Overview & Highlights
Drive your own hire car along scenic roads with well located pre-booked hotels in separate adventures in the volcano-studded lake district and among the glaciers of Torres del Paine in southern Patagonia.
- City tour of Santiago
This holiday grants you the opportunity to self-drive through the exquisite lake district in the heart of the Chilean Andes then fly south to explore (again in your own car) the glacier scoured mountains of Torres del Paine National Park in Southern Patagonia.
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.
Outline itinerary
Day 1
Arrive in Santiago. Transfer to hotel in the capital. Afternoon tour of the historic centre.
Day 2
Fly to Temuco in the Lake District; collect car; drive to Pucón.
Day 3
Explore the Pucón area by car.
Day 4
Drive south to Valdivia.
Day 5
At leisure to explore the Valdivia region.
Day 6
Drive to Petrohué with views of the gigantic volcano Osorno.
Day 7
Drive to Puerto Varas, the southern lake district's principal town.
Day 8
Drive to Puerto Montt, drop off car; fly to Punta Arenas in southern Patagonia.
Day 9
Drive from Puerto Natales to Torres del Paine National Park.
Days 10
Explore the area around Las Torres.
Days 11-12
Drive to Lago Grey. Explore the area around the lake, glacier and River Grey.
Day 13
Drop off car at airport and fly to Santiago.
Day 14
Return to the airport for international flight home.
Things to do
We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.
Accommodation
Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.
Chile / Santiago and the vineyards
Altiplanico Bellas Artes
Chile / Santiago and the vineyards
Holiday Inn Santiago Airport
Chile / Chilean Lake District (south)
Hotel Cabana del Lago
Chile / Torres del Paine National Park
Hotel Lago Grey
Chile / Torres del Paine National Park
Hotel Las Torres
Chile / Chilean Lake District (north)
Hotel Naguilan
Chile / Chilean Lake District (north)
Landhaus San Sebastian
Chile / Chilean Lake District (south)
Petrohue Lodge
What our clients say
97% of our clients rated their experience with us as Excellent or Good.
Tailor made holiday
Our specialists have been expertly crafting award-winning tailor-made holidays to Latin America for 40 years. We would be delighted to create a truly personalised trip which perfectly matches your wishes and requirements.
Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Consultant
Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.
Inspired by this trip
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
Papagaio
Your edit for Latin American inspiration
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
View Extraordinary Inspiration
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Evie Oswald - Travel Consultant
It’s hard to believe that Evie has had time to cram so much in to her life so far. Having lived as a child in the Americas and Europe she found herself immediately attracted to Latin America.
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Lina Fuller - Travel Consultant
Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.
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Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Consultant
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.
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Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Consultant
Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our Sales team.
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Ben Line - Travel Consultant
Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Manager of the Tailor-made Department.
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Hannah Donaldson - Travel Consultant
Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is an invaluable part of our Group Tours team.
