Chile

Chile's Carretera Austral is one of the last great unhurried road trips, a long, partly unsealed route through Patagonian fjords, forest and glaciers with ferries filling the gaps where the road cannot yet reach. It rewards drivers who are not in a hurry and who are happy to plan around limited fuel stops.

Further north, the Paso Agua Negra crosses the Andes into Argentina through a high desert landscape of striped rock formations, while the Ruta 7 Lakes district offers a gentler, greener alternative among volcanoes and mirror lakes.

Road conditions vary considerably by region, from well sealed stretches near towns to long gravel sections further south, so a vehicle suited to mixed surfaces is worth arranging in advance.