Don't Get Stopped at the Gate – Ensure Your Chile Visa is Up to Date

To my shock, I discovered that Chile and Australia were in the midst of a serious trade disagreement, and in this case, being Australian wasn’t an advantage.

After four amazing days spent on a private tour of the Uyuni salt flats, we wrapped up our trip with a 6AM wake-up call. We drove to the hot springs near the Bolivia-Chile border, stopping for some Kodak moments along the way. We enjoyed a lovely soak in the natural hot springs before continuing through the desert to cross into the Atacama Desert. After four long ten-hour days of driving, we were excited to finally relax by the pool. However, we had a misunderstanding in Uyuni about getting cash from the ATM, so we didn't have much left for tips.

As we arrived to the border we took a fantastic photo at the ‘Welcome to Chile sign’ continued to take our luggage to the mini bus which was taking us across the boarder to Chile. We said a final good bye to our guides we emptied our pockets of all remaining currencies (USD, EUR) and we were completely out of cash. Since I am gluten-free, I always pack plenty of healthy snacks in case there’s nothing I can eat. Given that our guides had a seven-and-a-half-hour drive back to Uyuni before starting another tour the next day, I gave them all my snacks for the journey, knowing we were only about 45 minutes away from our next destination and lunch... or so I thought. Off they drove into the distance.

The Crossing

The moment I sat down in the minivan, the driver asked for our passports and visas. The previous day, our guides had checked our passport details but not my visa. I had applied for my tourist visa three weeks earlier in Bolivia, and before leaving La Paz, I checked its status, which was still marked as 'pending.' It had been five days since then, so I assumed it had been approved. After all, I am Australian, right?

To my shock, I discovered that Chile and Australia were in the midst of a serious trade disagreement, and in this case, being Australian wasn’t an advantage. The pending visa status was not acceptable. The minivan driver explained that I needed the visa number certified; otherwise, I would be rejected at the border. However, he suggested we could still go there and ask the officials for assistance.

The 500-meter drive took us to a tin silver shed housing the customs border officials. As the doors opened, the process began: bags were taken off the bus for scanning, and the car drove through separately. The customs officials boarded the bus, collected passports, and asked for visas. I explained that I had a visa number but it was pending, and I asked if there was any way around it. The official responded with a firm "no." I then asked to use a phone to call the consulate, but no one would lend me one, and there was no Wi-Fi available since we were in the middle of the desert.

To make matters worse, my friends could go through because they had their visas (and they were not from Australia). It was a Sunday, and the next day was a public holiday, so being stranded at the border seemed likely. After several unsuccessful attempts at negotiating, our bags were placed back on the bus. My friends stayed with me, and we drove back down the hill to the border, passing the "Welcome to Chile" sign we had joyfully posed in front of minutes earlier.

Back at the boom gate, the driver threw our bags off the bus and sped away, leaving us covered in dust and stranded by the "Welcome to Chile" sign. What on earth were we going to do? Just writing this story brings back the anxious fearful thoughts of being stranded in the desert with no cash, no wifi (so cards didn’t work), no guides, no Spanish and no cell reception.

We walked through the gates, past a customs official, and tried to talk to the people who had just stamped our passports, but they were nowhere to be found. We spoke to the official at the boom gate, who informed us that we would need to get a lift back to Uyuni, some seven and a half hours away. He mentioned there was only one restaurant where we could wait.

Carrying our heavy bags, we walked a few hundred meters to the motel/restaurant. I dragged my suitcase through the desert sand to reach the very old, rundown building. When I asked to use the restroom, the lady requested money. The bathroom was very basic and expensive, with no toilet paper, soap, or hot water. Thankfully, I still had a few coins left in my purse.

As I walked to the bathroom, I noticed some beds and dorm-like rooms, which only worsened my state. The tears began to flow; there was no way I was staying in this place. We desperately needed the internet to contact our booking agency and come up with a rescue plan.

I drafted an SOS message and asked for the Wi-Fi code, only to be told that it cost money every 10 minutes. Our streak of bad luck continued: the Wi-Fi wasn’t working that day due to the wind and storm—it hadn’t worked since yesterday, they said. We sat in silence. A truck driver approached us, offering a lift back to Uyuni for $500 USD. At this point, it seemed like our only option. Just then, Ben happened to notice the lights of the router flickering. He went to the kitchen to ask the group of workers about it. They reluctantly agreed to let us use it but insisted on payment.

"Do you take card?" we asked. "No, just cash," they replied. (Lesson learned: always have cash and never over-tip!)

