JEEP TOUR CHILE 'ROUTE AUSTRAL'
18 days
CHILE ROUTE AUSTRAL, OFF THE BEATEN TRACK!
An 18-day trip by car across the famed ‘Rout Austral’ shows you the most beautiful and unexplored areas of Patagonia. With spectacular landscapes, serene lakes, fjords, volcanoes, glaciers and the mountain masterpiece of Torres del Paine. From river rafting to fly fishing, horse riding to mountain biking or gentle hikes, everything is possible during this trip where you decide the pace. One thing is certain; you’ll be overwhelmed by the natural beauty that Patagonia has to offer.
Day 1 - Santiago
Welcome to Santiago! Transfer to hotel from the airport.
Santiago de Chile, founded in 1541 by the Spanish conquerors, has been the capital of Chile since colonial times. The city is surrounded by the Andes mountain range and has a centre of 19th century classical architecture with winding side streets, littered with art deco, neo-Gothic and other styles. You can enjoy the many street musicians and handmade copper jewellery at the in the markets. The city consists of several hills, the Mapocho River and many parks. Santiago is surrounded by vineyards and is a few hours away from both the mountains and the Pacific. During a city tour of half a day, your guide will show you all the city’s highlights.
Day 2 - Puerto Varas
Today, you’ll fly to Puerto Mont. Transfer from the airport to your hotel in Puerto Varas.
Puerto Varas is known as the Ciudad de las Rosas (the pink city). The city is situated by the beautiful Llanquihue Lake which offers a fantastic view of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes. Puerto Varas has beautiful architecture from the previous century and is surrounded by gardens.
Day 3 - Puerto Varas
Today, you’ll pick up your rental car. The surroundings of Puerto Varas is definitely worth visiting and is great to explore by car! You can visit Niklitschek Beach, which is 7km away from Puerto Varas, surrounded by wild landscapes or drive to the beautiful Todos Los Santos Lake! Looking for more action? Climb the Osorno volcano, raft or kayak across the Petrohué River, try fishing or go on a horse ride!
Day 4 - Bariloche
Today, you’ll drive to beautiful Bariloche. The refuge with a wonderful beach and surrounded by mountains and forest is one of the most beloved cities of Argentina and the world! In winter, Bariloche is an important winter sports area, which is evident in the Alpine architecture of the town. The mythical Mount Cathedral is one of the most important ski resorts of the country. Beside winter sports, the splendid environment of Bariloche also has great activities to offer like hiking, river rafting, walking through old forests, fly fishing for salmon and trout, horse riding, climbing and canoeing. Sustainable tourism is very important in this area, which is reflected in the beauty of the natural environment.
Day 5 - Bariloche
Today you have another day to enjoy the splendid location of Bariloche.
Day 6 - Futaleuvu
Today, you’ll drive to Furtaleufu, a Chilean village in the Palena Province, Los Lagos Region. It’s named after the river of the same name. The city is close to the Argentinian border and has around 2000 inhabitants. The largest source of income comes from fly fishing, white water rafting tourism, forestry and cattle raising. A gravel road leads to the town of Trevelin (in Argentina) and the Carretera Austral route.
Day 7/8 - Puyuhaupi
Puyuhuapi is on today’s programme, a village in the province of Aysén, the most northern point of Chilean Patagonia. It’s one of the least populated areas on earth and therefore one of the most untouched areas on the planet. A place with wondrous nature! Because of the location, it attracts few tourists. During a kayak trip, you can observe whale colonies that come to the area! The region is a base for fisherman because of the large number of rivers; so ideal for fishing or white water sports. The Carretera Austral is the only route that connects Aysén with the rest of Chile. The Carretera Austral was built in the late seventies and is a great route through the landscapes of Patagonia.
You have two days to explore this area.
Day 9 - Coyhaque
You drive to Coihaique, a young city and the capital of the Coihaique Province and Aysén Region. We’ll give you detailed instructions on how to reach the town. Coihaique is mainly visited by adventurers, because the area hasn’t yet been truly discovered. The town is surrounded by mountains with snowy peaks. You’ll stay here for 1 night.
Day 10/11 - Puerto Gaudal
Today, you’ll drive to Puerto Gaudal, a small village west of Chile’s largest and most beautiful lake of Lago General Carrera. Blessed with the best weather in the region, it’s an increasingly popular destination for people who want to enjoy the spectacular area of central Patagonia. It is close to the famous ‘Capillas de Marmol’ caves. Definitely worth a visit. You have 2 days to enjoy this beautiful place.
Day 12 - Perito Moreno
Cueva de las Manos (Spanish for Cave of Hands) is a series of caves in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina, 163km south of the city of Perito Moreno. It’s known for its paintings of hands. The paintings date back from 13,000 to 9,000 years ago!
Day 13 - El Calefate
Today, you’ll drive to El Calefate. The town is beautifully situated at the Altiplano, just beside the azure blue ‘Lago Argentino’. The town is the starting point for a visit to the ‘Glaciares National Park’. In the north of the park, you can experience the most beautiful hikes. This is also a paradise for mountain climbers. In the south, you view the icy glaciers, take ice hikes across and can enjoy a boat ride across lakes full of icebergs. El Calafate itself is a small and quiet village where you can see a lot simply on foot.
Day 14 - Perito Moreno
Today, you can visit the imposing Perito Moreno Glacier! This is the greatest sight of ‘Glaciares National Park’. This immense rock of ice is 4km in width and 60m in height. Because the ice has been compressed under huge pressure over the years, Perito Moreno gained its trademark bright blue colour. You can go on a spectacular boat ride past the glacier and witness how chunks of ice crumble off. This is nothing to be worried about, however, because of the constant supply of snow, the Perito Moreno grows every year.
For those interested, there’s also the option for a spectacular hike across a glacier. With suitable equipment, consisting of crampons, it’s possible to hike 1.5 hours to the starting point of the glacier. Then the real deal starts: during the tough trek of three and a half hours, you’re rewarded with breathtaking views on the ice plateau.
Day 15 - Torres del Paine
You’ve arrived in the Torres Del Paine National Park, the absolute highlight of Patagonia! During your trip to the NP, you’ll see various landscapes, from forests to steppes. Once arriving at the park, you see the landscape drastically change, azure blue lakes, spectacular glaciers, waterfalls and fantastic fauna. The Torres del Paine derives its name from the 3 granite peaks.
Day 16 - Torres del Paine
Enjoy a second day in Torres Del Paine.
The Torres del Paine is excellent for trekking and exploring the exceptional natural beauty. Proclaimed as a biosphere reservation by UNESCO, Torres del Paine is internationally viewed as one of the most beautiful, unique and purest places on the planet. A place of lakes, rivers, waterfalls, glaciers, forest and amazing wildlife. The park’s vegetation changes in every area you visit. The animals that live in the park include guanacos, greater rheas, condors, cougars and a large variety of birds the most important of which can be found around the lakes and lagoons.
Day 17 - Punta Arenas
Today, you’ll drive to Punta Arenas. Before the Panama Canal was made, this was a very busy shipping route for ships from the east to the west coast. Punta Arenas is the most southern city of Chile. The town is lively and the centre of Chilean Patagonia where culture and industry are centred. This is also the access gate to the southern regions, also called the ‘World’s End’.
Day 18
Transport to the airport.
Included:
* All accommodations with breakfast
* Car rental inclusive satellite tracking and road assistance
* Mentioned meals
* Transport like mentioned in the program
Not included:
* International and domestic flights
* Not mentioned meals
* Entry fees national parks, unless mentioned differently
* Optional and not mentioned services
* Fuel, parking costs and other expenses in case of a rental car
