mina de chuquicamata

You must visit it. Additionally you'll see the "Falla de San Andres" being dig by the Mine machinery. A Risk to take.

We stopped in Calama on our way from San Pedro de Atacama to Arica. Since we had a few hours left, we figured a tour to the biggest open pit copper mine in the world would be interesting. We managed to save a spot on the tour per E-Mail two days in advance for one of us. The other one could join the tour after getting onto the wainting list. The tourguide spoke perfect English. We learned a lot about copper, mining and so on. The tour is for free, but after a great service a donation is a natural consequence.

Visiting the huge mine is very impressive and an interesting tour from Calama.The free tour offered by Codelco includes a visit of the abandoned mining town close to the mine and a 15-minute visit of a viewing platform to look at the mine from above. In the former bookstore of the ghost town the guide explains in detail (maybe a bit too detailed) in Spanish and English some geological basics and the process of making copper and of course emphasises the positive aspects of Codelco and their industrial processes. Unfortunately we could not get off the bus to have a closer look at one of the huge trucks. We just saw them passing by which was also very impressive but it really would have been great to get off at the workshop to have a closer look and take some photos.

Here is the largest open pit copper mine in the world. I always wanted to visit it. Got to go for work. An impressive mining engineering work.

Prior reservation on the email adress is needed, I was glad that the email comunication was in perfect english (quite a surprise in Chile), anyway I was responded, that the day we wanted was full and we can either choose another day, or be signed up for the "waiting list" which means that you shall be in the office at 13:00 and if the people with reservation don't show up, they call your name and you go to the mine. We were lucky (and around 6 other people from the waiting list too) and got in, so I recommand to give it a try :)The guide spoke also good english, the abandoned city was cool, the info about mining also. I would appriciate more time on the mirador, we stayed there 15 mins and that was pretty much it. Nevertheless the giant trucks and the size of the mine are unbelievable. We expected to go to some kind of parking place where you could take picture of you and the truck or a souvenir shop, but none of this was there. That was quite disappointing, it could be more tourist friendly.

- Register at their office at 13pm, the tour begins at 13:30- First they take you by bus to the former mining town, now abandoned; this part takes a lot of time and in my opinion was not interesting, except for the introduction to the mining process- Then the bus takes you to a viewpoint from which you can see down into the huge open pit mine: very impressive!- You can also watch some of their really huge trucks drive by: also very impressive!

Make a reservation ahead of time by going to their website (google "visitas codelco"), make the reservation in person, or email visitas@codelco.cl. The tour starts at 13:30 but you should be at their office on Granaderos by 13:00. They take you in a small bus to Chuquicamata (the abandoned pueblo) where they introduce you to the mine and allow you to walk around for about 45minutes and they they drive you to the active mine. We finished up and were back at the office by 16:30. They have free water for filling up your bottles in the office as well.Great bilingual guide who spoke both English and Spanish. Definitely a recommended trip if you are planning on going to northern Chile or live anywhere around. Very thorough tour and informative guide.Guide is free but donations are accepted. Donations go to local fundraisers and good causes.

A really good and informative tour! The tour is free and you will experience sights you thought was impossible! You will both visit the ghost town Chuquicamata and the biggest coppermine on the planet! The guides are experienced and english speaking! Ivan really recommend this tour that runs from Calama at about 1 pm weekdays. Remember to book the Tour in advance by email!

The tours to the mine had been suspended for a few weeks in March/April, so I was extremely happy that we got to go with the first renewed tour in April. We met at the starting point, hopped onto the bus, were taken to the "ghost town" of Chuqui and we got the whole explanation about the history, the winning of the copper, etc. We even had to put on our safety clothing to walk around the abandoned town square. All very interesting, but actually just warm ups for the main dish: the pit!You can imagine our disappointment when we got to the entrance of the pit and then were sent away, because of an "operational issue". We never got around to the best part ...So a word of caution: bear in mind this is an industrial installation and NOT a tourist hotspot.

An interesting, informative and well organised trip to the world's largest open mine. The guide also spoke quite good english for non-Spanish speakers. It is free of charge but they ask that you consider donating something (however small) to their charity. We enjoyed our trip and would recommend.

This is a worthwhile stop on your way to San Pedro de Atacama if you want to see one of chiles biggest industries. The tour is free and provided by the mining company. You can sign up at the tourism office, and the tour starts at 1pm and is about 3-4 hours long.You get to visit the mining village, which is now abandoned, the open shaft mine, which in itself is very impressive (3km by 4km and 1km deep) as well as the exterior of all the processing facilities. The guide also gives you detailed explanation on the method of production for the copper, which is also very interesting. Definitely recommend this little 3hour detour, but I recommend against staying in calama as the city isn't very beautiful.

It sure isn't scenic, but it's a very interesting and worthwhile view into Chile's economy. The tour is free--at least, it was when I visited--and certainly unusual.

This is a must if you want to know about the main business in Chile. Great guided tour provided by Codelco, that includes transportation and safety equipment at no cost.

La mina a tajo abierto más grande del mundo merece una visita. No te la puedes perder. No puedes irte sin visitarla

У нас было несколько часов до автобуса и мы решили сгонять на бесплатную экскурсию на карьер. И не пожалели, старт на комфортабельном автобусе из центра, гид говорил и на английском. Сначала остановка в бывшем городе рабочих и рассказ о цикле производства меди, потом покажут сам разрез и проезут мимо цехов производственных. Рекомендую.