We returned to the table, wallowing in our misery. Thirty minutes later, a group of hikers arrived for lunch. By this point, we were starving and had nothing left except water. Our Spanish was very basic (limited to "Hi, hello, how are you") and we usually relied on Google Translate (when there was internet).

Our luck took a turn when one of the five hikers started speaking English. She was incredibly kind and helpful, even paying for our Wi-Fi. We sent the SOS message to our guides and booking agency while the hikers enjoyed a three-course lunch. We sat in silence, wondering about our fate. A Sunday in the desert, with the following day being a public holiday, meant traffic was even lighter than usual. Bus drivers typically use this spot as a stopover on the way across the border, but today was exceptionally slow.

After ten minutes, the internet went off. "What happened?" we wondered. It turned out that the grandma had literally pulled the cord from the wall, demanding more money. Once again, our new hiker friend paid the fee as we patiently waited for news.

Negotiations

By this stage, the bus driver was negotiating with our new Spanish-speaking hiker friend and was eager to head back to Uyuni. It was late afternoon, and we were beginning to think we had no other choice. The hikers finished their meals and kindly offered us their leftovers. However, since all the dishes contained gluten, I couldn't eat any of it.

Time passed, and it seemed our only option was to go with the bus driver. We negotiated and headed to the 4x4, which he planned to drive back to Uyuni and then return to the border—a fourteen-hour round trip for him. We thanked our new friends and headed to the car, which was a sight to behold. Ben turned to me and said, "I hope we make it." The car looked like it hadn't been serviced in a long time, the driver was grumpy and tired, and he brought along a female friend for the journey.

We buckled our seat belts and began the long drive back to Uyuni. "How on earth did this happen?" I thought. I had been literally kicked out of a country. Being Australian is usually fantastic, I recalled thinking. No one had been at all friendly or helpful. This was definitely not part of the plan!After an hour of nervously watching the road and constantly checking on the driver, fearing he was sleepy, we saw a car approaching in the distance. This desert road had two lanes, lots of bumps, howling wind, and a setting sun. "Is that what I think it is?"

I spotted the logo of our guides on the oncoming car and let out a huge scream. The driver slowed down as we saw them waving. They had come to rescue us, having received our SOS message three hours into their trip back to Uyuni. They turned around and drove all the way back to get us. I felt bad for the inconvenience but was equally overjoyed to see them.

We unloaded our bags, reloaded them into the original vehicle, and began the long drive back to Uyuni. They had even organised a delicious dinner for us, and despite having driven all day, their high spirits lifted ours after the chaos we'd been through. My nervous system was completely wired; I felt so stressed, and the issue of the visa wasn't resolved yet!

We arrived back at the hotel at 11:30 PM after driving since 6 AM. The following days were spent in Uyuni at the hotel due to the public holiday, trying to get in touch with the consulate to rush a visa through. If successful, this would still involve driving 7.5 hours back through the desert. We explored options to go back to La Paz and then fly to Chile, but the best option was a 17.5-hour bus ride to Argentina—an overnight and day bus journey.

By this stage, I was totally drained. Too long in the desert and a very stressful and expensive few days had taken their toll. The bus journey was long and involved another border crossing into Argentina, with a few bus changes and a 2.5-hour stop on the side of the road while our bus was checked for drugs. We arrived late in the evening, hours behind schedule. All I wanted was a hot shower and a bed.

Looking back, I’m so glad this experience is over—I can almost laugh about it now! We were incredibly grateful for the rescue operation and the efforts of our guides, as well as the hikers who happened to arrive. However, I sincerely hope no one has to endure what we did. So here are my recommendations:

Avoiding Visa Problems

Check and print off your visa well in advance of traveling. Allow at least 72 hours in case you need to visit the embassy. In my case, that didn’t matter as the embassy was a flight away. Eventually, I did go to Chile (another chapter of my travel diary) and to get my visa, I spent a day at the Chilean consulate, paid for it, and collected it the next day.

ALWAYS have emergency cash. Keep $200 USD on you specifically for emergencies, not for tips for guides.

Do your own visa checks, even if on a tour. In my case, my guides hadn’t realised Australians required a visa, and I relied entirely on the tour agency and guides. Being Australian, I was too relaxed about visas and didn’t do my homework!

Keep snacks on hand for emergencies. Being tired, hungry, and cold is a terrible combination for traveling. Always have some snacks to tide you over in unexpected situations.

These precautions can make a huge difference in ensuring smoother travel experiences.