​The Carretera Austral or Chile Ruta 7 connects the small Chilean towns of Northern Patagonia. It is 1247km of pure, exciting and beautiful adventure riding. To experience the entire road is quite an accomplishment. In this post I’m going to explain why it is worth it to do the whole ride.

The Carretera Austral starts in Puerto Montt Chile and ends in Villa O’Higgins Chile where the road is blocked by a massive lake by the same name Lago O’Higgins and the even more massive Southern Patagonia Ice Fields. You must understand the work to keep this road open and viable is constant, every year crews are working to improve it, pave it and simply keep it open. It passes through some of the most remote and diverse areas in all of Chile.

There are of-course many passes to travel between Chile and Argentina from the Carretera Austral over to Argentina’s Ruta 40. So, for much of the Carretera Austral you can cross into Argentina to travel further south in Patagonia. However, in Villa O’Higgins there is not a viable pass open during the summer months. Therefore, the last 220km from Cochrane Chile to Villa O’Higgins must be ridden again. That last 220 km from Cochrane to O’Higgins is the most remote and in my opinion one of the most beautiful sections. However, it gets passed up by many riders and overland travelers simply because there is no outlet. Oh, and I forgot to mention there is a first come, first serve ferry in that section that only runs 3 times a day in Summer.
     The logistics start to pile up and create doubt for many travelers - Is it worth it?

Let’s discuss the pass that IS right outside of Villa O’Higgins and why it is not a viable option to cross into Argentina during summer. The pass named Paso Mayer is a legal and guarded international pass on both the Chilean and Argentine side. But between the two guard stations of Chile and Argentina there is no road that is passable during the summer because of the River Mayer, which you must ride through, and because of the snow melt the river becomes too deep and too strong to cross. The access road itself is a muddy mess and passable with a 4wd only in winter or the very few riders who are willing to risk it. In fact, the Chilean Carabineros (Police) will tell travelers once you stamp out of Chile and leave the border you are on your own and the Police cannot help you should you get stuck or have trouble. All of this requires riders to back track north on the same 220km and use the same ferry to get back to a pass that is open during the summer.

The Carretera Austral is a destination ride all its own. In fact, Moto Patagonia is likely the only motorcycle tour operator offering a tour of the entire route with off bike activities ranging from rafting the Futaleufú River to private airplane flights over the Southern Patagonia Ice fields. You don’t get access to these things skipping over sections. It’s why we offer a tour of the Carretera Austral all on its own, it’s worth it to spend a couple weeks and ride the whole thing, down and back. Stop at ALL the great locations and enjoy how much there is to do and see in this 1247kms worth of riding. If you have more time, use it on the Carretera Austral, if you are coming to Chile just for this route, you will not be disappointed!     

One of the most common questions we get is how many days it will take to make it to Ushuaia. Since Moto Patagonia is based in Puerto Varas Chile, the best location to start a motorcycle ride to Ushuaia. We are one of the most obvious and best choices for those who want to ride ALL of Patagonia and make it to the end of the world.

While we do offer a 16-day Guided Tour to Ushuaia there are many riders who prefer to rent a motorcycle and ride. While both options are excellent the later takes a touch more planning especially during summer when the lodges and hostels are booked up. One big advantage to a tour with Moto Patagonia is we can take the guess work out of where to stay every night and we can help prioritize what to see. However, the advantage with a motorcycle rental is you get to ride on your own schedule and see what you want when you want. Many people like to camp and there are tons of options to camp along the ride south as well.
The route itself is dynamic and you have many options on how to make your way south. I of course have my favorite route. In general, I like the more remote routes and I adapt that style to Moto Patagonia. This gives our tours a much more unique feel when ride throughout Patagonia.

For a rental I really do think that 16 days is still the magic number to ride from the North of Patagonia all the way to Ushuaia. This gives you the best number of riding days and rest days in key locations that can be used to explore the area off the motorcycle. It’s important to take time to rest in order to enjoy the area and not race through it. This also gives you the chance to end the ride in Puerto Natales, the jumping off point for Torres del Paine National Park. One of the most famous National Parks in all South America.

If you are a strong rider that can handle dirt and gravel road surfaces, I suggest riding the Carretera Austral south until Paso Roballos near Cochrane Chile then crossing into Argentina and heading south with stops in El Chaltén and El Calafate on the way to Ushuaia. This route gives you some of the most adventurous and remote riding with the most dirt roads possible.

If you are less confident on gravel surfaces, then I’d suggest Ruta 40 on the Argentine side as its nearly all paved. You can make a run through a short section of the Carretera Austral via the pass near Futaleufé and then back to Argentina near Coyhaique Chile. This gives you minimal gravel riding while still passing through very beautiful and fun riding.

Patagonia is huge and the riding opportunities are vast. Whether you rent or ride with us on a tour one things is certain, it is the ride of a lifetime. Vast, remote and challenging riding.    

​Like many riders, I would not be here in Chile running a motorcycle tour and rental company without the support of my Mom. She certainly planted the travel seed in me. Although my motorcycle antics sometimes worry her, she knows that experience out in the world is important. Mother’s Day got me thinking about Women Adventure Riders, how that small segment is growing fast. We have received many women riders, some with their partners and others who have traveled to Patagonia to ride alone.
I can’t say I’m an expert on women’s travel as I’m a dude and its silly for me to presume things, but I do have some info for women riders who may want to travel here alone or on one of our tours.
The safety factor is a top priority for solo or group travel. Patagonia is well known to be very safe and friendly. It’s a different way of life down here and one of the best places for solo travel. People are always amazed by the number of women traveling alone by Moto or Bicycle in Patagonia.
Amenities, this is one that gets overlooked sometimes. We do get many couples who ride together and while many guys may be cool with sleeping under a tarp on the ground like Austin Vince, their partners may be less than excited for that style of travel. For our tours we choose the most authentic and clean lodges and hotels we can in the areas we travel. Why is that? Because my wife Paula is the one in charge of the logistics and she finds places that area awesome. She is adventurous but at the same time she doesn’t want to sleep in a crummy place.
Prepare for a sweeping statement here. I see more guys than gals getting caught up about the motorcycle and less about the trip. Here in Patagonia off bike activities and experiences are a-plenty. Getting off the bike and going to see all the awesome places is important and easy to do here.
We here at Moto Patagonia support Women Adventure Riders and are happy to receive couples or solo women riders. Supporting all riders to get out and explore is our goal and we are happy to help!