Expedition: Cycling Chile’s Carretera Austral – 17-day guided tour
Dates: January 4-20, 2025
Price: $8,495 per person, based on double occupancy
What is an ExperiencePlus! Expedition all about? Read this introduction to see if it’s right for you.
The famed “Carretera Austral” is an intrepid bicyclist’s paradise through a full third of Chilean Patagonia. Not fully paved (although the work to seal it up is ongoing), this “southern road” was started in 1976 during the regime of General Augusto Pinochet. Also known as Route 7, the Carretera Austral connects some of Chile’s most remote communities located across a wild and mountainous, fjord-laden region whose snow-capped volcanoes, dense forests, stunning lakes, impressive rivers, and glaciated peaks are largely protected within national parks and preserves.
Download the day-by-day itinerary
Watch our webinar with tour leader Juan Pablo Mansilla on cycling Chile’s Carretera Austral:
Bicycling Patagonia’s Lake District – Explore 2 Countries in 1 Tour
Escape the cold and snow this December through February by venturing to one of South America’s most enjoyed destinations: the northern gateway to Patagonia. Our base 7-day itinerary winds from the high plateau setting of San Carlos de Bariloche along Andean lakes, down through the valleys of the border region between Argentina and Chile before entering Chile’s Lake District where you’ll cycle past conical volcanoes and spay snow capped Andean peaks. You’ll visit a rushing, braided waterfall, walk among ancient myrtle trees, relax in the tranquil settings of our lovely hotels, and eat and drink like a local.
If your schedule allows, extend your stay so you can explore the Island of Chiloé with its tranquil fjords, wooden houses and churches, and rugged Pacific coastline. Though it was inhabited long before the Spanish arrived in 1567, the island remained isolated from the commercial trade routes until the founding of the nearby port city Puerto Montt in 1853. During these three isolated centuries, a unique culture developed. The Chilote are of Spanish and indigenous Mapuche descent, and depend on their marine environment to support their way of life.
Highlights: Chile’s Lake District, Osorno and Calbuco Volcanoes, waterfalls on the Petrohué River, thermal pools, San Carlos de Bariloche, Chiloé Island, wooden churches, penguins.
Departure Dates
Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District Plus! The Island of Chiloé (10-day)
Nov 30-Dec 9, 2024 – Sold out. Wait list available.
Feb 1-10, 2025 – Departure confirmed
Feb 15-24, 2025 – Departure confirmed
Dec 6-15, 2025 – Departure not confirmed
Bicycling Patagonia’s Lakes District (7-day)
Nov 30-Dec 6, 2024 – Sold out. Wait list available.
Feb 1-7, 2025 – Departure confirmed
Feb 15-21, 2025 – Departure confirmed
Dec 6-12, 2025 – Departure not confirmed