Photos: Marek Piwnicki, Gustavo Sánchez, William Warby, Mario La Pergola, Felipe Randolfi
Itinerary · Argentina / Chile
Patagonia Van Trip: a 3-week loop from Punta Arenas
Torres del Paine, El Chaltén, the Marble Caves and the Carretera Austral
A three-week loop from Punta Arenas: Torres del Paine in Chile, Perito Moreno Glacier and Fitz Roy in Argentina, then the Marble Caves and the Carretera Austral before heading back south across the steppe. Wind, gravel roads and four border crossings. You pick up and drop off the camper in the same place.
The route
Indicative route, in straight lines between the stops, in travel order.
View on Google Maps →The 10 stops
Good to know before you go
The real budget for 21 days
Allow around €3,660 to €5,690 for 21 days, for two, in a 4x4 camper. This budget covers three items only: rental, fuel and nights (one campsite night each evening). Flights, food, park entry fees, boat trips and sightseeing are extra. Prices checked in October 2026, converted at €1 = $1.1159 (OFX, 29/10/2026), €1 = 1,730 Argentine pesos (mid-rate of Banco Nación, cotizacion-dolar.com.ar, 29/10/2026) and €1 = 1,101 Chilean pesos (FXFeed, 30/10/2026).
- 4x4 camper rental: around $150 to $230 per day depending on season and trip length, plus a permit of about $200 to cross into Argentina (Yeti Campers, 2026 estimates); cross-checked with Holiday Rent, from €170 per day for a fitted-out 4x4, insurance included (Holiday Rent). For 21 days with the permit: €3,002 to €4,508. You pick up and drop off the camper in Punta Arenas: no one-way fee.
- Fuel: the loop covers about 3,450 km (measured leg by leg on the OpenStreetMap road map), about 2,380 km in Argentina and 1,060 km in Chile. Diesel in Argentina: 2,199 to 2,297 pesos per litre (Naftahoy, national prices on 30/10/2026); in Chile: 1,728 pesos per litre in Magallanes, 1,754 in Aysén (Publimicro, 24/10/2026). At 10 to 12 litres per 100 km (our estimate for a fitted-out 4x4 on gravel): €469 to €583. Short detours inside the parks are not counted.
- Nights: paid campsites in Chile cost about 5,000 to 10,000 Chilean pesos per person (Sally Sees, updated 27/01/2026); in Torres del Paine, Camping Central costs $50 per person in high season (Worldly Adventurer, 2026-2027 season). We assume similar prices in Argentina (to be checked). From 21 nights at 10,000 Chilean pesos for two, to 18 nights at 20,000 pesos plus 3 nights in Torres del Paine: €191 to €596.
- Total: around €3,660 to €5,690.
Why a loop. Most 4x4 camper rental companies are in Chile (Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Santiago), and dropping the camper off in the other country is generally impossible (Great RV Trip). Starting and ending in Punta Arenas avoids the problem. You still need the permit to cross into Argentina: ask the rental company when you book. The loop crosses the border four times (Cerro Castillo, Chile Chico, Coyhaique Alto, Monte Aymond).
Where to sleep in your camper
- In national parks (Torres del Paine, Los Glaciares): only at authorised campsites; camping elsewhere can mean a fine and removal from the park (Worldly Adventurer, 27/09/2026). Around El Chaltén, the park campsites have been paid and bookable online since the 2024-25 season (ElChalten.com).
- Outside the parks, in Chile: according to travellers who have driven the Carretera Austral, overnighting outside a campsite is generally tolerated if no sign forbids it and you are not on private land (no gate or fence crossed) (Sally Sees). This is not an official rule: check locally.
- Outside the parks, in Argentina: the rules vary from one province and town to another. We have not checked them yet; the safest option is a campsite every night. This is what our budget counts.
Updated 31 October 2026
When to go
November to March
- Jan : Best time
- Feb : Best time
- Mar : Best time
- Apr : Outside the best time
- May : Outside the best time
- Jun : Outside the best time
- Jul : Outside the best time
- Aug : Outside the best time
- Sep : Outside the best time
- Oct : Outside the best time
- Nov : Best time
- Dec : Best time
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