Carretera Uncovered

Summary

Patagonia is one of the most diverse and spectacular parts of the world with towering mountains, deep blue lakes, dense forests and twisting glaciers. In return for your adventurous spirit, you will experience vast swathes of untouched wilderness of rare beauty and incredible variety.

And yet, driving distances are not huge, the lodges we use are eminently comfortable, your hosts warm and welcoming. This is a Chilean road trip adventure without the hair-shirt.

If you appreciate going to a place where most people don’t speak English, where wi-fi works only sometimes, where roads are unpaved, where you might be delayed by an ox drawn cart, or guanacos in the road then you should love it as much as we do.

How adventurous?

Best time to go i

Level of activity

As a tailor made holiday we can adjust things to suit you prior to your depature. There is also much of this trip where it is up to you to set the pace. There is plenty of opportunity to get out walking on this holiday but equally, if all you wanted to do is sit and stare at the landscapes, it would remain a great trip.

As described above, the holiday includes a wide variety of activities, from snorkelling to ice hiking. None require you to have had previous experience to any particular level and all necessary specialist equipment will be provided.

At various stages in the journey, you have private guides who can adjust activities to suit you. The walk in Patagonia Park can be set to suit you. If you are able to manage the 21km of the Lagunas Altas route then we would highly recommend that you do this. However, there are other shorter routes available which your guide can discuss with you once there.

Level of comfort

For specific hotels we use on this trip, please see summary section, below. These are the best small hotels and lodges in each place. This holiday is comfortable throughout, starting and ending in particular style in Santiago.

The hotels and lodges in Aysén (Patagonia) have reached a great moment whereby we have a wonderful selection of very high quality small hotels for you to stay in. These are not luxury properties but rather very clean and comfortable owner run places where the welcome is as warm as you’ll find anywhere in the world.

You should expect 3-4* standard, but given how remote all of these places are, that generally feels very comfortable indeed.

The driving on this trip is largely on unpaved roads but surfaces are treated. We include the largest available 4x4 vehicles which are substantial and comfortable.

Distances covered are not large - anywhere from 75km - 200km in any one go. However, you should expect to travel at around 50km/h on average for a safe and comfortable trip.

Level of culture

Note that people here do not commonly speak good English, if any at all. You may well find that communicating with your guides takes a good deal of patience on both sides. When eating out in restaurants you will likely have to rely on whatever Spanish you have or on a translation app.

When driving, you need to be careful because cows quite often wander into the road. Gauchos ride their horses along the road, usually with their dog trotting behind. Hitchhiking is common here, locals getting from one village to another will wait patiently for a bus to pass but if you stop, they’ll be delighted. They may offer you money, that’s normal etiquette – you don’t have to take it!

Everywhere you go you will see evidence of very simple rural living. Small brightly painted houses in the most incredible surroundings – often with the windows facing the road rather than the million dollar view out back. People carry unfeasibly large loads of wood up the walkways of Tortel. Maté is the daytime drink of choice.

This is Patagonia. It is unvarnished but for those of us who like tour travels to ignite the exploring spirit in us – there can be few better places in the world.

Practicalities

The holiday price is a guideline based on two people sharing, and includes accommodation, days of private excursions or shared guides as described in our detailed itinerary. It also includes full size 4x4 vehicle rental with comprehensive insurance for 2 drivers, internal flights, private transfers, and local information. Naturally, on each and every one of our holidays, we include Pura’s expertise, local contacts, support and advice throughout, along with the reassurance of our financial protection and safety auditing.

For a more detailed description of the holiday, please contact us and we can send you our detailed pdf itinerary.

Whilst domestic flights between Santiago and Patagonia are included in the price, international flights are quoted separately. Best flight routings are to fly in and out of Santiago (airport code: SCL). Expect to pay between £600 – £800pp for flights except in peak periods.