Cambios

In the bigger cities, especially in bus stations, you need to be cautious with petty crime. But once you get out of the cities into the rural areas people live a tranquil life and sometimes don’t even lock the doors of their houses. I do not recall any scary situation with people along the GPT and only very few instances in which distrust was advisable. Only But when you meet trunk herdsman (Spanish "arriero") people be cautious and keep distance. With alcohol these sometimes shy people can get pretty annoying and even harassing (in particular with women). In such a situation the best response is to move on.

<When hiking the GPT you will be most of the time in close proximity to the border that delimits Chile from Argentina. It’s a seemingly open border with a boundary mark (Spanish: “hito”) every few kilometers. Official border crossings can be 200 km apart. But don’t mistake this as an invitation to cross the border where you wish!--Relevance Both countries are pretty touchy with their borders and both countries run random police patrols on horse to monitor their boundaries. In particular the Chilean police (“Carabineros”) has many permanent police posts in the vicinity of the border and establishes additional temporary police outposts during summer to monitor movements and prevent contraband in the borderland.The Argentine police (“Gendarmeria”) has less posts but also run occasional patrols.We had to show our passports numerous times in the middle of nowhere just to confirm that we entered the country legally.

Drug trafficking concerns If they find you “on the wrong” side of the border because you have crossed the border illegally expect to be fined, deported and punished with an entry ban for an extended period.That’s the certain end of your hike on the GPT.Especially Chile is very strict and unforgiving. Also if you are not checked after an illegal border crossing you are not out of trouble. You can be certain that without a valid tourist permit you will not have a trouble-free departure for your flight home. Therefore enter both countries only through the official doors, respect the house rules and never climb in through a window even if the window is wide open with the window ledge conveniently low.

The vast majority of citizens from the Americas and Europe do not need to apply for visa to visit [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Chile Chile] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Argentina Argentina] as a tourist. These citizens receive at the border a tourist permit that is valid for staying up to 90 days in the country. The easiest way to renew your tourist permit is travelling over the border from Chile to Argentina or from Argentina to Chile before completing your 90 days and returning a few days later. On re-entry you will normally be granted another 90 days. Such a trip can be combined with a resupply stop in a nearby town.   Alternatively you can request a tourist visa extension in Chile. This can be done in any of the 54 provincial capitals of Chile. Los Angeles, Temuco and Puerto Montt are 3 possible choices but none of the provincial capitals are conveniently close to the trail. Here you find a full list of the Chilean provinces with its capitals: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Chile Wikipedia: Provinces of Chile].  Don’t be a fool that carries drugs when hiking the GPT. As stated before there are numerous permanent and temporary police posts in the vicinity of the border to prevent smuggle. One of the concerns is drug->… trafficking. Because hikers are still a rare occurrence police sometimes wonders why someone might walk with a backpack in the border area. Some hikers got searched in detail for drugs. If they find something illegal in your backpack, even small amounts, you can be certain to feel the tight grip of the strict drug trafficking laws. The Chilean Carabineros are famous for not taking bribes therefore you can buy your way out. So don’t be continued …a fool and don’t carry drugs, not even small amounts.  But don’t be scared of the police now. The Chilean Carabineros and Argentine Gendarmeria are correct, friendly and helpful if you respect the “house rules”. When we pass a police post we never sneak around but always present ourselves and explain our plans. We often get helpful information and sometimes we were even invited by the police to stay night if it was late to move on.