Self-Drive, Carretera Austral, Patagonia, Chile

Introduction

The Carretera Austral is a more-or less singular road that starts from the southern area of the Chilean Lake Region and then cuts through the raw heart of natural Patagonia until it reaches a village called Villa O’Higgins in the Region of Aysen. This route covers approximately 1,241kms whereupon long sectors are still unpaved.

Considering that the Carretera Austral is a road, it will require some form of transport in order to traverse its length, in part or in full. The options are:

1 – Rent a car.
2 – Book a transport service with driver included.
3 – Book an all-inclusive itinerary with one, or more, of the hotels on the route.

Note: ExperienceChile.Org, will arrange for you, in your itinerary, any of the above depending on what your desires and requirements are.

Advice

If you decide to self-drive this route, which is a great way to see its beauty at your own pace, you need a decent 4 x4 vehicle. You also need to drive carefully, resisting the temptation to go too fast, even when you see no other traffic around. On the unpaved sectors many drivers have had serious accidents when the car loses grip on the lose stones that cover the road.

Punctures

Considering that large sections of the Carretera Austral are still unpaved, it is more likely that you will suffer a puncture than not. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your tires are “under inflated” with less air pressure than normal. Also, ideally, have a second spare wheel with you if possible.

Stop-Offs

It is very important to rest at regular intervals and enjoy where you are. There is no rush. Patagonia is all about “time slowing down”. There are beautiful, tranquil places where nature is very much “in control” and such places are for the visitor to relax and enjoy the experience of “being cut off” from the rest of humanity for a while.

Pioneer Country

The Carretera Austral is simply a magical and wonderful place to visit. It is still like “pioneer” country where few people have entered. There are mountains, forests, rivers, lagoons, lakes, glaciers, and waterfalls. Nature here is “king”. Come and see it for yourself.

Note: Here at ExperienceChile.Org, as previously mentioned, we will arrange a rent a car for you together with a sensible itinerary plan. Alternatively, we can arrange one, or more, all-inclusive options whereupon you get collected at the start and returned at the end of a 4 or more-night stay at one or more of the top lodges. Or we can still arrange an all-inclusive, but with more modest accommodation.

Our service is all about YOU. We will create the itinerary that YOU want, just let us know.

The Route

What we aim to do here is to outline the logical route that you can take if you were to drive, starting at the northern Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt point, and running south to Villa O’Higgins – 1,241km away.

Sectors and Stages

Understanding the Carretera Austral
Considering its length (over 1,241kms) here at ExperienceChile.Org we have divided the route into 3 sectors as well as suggested stages to navigate each day within these sectors.

Sector 1 North to South
The first sector, driving from the north and heading south, is from the start at either Puerto Montt or Puerto Varas, down to Coyhaique. This is our Sector 1. This sector has various alternatives with regards to how you can drive the route, all explained below.

Sector 2 North to South
The next sector is from Coyhaique, which is kind of in the middle of the Carretera Austral, down to the end, at Villa O’Higgins. This is our Sector 2.
By the way, Coyhaique also has an airport called Balmaceda, therefore you may wish to fly into, or depart from here. Considering this option drivers have these possibilities:
A – Drive south as mentioned in Sector 2 or B – Drive north as shown in Sector 3 below.

Sector 3 South to North
This means driving from Coyhaique north to Puerto Montt, or Puerto Varas, basically navigating Sector 1 in reverse. However, we have put this option under Sector 3, south to north. Again, as with Sector 1, there are alternative routes, which are mentioned below.

Approx. Road Distances in Km (1.6km = 1 mile)

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