Chile Forum

Need some information. Hope you kind folks can help. Let me preface this by saying that I have done the obligatory Google searches and the results have proved unsatisfactory. I am trying to find border crossings bteween say Corico and Los Angeles. I believe there is one to the east of Talca, which would be ideal, but cannot find any information as to how accessible it is ie, summer access, pavement, etc. I will need to do a border run soon and would prefer not to have to do the Santiago run and would prefer not to go as far South as Osorno. Hope someone can help.

I was messaged by a well respected Chile poster on LP''s Thorn Tree South America forum and asked to forward the answer to this question:

Fernando wrote:the answer is easy , the pass is Pehuenche (75% paved at Chilean side) connecting Talca with Malargue, it will opened January 15

On a side note, let us know if they are charging the repricocity fee on the Argentina side. I was checking for flights on Expedia the other day and they have a warning up. They said that since Dec 20th, Argentina has been collecting the fee on people entering Argentina.

Ripsigg wrote:On a side note, let us know if they are charging the repricocity fee on the Argentina side. I was checking for flights on Expedia the other day and they have a warning up. They said that since Dec 20th, Argentina has been collecting the fee on people entering Argentina.

Only at EZE, similar setup to SCL. Canada $70 and Australia $100 - single entry. USA $131 is actually good for 10 full years. Sticker takes nearly an entire passport page.

Sounds like good news but if it is new and NOBODY has travelled this road it might be a bit dangerous for me to depend on the information without anybody having done the trip. I need more information yet. Is there any more information to be had regarding this route? By the way, what is EZE and SCL. Scuse my ignorance...

Been zooming in like crazy on Google maps and I am damned if I can find 'Pehuenche' There is a road which seems to go into Argentina to the East of Talca. (Ruta 115). Is this the road to 'Pehuenche'?

75% paved? Over the Andes? Yikes.

If you decide to try it, let us know how it goes.

oregon woodsmoke wrote:75% paved? Over the Andes? Yikes.

If you decide to try it, let us know how it goes.

That seems to have been information as of 2008 so I would love to know if it had been finished since then. Unfortunately I have to do the border run before next weekend and not sure if I would like to take the chance on a fine for staying too long.

Crossed the border from Argentina to Chile at Penhuenche in Feb 2008. At that time the road was being paved and it was the delays due to the road closures that were the most annoying part of the drive. The surface (which presumably now is paved) was ripio. Not too bad, and the trip from Mallargue to Curico, including several stops for lunch and shopping, took about 8 hours. I imagine that the trip is much quicker now and at this time of the year - if there has been no rain - it should be a pleasant drive with some very lovely vistas along the way. Enjoy!

There is a border crossing about an hour to hour and a half east of Pucon that crosses into Lanin National Park, not too far north of San Martin. An even more scenic crossing would be to take the ferry over Lake Pehuinheco at Puerto Fuy, which is about an 1.5 hours or so from Panquipulli depending on traffic

I'm a Kiwi-American and know that my family and I can do border runs, yet I don't know about my sister in law who is staying with us. From what the border patrol people said, it appears that anyone can do a border run without any problem having to wait on a consulate to get permission to re-enter. However, my wife's sister is a Guyanese from English Guyana, just above Brazil, and I've got some conflicting info. The first time she flew here, I asked the Airport immigration and the border patrol, if she needed a special visa to fly here, or if she just needed to fly in and pick up the usual visa that you receive after flying in. They said she could just fly in. However, when we flew her down from Paramaribo, Surinam, she got held up in Sao Paulo, and the airline would not let her board. We lost a good bit of money, having to fly her to the Chile consulate in Brasilia and waiting to get her visa. She spent over a week waiting to get out of Brazil. They gave her a consulate visa, then she flew in with a 60 day visa, with no problems. We extended her visa, however, her residency application hasn't been approved as yet. The first one was rejected requesting more documentation. We are wondering if we can just do a border run for her if her time runs out. Yet, I don't know if she can just re-enter Chile without waiting on a consulate. I'd hate for her to get stuck in Argentina like she got stuck in Brazil last time. I'm getting conflicting information from immigration on this. Any advise would be useful. Thanks!

tigernerve

Tiger,

Next week I will have to do another border run from Vina to Argentina. All you need to do is go to the Argentinian border (no need to go all the way to Mendoza) turn around immediately and come back. You will be at the border in Chile with a visa which has been granted but has just run out and it is more likely that you will be able to enter without the likes of the airport staff making things up as they go along. You will also be in the position of having left Argentina (at the Chile border) so they will have to do something with you there and then. I think you are unlikely to have any kind of problem at all ... go for it. You have no choice anyway and it sounds like this might be your line of least resistance ... literally. Good luck.

tigernerve wrote:I'm a Kiwi-American and know that my family and I can do border runs, yet I don't know about my sister in law who is staying with us. From what the border patrol people said, it appears that anyone can do a border run without any problem having to wait on a consulate to get permission to re-enter. However, my wife's sister is a Guyanese from English Guyana, just above Brazil, and I've got some conflicting info. The first time she flew here, I asked the Airport immigration and the border patrol, if she needed a special visa to fly here, or if she just needed to fly in and pick up the usual visa that you receive after flying in. They said she could just fly in. However, when we flew her down from Paramaribo, Surinam, she got held up in Sao Paulo, and the airline would not let her board. We lost a good bit of money, having to fly her to the Chile consulate in Brasilia and waiting to get her visa. She spent over a week waiting to get out of Brazil. They gave her a consulate visa, then she flew in with a 60 day visa, with no problems. We extended her visa, however, her residency application hasn't been approved as yet. The first one was rejected requesting more documentation. We are wondering if we can just do a border run for her if her time runs out. Yet, I don't know if she can just re-enter Chile without waiting on a consulate. I'd hate for her to get stuck in Argentina like she got stuck in Brazil last time. I'm getting conflicting information from immigration on this. Any advise would be useful. Thanks!

tigernerve