Abstract: The present invention relates to the recovery of metals from raw ores or concentrates, and more specifically, to the recovery of rare earth elements, or oxides or salts thereof, from ores containing bastnaesite carbonatite, and/or monazite. The ore is processed by a method that may include one or more of the following steps: (i) mechanically processing the ore; (ii) calcination and/or roasting of the ore to form a calcinated material and/or roasting of the ore to form a roasted material; (iii) leaching of the calcinated material or roasted material in an aqueous solution; (iv) solid/liquid separation to remove a solid residue from the aqueous solution to recover a rare earth element solution; and (v) precipitation of the rare earth element solution to isolate a rare earth element, or oxide or salt thereof.