Driving in Patagonia: a complete guide on how to stay safe

Patagonia is a wild and remote place, with quite some distances between the sights, so you need a way to get around down there.

After weighing our options, we went for renting a car and driving in Patagonia – that way, we had complete control over everything. Since the weather in Patagonia is very unpredictable, we liked having the choice of changing our itinerary to our hearts – and not-getting-too-wet – desire.

Of course, there are times when it’s much more financially reasonable not to have a car, for example, if your goal is the W trek in Torres del Paine. But in our case, when we wanted to explore both Torres del Paine National Park in Chile and the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, a car was a much better option.

If you want to do a road trip in Patagonia – similar to what we did -, there are things to know to stay safe.

Let us, then, explore what is better for you! Should you rent a car or take public transport? Why should you not be afraid to drive? And what are the main things to know about driving in Patagonia?

Should you take a bus or rent a car in Patagonia?

So, first things first. You basically have two ways of getting around – car rental or taking a bus, although I have read of people hitchhiking in Patagonia, so that might be an option for some as well.

To figure out if you should rent a car or go on a bus, you must figure out your preferences and budget. Plus, you should think about what the goals of your trip are.

• If you plan to go on some multi-day hikes, like the classical 5-day W trek, consider the bus service – you wouldn’t use the car at all during the days you hike, so there’s no point in paying for it.
• If you prefer a mix of one-day hikes with the ability to explore some other interesting locations in the parks, renting a car is recommended.
• The car is a more expensive option, but it gives you the freedom to move around and be flexible. This might be useful if you, for example, wish to make that one amazing hike in Torres del Paine on the day with the best weather.
• It should also be noted that if the car is shared by 4 people, the cost per person is actually very similar to the cost of taking the buses all the way.

Why we chose to rent a car instead of taking a bus

During our Patagonia 10 day itinerary, we went to Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, and the Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina, including El Chalten, El Calafate, and the Perito Moreno glacier.

That is quite a lot of ground to cover, and we would lose a lot of time if we wanted to take a bus. So in our case, renting a car in Punta Arenas was just perfect.

Plus, we didn’t want to do any multi-day hikes, just a couple of full-day hikes (in the end we only got to take a single full-day hike to Laguna de los Tres by the Fitz Roy because of the weather). Again, if you’d like to go on multi-day hikes or many full day hikes, the bus might be a better choice financially.

And we like the freedom that a car provides because we like to just stop wherever and go explore.

Another thing is, but that’s quite unique, we had a month’s worth of luggage both for freezing and extremely hot temperatures that would be rather inconvenient to carry around. Our trip to South America, which included the road trip in Patagonia, also included going to Easter Island, Atacama, Bolivia (Salar de Uyuni), and Santiago. That means we got to experience snowstorms and desert temperatures.

Anyways, in our opinion, a car is the best way how to get around Patagonia.

Why you should not be afraid to drive by yourself in Patagonia

I’ll expand a bit on the point of why driving by yourself in Patagonia is an excellent idea.

First, “the weather in Patagonia might be a bit tricky” is quite an understatement. You can easily have all four seasons in one day. And the wind is so crazy!

The bus service, though, is rather limited. So, for example, if you go for a hike, but the weather suddenly changes from sun to snow and rain (been there, done that) and you need to postpone or cancel the hike, you’re stuck.

With the bus tours that are possible in Patagonia, you can’t just stop in the middle of the road to take a picture of the incredible mountains. Although, of course, the tour guides will stop at the most popular spots, everyone’s tastes are different, and you are bound to miss some sights.

We actually saw some people being rushed to take a picture and move on. It was by Hosteria Pehoe in Torres del Paine (in the image above) – it was drizzling, so just a couple of people got out to take pictures. They said – “we have to hurry, we only have a minute here! No one else wanted to stop!” We, on the other hand, spent at least 20 minutes enjoying how the clouds moved and how the water colour changed in the lake.

Sightseeing really is one of the best things to do both in Torres del Paine and in Los Glaciares.

What you should know about driving in Patagonia

It’s not so hard to do a self-drive itinerary in Patagonia. Honestly, it’s one of the best places to drive by yourself during the vacation.

 Is it easy and a pleasure? Well, mostly yes. But there are a few things you should know.

Beware of the wind

There’s a good chance it will be windy (or even bloody windy) while driving, so keep both hands on the steering wheel. It is especially important if meeting a bus or a truck in the opposite direction, as the change in the strength of the wind will make the car sway from side to side.

Park “into” the wind and do not forget the parking brake. If you do forget, then your car might get blown away (not kidding.).

Be careful when opening the doors – the strong wind can break them if it’s coming from the back.

Plus, make sure you don’t have any loose items in the car that can be blown out by the wind. And it’s a better idea to open the doors one at a time, to minimize the chance of things flying away.

And beware of the wild animals

Gerson from ADEL Rent a car Punta Arenas, the Patagonia car rental company that we used, said – “if you see a guanaco on the side of the road, know that there are at least ten more where that came from”. So, if you see a guanaco, better stop and wait for it to cross!

The roads aren’t bad (or, THAT bad)

The roads are generally empty – there is next to no traffic and they are in quite a good condition.

