Hidden Treasures of Central Chile Road Trip

Some time between October and April is the time to catch all three areas at their best. Santiago and the winelands should be warm and inviting, the Atacama generally clear and dry. The Lakes are moving from late spring through summer and into early fall so is always beautiful.

From Maule and the winelands all the way up to the Atacama it will tend to be warm and sunny throughout. Up in Elqui, the altitude will mean cool to cold nights.

Further south, during the first 10 nights of the trip, the weather will be much less predictable - likely with rainfall.

On paper, the weather here will be better in January than in October or April. In practice, the best weather we've ever had was in early October and very late April so don't sweat the weather, bring the right clothing and embrace it.

November through March is the busier period with January as a peak as that's when South Americans are on their summer vacations. We make sure to steer you away from crowds so the trip still works well in this period.

This somewhat depends on when you want to travel but relatively small hotels and lodges in popular destinations mean that 12 months is sensible, assuming you want to travel on specific dates. The more flexibility you have, the better.

Is this trip suitable for solo travellers? As a private trip, you are not joining a group. As such, this isn't the most obvious choice for a solo traveller. The fixed costs of the vehicle rental are particularly high.

Saying that, if you were happy with the extra investment, the experience would work well for a solo traveller who enjoys being on their own.

While this is a vacation dedicated to your spending time experiencing Chile, it does involve a good amount of driving.

The total driving distance from top to bottom of this trip is 2,500km, that's before you account for any day trips or detours.

You stay two or three nights in each of your destinations before moving on. Most distances are between 200-300km so you can expect to be driving for three to four hours every second or third day.

On a two days there are longer drives of nearer six hours. Estimated driving times and distances are noted at the end of each day of the itinerary above.

Generally speaking, very easy and low stress. All of the roads you are likely to encounter are paved and in a reasonable state of repair. Driving in Chile is recognisably rules based so overflowing chicken trucks really aren't a thing here.

You probably wouldn't enjoy driving in Valparaiso, which is why we have you stay nearby and suggest taking a taxi in for a day trip.

Fairly simple, you are primarily travelling on the Pan American highway north - Ruta 5 as it's known. The rule of thumb is simple, if you hit the ocean, you've gone too far left and if you hit the Andes, you've strayed too far right.

We provide you with the best available road maps as well as our own written instructions. In addition, you will want to also use a navigation app such as Waze. You can pre-load drives onto this with wi-fi, it then switches to using your phone's 'always on' GPS rather than expensive data whilst on the move.

We always include a mid-sized vehicle which is comfortable for long distances, usually all-wheel drive. The four wheel drive is rarely necessary but it does make for a more sure-footed driving experience. Engines tend to be of a generous size, no whirring and whining along.