Route of Parks: Ultimate Patagonia Road Trip

Any time between October and April is the time to catch Patagonia as it moves from late spring through summer and into autumn.

As a tailor-made vacation we can adjust things to suit you prior to your departure. 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 vacation but equally, if all you wanted to do is sit and stare at the landscapes, it would remain a great trip.

At various stages in the journey, you have private guides who adjust activities to suit.

There is nothing particularly high-impact on the cruise, with most walks being relatively short and easy, though wind can sometimes make things trickier. It is an expedition cruise by nature, so the idea is to approach it with this spirit of adventure. All activities are optional.

The hotels and lodges in 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.

Absolutely. We can tailor your vacation in any number of ways, and will often have to play with the running order to find space for you, or to avoid your overlapping too much with other clients.

Absolutely. You may find that communicating takes a little patience on both sides as English isn't widely spoken outside of the hotels you stay in. Your guides speak good English.

When eating out in restaurants you will likely have to rely on whatever Spanish you have, or on a translation app but it is rarely an issue if you happy with a bit of sign language too.

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 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!

All in all, this is Patagonia. It is unvarnished but for those of us who like our travels to ignite the exploring spirit in us – there can be few better places in the world.

This is not a vacation dedicated to driving, it is about your spending time out and about in the great outdoors. The driving is simply a means to an end.

You stay two or three nights in each of your destinations before moving on. Most distances are between 120-200km so you would generally expect to be driving for three to four hours every second or third day. There are some longer days of driving, particularly on the Argentine side of the border where the population density is even scarcer than in Chilean Patagonia.

Our Travel Guide Notes make suggestions for stops along the way, places you can head off for short walks or stop to appreciate particularly fine views. It is rare that a day would be dedicated to driving, the norm would be that you set off in the morning and have the afternoon free to walk and explore.

Ruta 40 in Argentina is fully paved and in good condition.

In Chile, the Carretera Austral is paved only in certain sections, within each day of the itinerary above we set out how much of any given drive is paved versus unpaved. Generally speaking, the section of the road from about 60km south of Balmaceda airport (Villa Cerro Castillo) all the way north past Coyhaique and up to Puerto Cisnes, is paved. It is in a generally decent state of repair. Traffic is very light except for the immediate vicinity of Coyhaique.

For most of your time, you will be driving on unpaved road but it is surfaced. That is to say that the surface of the road is loose gravel on a flattened/scraped bed of dirt. Along most of its length there is plenty of room for two way traffic - the road being approximately three car widths from side to side.

The near constant works to maintain the road mean two things: there are very few sections of washboard road (bad stuff) and there are lots of stop signs to go around works. All in all, Patagonia, the Carretera Austral particularly, is a place where to rush is to waste time. We suggest an average speed of just 40kmph, which gives you plenty of opportunity to stop and enjoy the views along the way.

When it is dry, the road can kick up a lot of dust. When it is wet, it kicks up mud and spray. Traffic levels are so low that this is unlikely to be any sort of problem except at busier times of year (January) on the busier stretch (from Puerto Rio Tranquilo north to Cerro Castillo). It is worth bearing in mind that the population density down here is half that of Mongolia, out of season, it would not be surprising if you didn't pass another vehicle for 20 minutes at a time.

It is effectively impossible to get lost on either Ruta 40 or the Carretera Austral. Both are essentially one road going north-south. The easiest and most reliable way to navigate is using an app on your phone like Google Maps or Waze - both can be set so they work offline without using data.