And, as a side note, they drive on the right side of the road.

There are some gravel roads (for example, in Torres del Paine, as you can see in the picture before), and normal precautions should be taken when driving on those.

For example, drive slower to avoid damaging the car, ensure that it’s safe to drive after rain, and don’t drive in loose sand and big puddles.

Also, there are some asphalt roads with potholes.

You don’t need a 4-wheel drive

Especially if you follow our Patagonia 10 day itinerary, a 2 wheel drive is definitely enough for you.

Some of the roads are bumpy and most of the roads in Torres del Paine National Park are gravel, but just keep the speed down on bumpy sections. Driving in Torres del Paine is not that bad.

If you decide to go more south, to Tierra del Fuego National Park, for example, it might be better to have a four-wheel drive, though, as the roads are quite bad there.

However lately, I’ve seen only 4-wheel-drives for rent.

Keep an eye on the fuel

The whole area of the Parque Nacional Patagonia has only a few gas stations – in Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, Esperanza, El Calafate, and El Chalten, so it might be a good idea to have some extra fuel in a separate container (supplied by the rental agency).

The same goes for the different popular road trip routes that go to Patagonia, for example, the Carretera Austral and Ruta 40 – the gas stations are few and far apart.

Plus, they mostly accept only cash. Some of them operate only during daylight hours.

The GPS does not work properly in Patagonia

When we were going through different papers in our car rental in Patagonia (Punta Arenas, to be exact), the man from the rental agency pulled out a paper map and said the words that made my heart drop: “GPS is very, very unreliable here, so you should use this map instead”.

When I found out we will have to navigate by maps, I was honestly scared. My first thought was – how are we going to deal without a GPS?

But then it hit me – not too long ago there WASN’T any GPS to talk about in Latvia. We were all using paper maps for navigating while driving!

And honestly, there are not too many roads in Patagonia, plus they all have excellent signage. You can even navigate without a map!

Also, the whole area is very sparsely populated and doesn’t have cell phone coverage in most of the unpopulated areas.

Is it safe to drive in Patagonia?

Driving in Patagonia is generally safe, but, of course, normal precautions should be observed. Such as don’t leave your valuables in plain view.

Carry all your necessary documents – passports, car papers, driver’s license – with you as well, as the police might ask for them.

What driver’s license do you need for driving in Patagonia?

Condor Campers actually have contacted the Ministry of Transport and the Argentinian Government to find out what driver’s licenses are accepted in Argentina and Chile.

The information from 16th October 2018 is that tourists from the following countries are permitted to drive in Argentina for a period of up to one year holding only their National License issued in their home country:

Tourists from the same countries who have tourist visas don’t need an international driver’s license in Chile.

What you need to know about crossing the border from Chile to Argentina and back

When crossing the border, there are some rules and, well, tricks that you definitely should know about.

There are strict agricultural controls on borders in Patagonia

You are not allowed to bring fresh fruit, meat, dairy, animal produce, and honey. That is, for example, cheese, any type of fruit or vegetables, cut meat, and bakery goods such as bread.

The cars are checked at the border crossing, so make sure to dispose of any not allowed things that you have.

If you have packaged snacks – crackers, candies, and similar – it’s ok.

Other stuff needs to be either declared or disposed of – eaten or thrown out.

When crossing from Argentina to Chile, you can’t have any extra fuel in a can in your car.

Some of the border points are rather far from each other

Don’t be surprised – it might be kilometres from one border point to the other.

It even seemed to me that we missed the border once! But no, it came. So, just drive on – you will definitely find it!

Arrive early in the morning

The border crossing points get very full with ridiculously long lines the later in the day it gets.

Since we were driving long distances, we didn’t arrive too early but got lucky. Just when we joined the line, which wasn’t too long at that moment, a bus arrived.

Since every single person needs to get their passports stamped and bags checked (scanned), you can imagine how long it takes for the 40-plus people from the bus to get through the border.

The border guards are very efficient, but it still takes time.

You can manage without knowing Spanish

We don’t speak Spanish but still managed without any huge problems.

There might not be any clear signs of what you need to do and where you need to go.

If the border guards see that you’re getting confused, they do not hesitate to help and point you in the right direction.

In a few words – the process of crossing the border

First, you need to get your passport stamped and documents checked, then your bag and the car are searched for agricultural items and other forbidden things (like drugs).

When entering Chile or Argentina, you need the other country’s exit stamp.

The immigration will give you a piece of paper with your information on it. Don’t lose it! You’ll need to show this paper when leaving the country again (even if leaving through an airport). Also, police might ask for it if you get stopped on the road.

You need some special permits to cross the border in a rental car

The rental company in Patagonia – both in Chile and Argentina – needs to issue a permit to you so you can cross the border. And the border guards WILL check it.

I go deeper about this a few points down.

In conclusion about driving in Patagonia

The 10 days we spent in Patagonia were one of the most epic road trips that we have done in our travels! Exploring Patagonia by car is amazing. So if you’d like to do that, here’s our Patagonia road trip itinerary.

We loved having the freedom of our own car, being able to stop wherever we like and having the flexibility to change our plans according to the weather.

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