Thinking about heading down to one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world, Patagonia? Well then, you might be in need of some reliable wheels to get you into the wilds of southern Argentina and Chile. That’s why we’ve created our guide to renting a car in Patagonia.
Is It Expensive to Rent a Car in Patagonia?
Honestly, hiring a car in Patagonia is nowhere near as expensive as you might think. In fact, the average price per day for a standard car is $30 per car, per day. Given that many people spend at least a few days in Patagonia, you’re looking at between $90-150 for a full car for between three to five days.
Of course, if you want a people carrier or a larger car, the average per day costs around $100, but you will be splitting the cost between more people.
When you compare these prices to the tours that go to Patagonia, which can cost anywhere from $100 per day for a self-guided refugio-style tour, all the way up to multi-day trekking tours with local operators running to around $280 a day, hiring a car can be a no-brainer.
It’s worth mentioning that if you’re a solo traveler, you might not want to hire a car unless you can share the cost and driving duties with a friend at a hostel who is going to Patagonia at the same time. Not only will it allow you to drive for longer in one go, but it’s obviously a lot safer if you get lost or if you have a breakdown.
What’s It Like Crossing The Border Between Chile and Argentina?
Okay, so to drive to Patagonia starting from either Argentina or Chile, it’s highly likely that you’re going to cross the border at some point. There are a few things that you need to know about this process.
When hiring a car
Before you hire a car, you need to make sure that your rental company provides you with a permit to cross the border. Without this, you will not be allowed to take your car across the border, so it’s super important!
The reason that you need to get this from the rental car company is for insurance purposes. Essentially, this says that the car and driver are insured in both Chile and Argentina, rather than just in one country or the other. These permits cost around $110 but it does vary by country, rental length, and provider.
When you get to the border checkpoints you’ll need to show this permit alongside several other documents that we’ll go into next.
Crossing the border
So the process of crossing the border is largely the same either way, with the exception that there are slightly more checks if you’re going into Chile from Argentina. However, the process is pretty straightforward.
Whichever way you go, you’ll park up, get out of your car, and get stamped out of the country that you’re leaving. After that, you’ll drive for around 10 minutes to the next country’s checkpoint and you’ll park again, go into the office, and show your documentation,
These documents include
- Valid passports
- Insurance policies – including your rental permit
- First aid kit
- Roadside emergency triangle
If you’re traveling with minors, you’ll need a birth certificate and written permission from the other parent if both parents aren’t traveling to Patagonia. If you’re bringing pets, you’ll need vaccination records, including anti-rabies and all health records.
If you’re going to Chile, you’ll need to complete an agricultural declaration form, stating if you’re bringing food into the country, and if it’s fresh fruit or vegetables, meat, or seeds and bulbs, you’ll have to throw it away. This is to protect the ecosystem of Chilean Patagonia, so it’s really important.
You’ll also have your luggage scanned to double-check that you’re not bringing anything suspect into the country, and then you can head off on your way!
Is it Easy to Get Gas in Patagonia?
Let’s be honest, Patagonia is a huge and wild region. You can go for miles without seeing any discerning features or another car on the road. For this reason, whenever you see a gas station in Patagonia, you should fill up or bring some extra gas cans for emergencies and fill those up.
One thing that you need to remember is that if you’re in the popular Patagonian town of El Chaltén, there is only one gas station in town, there are pretty much always queues, they only accept cash, and the place runs out of gas quite regularly. So, try not to rely on this gas station!
Although gas prices vary, in Patagonia, you’re likely going be looking at between $0.80 and $1 per liter, depending on the location. The more remote the gas station, the higher the price is likely to be, and there are plenty of remote spots down in Patagonia!
The other thing to remember is that most gas stations in Patagonia have attendants to pump your gas, so don’t do it yourself, and make sure you have enough cash for tips on top of the necessary cash to pay for your gas.
How Easy is it to Drive Around Patagonia?
You might feel a bit intimidated to drive around Patagonia and it’s not without its challenges. That being said, it’s not impossible and as long as you’re calm, plan accordingly, and are relatively sensible, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Google Maps isn’t wholly reliable
As much as we all love Google Maps and like to rely on this wonderful app rather than struggle with a paper map, it might not be wise to do so in Patagonia. It’s not that the route itself is inaccurate, but it doesn’t take the terrain into account.
For example, many roads in Patagonia are gravel or dirt roads which means you have to slow right down so that you don’t skid or get a puncture. Google Maps doesn’t realize this and just shows you the shortest route. Google’s shortest route might not actually be the shortest route because of the terrain style.
The best thing you can do is check Google Street View before you leave for Patagonia and plot a route that takes terrain into account. For example, iOverlander.com recommends avoiding Route 40 between Estancia Tapi Aike and El Cerrito as you’re limited to a low speed and it’s common to get a flat tire on this unreliable road. Despite this, Google Maps loves to take you this way to save distance.
Road conditions
This leads us to the road conditions in Patagonia. The drive down to the bottom of South America is a mix of decent, paved roads, some compact dirt roads, and some unreliable gravel tracks.
