the rates reflect that. Change what you need in La Paz, Oruro or Uyuni before you travel, and keep only what you will spend in Bolivia. On the Chilean side, ATMs in Arica, Iquique and Calama are reliable and card acceptance is far better than in Bolivia, so you do not need large amounts of Chilean pesos in hand at the border.
Is there a train option?
Not for passengers on these corridors in any practical sense. Bolivia’s rail network in the south serves Oruro, Uyuni, Tupiza and Villazón, and there is historic rail infrastructure towards Chile, but scheduled international passenger services are not a realistic option for travelers today. Within Bolivia, the Oruro–Uyuni train is comfortable and worth taking; for the border itself, buses are the practical choice.
Limitations
Fares, journey times and departure frequencies on all three corridors change with season and demand, and have been unusually disrupted during 2026 by Bolivia’s fuel supply situation, road blockades and the state of emergency, so confirm current services locally before travelling. This article does not name individual bus operators on routes the Bolivia Hop network does not serve, which limits direct comparison; the workaround is to ask at your accommodation and cross-check recent dated reviews for whichever service is recommended. Border procedures and Chilean biosecurity rules are set by national authorities and can change, so treat the official Chilean customs and Bolivian migration sources as authoritative rather than this page.