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Chile by road
Typical road, northern Chile
As well as the 4,300 kilometres of coastline,
Chile’s unique geography also creates some
wonderful opportunities for road travel, either
with a driver on some of the more challenging
terrain, or driving yourself. Independent selfdrive
in South America as a whole is not always
the easiest thing in the world, even for
experienced independent travellers, because of
undeveloped roads, a lack of ‘road etiquette’
and sparse road signs. Chile, however, is an
exception and offers fantastic opportunities to
explore under your own steam. The romantic
notion of driving from top to bottom of the
country is actually an impossibility though, as
the Southern Patagonia Ice Field bisects the
country, and the roads cannot cross it.
The North
One of the most spectacular overland trips in
the world is between southwestern Bolivia and
Chile’s Atacama Desert. This is a trip where you
definitely need to be a passenger and let an
expert who knows the area do the driving, as
much of it is off-road amongst the Salar de
Uyuni salt flats (see page 30), volcanoes and
colourful lagoons. The scenery is breathtaking,
from seeing the curvature of the earth when
standing on the dazzling white salt, to the
descent into the oasis town of San Pedro de
Atacama. The Explora hotel (see page 107)
arranges a travesía (‘journey’) from its property
in San Pedro up through this area, in incredibly
luxurious style considering the remoteness of
the terrain. There are also other less expensive
options for those not staying at the Explora.
These trips stay in simpler places with less
creature comforts, but all use sturdy 4x4s, a
pre requisite for the region.
The Centre
Driving yourself from Santiago down to the
Chilean Lake District is a wonderfully relaxing
few days along good roads, via some of the best
wine-producing regions in the country. Once in
the Lake District, you will find some of the best
self-driving opportunities in South America, with
good roads that skirt by emerald green lakes,
wind around volcanoes and pass through small
picturesque towns.
To the north of the region you will find the
town of Pucón nestled under the Villarrica
Volcano and as you travel south from here you
enter one of the most indigenous parts of Chile.
The Huilo Huilo Nature Reserve lies on the
other side of the volcano, and is full of ancient
woodland, remote lakes and a deep sense of
history and tradition rooted in the Mapuche
Indian past. Driving south you enter a region
that was heavily populated by German
immigrants in the 19th century. This is the most
commonly visited part of the region, focused
around the town of Puerto Varas. Having a car
here allows you the flexibility to explore the
region at your own pace.
Driving over into the Argentinian Lake District
is possible, but one of the quirks of the hire car
set up is that it can be prohibitively expensive to
return a hire car to a different country, so we
would recommend looping back into Chile.
For the more adventurous there is the option
of driving further south, down into the Aisén
region. Mainly on unpaved roads, and with the
need for some ferries, this can be a challenging
trip, but it is through some of the most pristine
areas of Chile, much of it national parks. There
are lodges along the route, which becomes
more rugged as you travel south. Finally, you can
go no further, the road stops at the settlement
of Villa O’Higgins as the Southern Patagonian Ice
Field proves an impassable barrier.
The South
Below the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, roads
start up again, and exploring this end of Chile by
road is all about long journeys across wide open
expanses of Patagonian steppe. Driving yourself
around Torres del Paine National Park is an
interesting way of seeing the magnificent scenery
at your own pace, giving you a little more
flexibility to explore on your own rather than
being in a group.
www.audleytravel.com/chile ● 01993 838 640 ● Chile 111