Main roads like the majority of Route 40 are decent to drive along and it’s noted that the roads on the Chilean side tend to be more reliable than on the Argentine side. Regardless of this, we’d advise checking sections of your route on Google Street View to avoid any dodgy areas.
Another thing to consider when it comes to road conditions in Patagonia is the plethora of potholes that you’re likely to come across. With such a large area to cover, it can take years for some potholes to be fixed and as a result, they can get pretty large and deadly.
Keep your eyes peeled for potholes and make sure you do your best to swerve them in a safe way. The last thing you want is to mess up your suspension out in the middle of rural Patagonia!
Although there is some uncertain driving terrain in Patagonia, many travelers say that having 4WD isn’t completely necessary. However, if the price difference isn’t that much, it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
Traffic levels
Despite being one of the most popular places to visit in South America, there is hardly any traffic in Patagonia. Mostly, this is due to the sheer scale of the region – it’s huge. You can easily go a couple of hours without seeing anyone else.
The traffic levels obviously increase as you get closer to popular towns like Puerto Natales and El Calafate, but really the traffic isn’t anything compared to the cities further north like Santiago or Mendoza.
Instead, the main thing you have to worry about is the natural wildlife that has a tendency to run out into the road, Wild horses, guanacos, flamingos, foxes, and more are all inhabitants of Patagonia and while it’s great to be able to see them along your drive, they can run out into the road, so keep an eye out.
Do I have to drive a stick to rent a car in Patagonia?
Realistically, you probably are going to have to drive a manual car in Patagonia. Stick-shift cars are the more common type of car in Chile and Argentina, so you should be comfortable driving a manual car before you rent your car.
It is possible to rent an automatic, especially from an airport or major city, but they’re not super common so you’ll need to book your rental car way in advance to ensure the style you want.
Remember if you’re booking a manual or standard car, you need to have a manual-ready driving license. Many places that operate predominantly on automatic cars – like the US – do not include manual cars as standard, unlike countries like the UK where the manual is more standard than automatic.
You’ll need to show your driver’s license at the rental place, so make sure you hire a car that you’re actually permitted to drive!
What side of the road do you drive on in Patagonia?
In both Chile and Argentina, you drive on the right-hand side of the road, the same as in the US, Canada, and the majority of Europe.
You’ll also drive on the left-hand side of the car, which again will be familiar and comfortable for drivers coming from mainland Europe and North America, but might be an adjustment for Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, and Japanese travelers who are used to driving on the left-hand side of the road and the right-hand side of the car.
Why doesn’t the side of the car matter? Well, with most cars having manual gearboxes, the side of the car affects which hand you’ll use to change gears with (operate the stick). So, even though manual cars are common in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, you’re likely going to be changing gear with the “wrong” hand, so be prepared for that!
How Far in Advance Should I Book My Car?
Unlike with flights and accommodations where the three-month sweet spot tends to mark the cheapest deals, car hire is something that you want to do as far in advance as possible.
This goes doubly if you’re planning on traveling in Patagonia’s peak summer season which runs from about November to March. With a relatively short tourist-friendly season, car rentals get booked up exceedingly quickly, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to be left with either no car at all or with only the expensive, premium cars to choose from. Neither of which is ideal.
As a rule of thumb, the longer you want your rental car for, the further in advance you’ll want to book it. For example, if you want to rent a car for two weeks, you’ll want to book it at least three months in advance, if not closer to five months in advance for peak season.
If you need to rent an automatic car, then you absolutely need to book your car hire months in advance. As we’ve mentioned, there aren’t a ton of automatic cars available in Patagonia, so you need to be extra prepared to secure your rental car. Book around six months in advance to avoid disappointment. Otherwise, you have around six months to learn to drive a stick!
However, if you don’t want to plan that far in advance, you might not be entirely out of options. If you don’t mind extending your road trip by a couple of days on either side, you can hire a car from one of the cities further north, like Mendoza or Santiago, and have a longer road trip down to Patagonia.
Even though this is a much longer drive, the availability of cars for hire in these larger cities, away from the road trip mecca of Patagonia, is likely to be much higher, so you might be able to book these with less notice.
That being said, you’ll still need to book your car hire at least a month or two in advance. Spontaneous road trips to Patagonia with rental cars aren’t really a thing!
Conclusion
So, there you have it – our guide to renting a car in Patagonia. Realistically, as long as you plan your journey, gas stops, and rental paperwork in advance, you’ll have no problem driving or renting a car in this beautiful and wild part of the world.
Do you have any questions or queries about renting a car or driving in Patagonia? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll get back to you with the answers!
Things to remember when hiring a car in Patagonia:
- Cars tend to be manual, left-hand drive setups.
- Google Maps shortest routes aren’t always correct because of varied terrain.
- Check your route ahead of time for gravel roads, potholes, and any other potential issues.
- Book your car hire at least four months in advance, especially if you’re traveling in peak season or need an automatic car.
- Fill up your car or jerry cans whenever you see a gas station in Patagonia – they’re few and far between!
- Do not forget to buy your border crossing permit from your rental company!
