Patagonia Car Tours: Top 5 Unforgettable Drives & Routes

Patagonia, that big slice of land sprawled across the bottom of South America, is, almost, shouting adventure, is that right? With its insane mountains, crazy blue glaciers, and spaces that seem to run forever, it’s just begging for a road trip, sort of. This area, split between Argentina and Chile, presents a driving adventure quite unlike almost anything you’ve probably seen before, a little. Picking the cream of the crop? Rather tricky, very, but let’s check out five routes that will have you picking your jaw up off the floor for slightly different reasons.

1. The Carretera Austral (Chile)

The Carretera Austral, known too as Chile’s Route 7, is truly one for the memory books, very. Imagine this: more than 750 miles of primarily gravel road snaking its way right through some seriously pristine wilderness, rather. You get fjords, rainforests, snow-capped peaks, almost, and, basically, towns so small you’ll blink and miss ’em, very. You will need to factor in things can get rugged around here, could be. The road is pretty tough in spots, very, plus that weather? Yeah, unpredictable doesn’t begin to describe it, basically. Is the challenge is that appealing though? Big time, arguably. Each mile provides mind-blowing sights though, that’s for sure; turquoise rivers cutting through canyons, glaciers crashing into the sea, and mountains rearing skyward are seemingly on offer, could be. It’s less of a simple drive, I’d argue, more a test of both your mettle, you know, and that vehicle of yours, kind of.

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2. Ruta 40 (Argentina)

Alright, buckle up buttercup: we have Argentina’s legendary Ruta 40 next on the list, sort of. Stretching over 3,000 miles almost nose to tail along the Andes Mountains, this whopper will drag you by places just soaked in wonder, basically. Get geared up for a full montage of barren steppes, shockingly colored lakes, villages that reek of yesteryear, actually, and views of mountains that will stay pinned in your mind long after you’ve gotten home, that. One section throws in the famed Perito Moreno Glacier, actually. We have that huge ice wall calving away thunderously into Argentino Lake, basically. And in the north, too, the road brings you to the surreal, almost lunar landscape of the Puna, sort of. Ruta 40 presents a mixed bag regarding driving conditions, actually. Sections could be pure pavement, while others ask you to creep over rock and gravel, kind of. Planning? Is that essential to sidestep finding your caboose in trouble? For sure, arguably.

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3. Torres del Paine National Park Circuit (Chile)

Do you feel you want close ups of the crazy beautiful then? You could have the loop that brings you around Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park, sort of. OK, this isn’t some mega-long haul drive but believe that you will want to stretch out the drive over a handful of days, in some respects. Doing that gives you space, actually, to really drench yourself in everything available around here, very. You get the classic shots of the three granite towers (las Torres), also lakes reflecting things that look far too good to be real, more or less, glaciers in vivid blue, alright, and hiking trails at just about every twist and turn, I’d argue. Road-wise, there’s something for all vehicle types, more or less, even if having something with a little ground clearance comes in pretty darn handy here, that. The joy from this jaunt? That comes down to being dumped in the heart of all that is truly special in Patagonia; there really aren’t words, are there?

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4. Ushuaia to Rio Grande (Argentina)

Let’s say you were looking to plant the flag at the end of the planet? Maybe you want to plot a drive going from Ushuaia – the southernmost city around – to Rio Grande, too, actually in Argentina’s Tierra del Fuego, kind of. Is this super long in terms of miles? No, basically. But, by the way, it’s all that different than pretty much anything else you’re apt to experience, very. Why’s that then? For starters, the roads cut through pretty brutal and awesome terrain: lonely moors, areas packed with wind-stunted trees, seemingly, and big open sky, really. Then there’s the crossing to do over the Magellan Strait via ferry, arguably adding something a bit special and interesting into that whole travel experience, actually. Keep those eyeballs peeled as you drive though, and also you might catch sight of peculiar local animals around here; think guanacos, maybe condors wheeling around in that sky and perhaps some glimpses of peculiar seabirds on that Strait crossing, very.

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5. El Calafate to El Chalten (Argentina)

Are you up to being face to face, sort of, with some mighty peaks on these Patagonian rambles? Then think on running your car going from El Calafate through to El Chalten (both Argentina, OK), that. While this doesn’t offer an overwhelming amount regarding mile after mile of road under the tires, still it serves something pretty awesome as driving rewards are concerned, so. Along the way, is that you have almost constant vision of that unreal Mount Fitz Roy skyline, actually? Oh my. In fact that peak likes showing off at sunrise and sunset, naturally throwing light and shadows that mess with the brain so, too it’s almost that, you just can’t drink in enough of the vistas available, literally. And consider, then, once you land up in El Chalten – it being the hiking capital this area is regarded as? You are handed something pretty incredible regarding opportunities to park that four wheeled vehicle before heading into some wild trails on foot instead, really.

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Choosing Your Patagonian Car Tour: What To Keep In Mind

Alright, you want a driving holiday, still, is it figuring the nuts and bolts that cause a slight headache, in some respects? A few areas to concentrate on could be weather conditions, road conditions (really), distances involved, also vehicle selection so you sidestep issues you really could be planning out and around instead, kind of.

• Vehicle. Do you feel the need for a beastly 4×4? Potentially, arguably not (depending on your exact location) ,in some respects. Still, for many bits that throw up the unexpected, you may as well select that option because you won’t find the miles fun driving with something unsuitable anyway, clearly.
• Time. Attempting to squash things in? I wouldn’t, really. Accept all driving sectors potentially gulp time up unexpectedly because Patagonian things happen (plus the light asks that you stop for many photographs) instead, frankly.
• Accommodations. This can get pretty sparse and also be expensive as all heck. Booking things up? Yeah; I’d definitely do that – just as quickly as your vacation vision settles to become “Patagonia”, anyway.

Planning & Preparation

Actually putting your act into gear requires a bit; not all seat of the pants-ness here, seriously. Is that getting clued up regarding where petrol stations lie really far apart necessary, still packing spares vital plus, maybe you really want to polish up regarding essential Spanish expressions? Possibly; if things did ever go belly up then, actually knowing those kinds of things are really good preparation to consider regardless, seemingly.

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