My motorcycle trip this time was a short border crossing from Tacna in southern Peru to Arica in northern Chile.
The distance was about 60km.
I’m leaving Tacna
In about 10 minutes I cross the tracks and leave the city of Tacna.
After that, I drive down a road with nothing in particular.
I arrived at the border between Peru and Chile about 30 minutes after leaving.
If we were entering Chile from Peru, I would just pass through here because we would have to go through the procedures on the Chilean side.
The Peruvian side is very congested.
I’ve arrived at the Chilean border.
I’ll go through the procedures here.
First, I went to Peruvian immigration and left the country.
Note: We weren’t allowed to take photos up close, so I’ll explain with photos from a distance.
This is where I first got stuck.
Apparently, we needed some paperwork to pass through in our vehicle.
I received the paperwork from the attendant.
I finished filling out the paperwork and headed back to the building.
I submitted my documents and left Peru.
Next, I headed to Chilean immigration, located in the building across the street.
Here, I submitted my passport along with the documents I mentioned earlier.
I passed without a hitch.
Next, I get permission to take my vehicle out of the country at Peruvian customs, located right next to Chilean immigration.
I submit the documents I had prepared the last time I entered Peru.
Then I go around to the back of the building to process the vehicle into Chile.
I get the documents to bring the vehicle in at the counter and fill them out.
I will submit the completed documents.
I received a copy, so I will keep it until I leave Chile.
Next, I go to a building at the back of Chilean immigration to have my luggage scanned.
Everyone else parked their cars in front and carried their luggage, but I drove my motorcycle nearby and unloaded my luggage.
Here I also file my own customs declaration electronically.
I don’t need to show this to the immigration officer, so I can just declare it before I leave.
After that, my vehicle will be inspected.
This time, they didn’t check my frame number or license plate, but they did check the luggage on my motorcycle.
I completed all the procedures in about an hour and a half.
Finally, I handed over the documents I had prepared at the gate where I left the border checkpoint.
Now that I’ve entered Chile, it’s time to depart.
I continue driving along the road, passing through unchanging scenery for a while.
I’ll be arriving in Arica in about 10 minutes.
I’ll continue heading towards the city center.
Seeing the ocean for the first time in a while makes me excited.
And I arrived at Vicuña Mackenna Square in the city center.
The main focus of my motorcycle trip this time was crossing borders.
Compared to previous trips, I had to unload all my luggage, which took time and effort, but the process itself was very easy.
Date of trip: August 15, 2025
