Carretera Austral
The continent's last great wild road: 1,240 km of ripio and paved stretches between fjords, rainforests and hanging glaciers — the journey within the journey.
Suggested stay — 7 to 10 nights
From Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins, Route 7 is not an itinerary but an expedition: three compulsory ferries on the first stretch (including Hornopirén-Caleta Gonzalo through the fjords of Pumalín park, booked weeks ahead in summer), stretches of ripio where you pass more condors than cars, and a procession of wonders: Pumalín's thousand-year-old alerce forests, Queulat's ventisquero colgante — a hanging glacier spilling its waterfall into cold jungle — and the spires of Cerro Castillo.
South of Coyhaique, the road peaks at lake General Carrera, a turquoise immensity shared with Argentina: the capillas de mármol, chapels of blueish marble carved by the waves, are visited by boat from Puerto Río Tranquilo. Allow a minimum of ten days to drive it whole, or a week for the heart (Chaitén-Cochrane). Out here, a fuel station is an event and the jerry can standard equipment.
Don't miss
- The ventisquero colgante in Queulat park (boardwalk and mirador trail)
- The capillas de mármol by boat from Puerto Río Tranquilo, early morning on calm water
- The Cerro Castillo day hike, the "little Torres del Paine" without the crowds
- The alerce forests and fjords of Pumalín park around Chaitén
Our tips on the ground
- Book the Hornopirén-Caleta Gonzalo ferry as soon as your dates are set (the operator's website, several weeks ahead in January-February): without it there is no northern stretch — the alternative is the direct Puerto Montt-Chaitén ferry.
- Fill up at EVERY station (Chaitén, La Junta, Puyuhuapi sometimes dry, Coyhaique, Cochrane) and carry a 10-20 L jerry can: running dry is the road's number-one incident.
- Take the "full ripio" rental: a second spare wheel if possible, windscreen cover included (it will get starred), and declare your route to the agency — some ban Route 7 for city cars.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Chile on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Carretera Austral
Do you need a 4x4 for the Carretera Austral?
No — an SUV with decent clearance is plenty in summer: nearly half the road is now paved and the remaining ripio is maintained. The 4x4 earns its keep on the side trips (the Exploradores valley, Tortel in bad weather, south of Cochrane) and as a safety margin. What matters is not the drivetrain but good tyres, the spare wheel, and the pace: 50 km/h on gravel, no exceptions.
Which direction, and starting from where?
Simplest: fly into Balmaceda (Coyhaique's airport), rent locally and loop out to Queulat in the north and lake General Carrera in the south — zero compulsory ferries, most of the scenery. The full Puerto Montt-Villa O'Higgins version imposes the northern ferries and ideally a drop-off in Coyhaique (steep fees, book early). North to south, the crescendo of landscapes works in your favour.