Begin your holiday in cosmopolitan Santiago situated at the foot of the snow-draped Andes. It's a lively and dynamic city full of history and innovation.

Your self-drive adventure begins when you fly to the Lake District and collect your car. Here, meadows and pasture are dotted with pine forest-fringed, sapphire lakes overlooked by imperious, snowy volcanic cones. The roads here lead you to isolated settlements and soothing hot springs. Drive from north to south, leaving the pleasant resort of Pucón and visiting the river port Valdivia before reaching Puerto Varas in the shadow of Chile's most dominant volcano, Osorno.

Fly south from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas in deepest Patagonia to pick up another car to explore the primeval landscapes of glaciers, scoured valleys and needle-sharp mountain peaks, jacketed in ancient ice. This is real wilderness country but the roads are generally good quality and you can relax to enjoy the magnificent scenery.