Calama

After we returned the rental car in Calama, a super ugly desert worker town, we took the opportunity to visit the Chuquicamata mine. We had registered a bit late for the tour and only had a spot on the waiting list, but we were lucky enough, thanks to patience, to scare off the other interested parties and both get to go.

The Chuquicamata is essentially a massive hole in the ground, namely, a copper mine operated by the Chilean state-owned company Codelco. From 1915 to 2019, the deposit was exploited through open-pit mining. We took a look at the whole setup. Now, it is being operated underground and the open-pit mining is being dismantled. The remnants are impressive, with a length of about 4300 m, a width of 3000 m, and a depth of up to 1000 meters. The workers' village nearby was closed a few years ago due to the excessive health risks to the residents, and it was part of the visit, a manufactured ghost town.

Impressive, but you are also glad not to be a miner.