The mythical Carreterra Austral stretches 1,240 km through Patagonian Chile, from Puerto Montt to Villa O’ Higgins. Today, it is one of the world’s iconic road trips.

A Pinochet vanity project to connect the remote southern villages of Chile, the Carretera Austral – or Ruta 7 – was never a practical proposition.

Nevertheless, it happened and it has endured and these days has become an iconic road trip, be it in a car, or by the increasingly popular bicycle. It is becoming more and more paved and those sections which are still gravel provide no challenge to even the most ordinary 2 wheel drive vehicle.

We drove south from Puerto Montt and at Villa O’Higgins we simply turned around and largely retraced our steps – it was that good!

These are the articles I wrote about the trip: just click on the links for further details.

1 The Carretera Austral, Puerto Montt to Chaitén, Chile (November 2023)

2 The Carretera Austral, Chaitén to Futaleufú, Chile (November 2023)

3 The Carretera Austral, Villa Santa Lucia to Quelat National Park, Chile (November 2023)

4 The Carretera Austral, Puerto Cisnes to Coyhaique, Chile (November 2023)

5 The Carretera Austral, Coyhaique to Cerro Castillo, Chile (November 2023)

6 The Carretera Austral, Villa Cerro Castillo to Puerto Río Tranquilo, Chile (December 2023)

7 The Carretera Austral, Lago General Carrera to Río Nadis, Chile (December 2023)

8 The Carretera Austral, Río Nadis to Caleta Tortel, Chile (December 2023)

9 The Carretera Austral, Villa O’Higgins, Chile (December 2023)

10 Patagonia National Park, Aysén, Chile (December 2023)

11 The Carretera Austral, Pumalin Douglas Tompkins National Park, Los Lagos, Chile (January 2024)

Cochamó, Los Lagos, Chile (January 2024)