Best van travel destinations in South America
Best van travel destinations in South America
High Andean switchback passes and open lakeside gravel points in South America
A long Andean highway and a remote forested route further west anchor South America's van travel scene, both covering genuinely vast, sparsely populated Patagonian terrain that rewards travellers prepared for serious distance and limited services.
The destinations on this list range from long steppe highways covering huge distances between towns to remote forested mountain routes that demand real self-sufficiency and careful fuel planning. Both reward travellers willing to cover serious ground.
Planning fuel stops carefully on both routes matters enormously, where towns and petrol stations can be separated by hundreds of kilometres of genuinely empty road. Most routes require at least three weeks to complete properly. Packing warm, waterproof layers also matters considerably given the unpredictable southern weather. Most stretches see little traffic outside peak season.
Lists by region
Region
Patagonia
Untamed Beauty at the End of the World
Route 40 runs about 5,194 kilometres from Cabo Vírgenes to La Quiaca. Its southern stretch crosses the provinces of Santa Cruz and Chubut. South of Perito Moreno the road is remote with long distances between settlements. From Tres Lagos it is paved to a junction east of El Calafate.
Region in Chile
Carretera Austral
Endless Patagonian horizons under starlit skies
The Chilean Army's engineering corps built the road with more than 10,000 soldiers. It opened to traffic in 1988 and reached Villa O'Higgins in 2000. The route runs about 1,240 kilometres from Puerto Montt and needs three ferry crossings to travel in full. Queulat National Park and Pumalín Park lie along it.
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