A short day by distance, but the one that matters most on paper — the crossing out of Chile and into Peru, the fifth and final country of the trip. The physical drive is barely two hours; nearly all of the day's time goes to the border itself.
To the Border
The 8:00 am departure from Arica heads north on Ruta 5, fuel at the Shell station on the way out of the city before the road runs the short distance to the frontier. This is the last stretch of Chilean pavement after weeks spent moving back and forth across the Argentina–Chile border — the Andes crossed twice over since Santiago, first east into the Calchaquí Valleys and back west again at Jama — and now, finally, a border that doesn't lead back to Argentina.