Itineraries

Four routes down the Carretera Austral

A starting point — every trip we plan gets adjusted to your dates, pace, and which camper you book. Most routes below are a round trip back to Puerto Varas — no relocation fee, no logistics headache — and built around 2-3 night stays at the best spots instead of rushing past them. All entirely within Chile: no Argentina border crossing, no extra deposit.

Bookings of 15+ days get our reduced daily rate automatically — the longer you take the Carretera Austral, the better it's priced. Most travelers who've done it say 2-3 weeks is the sweet spot to actually enjoy it instead of just driving it.
10-Day Round Trip · Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas
🇨🇱 100% Chile

Pumalín's rainforest, the Futaleufú valley, and the Puyuhuapi fjord — three of the north's best spots, each with two full nights instead of a drive-by, without ever leaving the coast road.

01

Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas

Pickup, camper walkthrough, first night at a lakeside campsite near Puerto Varas.

02–03

Hornopirén → Chaitén

Ferry crossings begin. Two nights based near Pumalín Park — alerce forests, waterfalls, volcanic landscapes.

Native alerce forest trail in Pumalín Park
04–05

Futaleufú

Inland to the Futaleufú valley — turquoise water, granite peaks, world-class rafting. Two nights to actually use them: raft, hike above town, or just camp by the water.

Turquoise river in the Futaleufú valley
06–07

Puyuhuapi

Back to the coast road and further south — two nights on the fjord for the hot springs and the hanging glacier at Queulat National Park.

08

Chaitén

Heading back north, one more night near Pumalín.

09

Hornopirén

Ferry day, overnight before the last crossing.

10

Puerto Varas

Drop-off in Puerto Varas — no extra hub fee.

Have more time? The 16-Day Marble Caves & Cerro Castillo route covers this same stretch and keeps going south, at a better nightly rate.
16-Day Round Trip · Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas
🇨🇱 100% Chile

Our most-booked route: the full northern half of the Carretera Austral down to the Marble Caves and Cerro Castillo, with 2-3 nights at every major stop so you're not just driving all day, every day — and back to Puerto Varas, no relocation fee.

01

Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas

Pickup, camper walkthrough, first night at a lakeside campsite near Puerto Varas.

02–03

Hornopirén → Chaitén

Ferry crossings begin. Two nights based near Pumalín Park — alerce forests, waterfalls, volcanic landscapes.

Dolphins and a rainbow over a Patagonian fjord
04–05

Puyuhuapi

Two nights on the fjord: hot springs, and the hanging glacier at Queulat National Park.

06–08

Puerto Río Tranquilo

Three nights to do it properly: the Marble Caves by boat one day, the all-day hike to Exploradores Glacier another, with a buffer day for weather.

Guanacos at sunrise near Cerro Castillo
09–10

Cerro Castillo

Two nights based here — one full day for the trek to Laguna Cerro Castillo, one of the Carretera Austral's best hikes.

11

Coyhaique

A night in the regional capital — restock, do laundry, eat something that isn't camp food.

12–13

Puyuhuapi (return leg)

Heading back north, with a second stay on the fjord — time for whatever you missed on the way down.

14–15

Chaitén

Two more nights near Pumalín before the ferries north — no need to rush the return either.

16

Hornopirén → Puerto Varas

Ferries back north and drop-off in Puerto Varas — no relocation fee, no logistics.

Want to keep going instead of turning back at Cerro Castillo? The 21-Day Deep South Explorer continues all the way to Villa O'Higgins, still round trip.
21-Day Round Trip · Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas
🇨🇱 100% Chile

Everything in the 16-day route, plus the wild, little-visited far south of the Carretera Austral — all the way to Villa O'Higgins and back, as far south as any road in Chile goes without crossing into Argentina.

01

Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas

Pickup, camper walkthrough, first night at a lakeside campsite near Puerto Varas.

02–03

Hornopirén → Chaitén

Ferry crossings begin. Two nights near Pumalín Park — alerce forests, waterfalls, volcanic landscapes.

04–05

Puyuhuapi

Two nights on the fjord: hot springs and the hanging glacier at Queulat National Park.

Marble Caves on Lago General Carrera
06–07

Puerto Río Tranquilo

Two nights: the Marble Caves by boat, plus Exploradores Glacier.

08–09

Cerro Castillo

Two nights, one full trekking day up to Laguna Cerro Castillo.

10

Coyhaique

Restock in the regional capital before heading into the deep south.

11–12

Cochrane

Two nights in "the cutest town on the Carretera" — base for Patagonia National Park's Tamango sector, kayaking, and huemul deer.

13

Caleta Tortel

A night in a village with no streets — just cypress boardwalks over the water.

Glacier near Villa O'Higgins
14–15

Villa O'Higgins

Two nights at the end of the Carretera Austral. Trek to the Montt Glacier viewpoint, then camp under some of the darkest skies in Patagonia.

16–17

Cochrane (return)

Retrace the road north at a slower pace, two nights to rest and refuel.

18

Puerto Río Tranquilo (return)

A second look at the Marble Caves, or just downtime by the lake.

19

Puyuhuapi (return)

One more fjord night heading north.

20

Chaitén

Last night near Pumalín before the ferries.

21

Hornopirén → Puerto Varas

Ferries north and drop-off in Puerto Varas — still no relocation fee.

Ready to go all the way to Torres del Paine? The 28-Day Torres del Paine Expedition keeps going south — one way, at an even better nightly rate.
28-Day One-Way · Puerto Varas → Puerto Natales
🇨🇱 100% Chile

The full run: 28 days from the lakes district all the way to Torres del Paine. The usual way south of Villa O'Higgins is a detour through Argentina — instead, we bridge that gap by ferry, so the whole trip stays on Chilean territory. This is the only route on this page that doesn't return to Puerto Varas — Torres del Paine is worth the one-way trip, and a trip this long already qualifies for our reduced 15+ day rate.

01

Puerto Varas → Puerto Varas

Pickup, camper walkthrough, first night at a lakeside campsite near Puerto Varas.

02–05

Hornopirén → Chaitén → Puyuhuapi

Ferry crossings, Pumalín Park, coastal fjords, and the hot springs at Puyuhuapi.

Marble Caves on Lago General Carrera
06–08

Puerto Cisnes → Puerto Río Tranquilo

The Marble Caves, and a rest day to catch up before the deep south.

09–11

Puerto Bertrand → Cochrane → Caleta Tortel

The Río Baker, then the boardwalk village of Caleta Tortel.

12–14

Villa O'Higgins

The end of the road. Glacier trekking and a couple of nights to rest before the ferry leg.

Torres del Paine granite towers
15–17

Ferry south to Puerto Natales

Instead of the Argentina detour, we route the camper and you south by ferry — the one Chile-only bridge across the gap in the Carretera Austral. Logistics are ours to handle; more on this when you book.

18–26

Torres del Paine & Puerto Natales

The core of the trip: the W or O trek, Grey Glacier, guanaco herds, and pumas at dawn if you're patient.

27–28

Puerto Natales

Last nights in town, drop-off at our Puerto Natales hub.

Not sure which route fits your dates?

Tell us how many days you have and we'll build the route around it.

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