Home / Journeys / South America Hotel Based Self Drive Adventure (Iquique to Ushuaia)

38 nights · Iquique, Chile → Ushuaia, Argentina · 4x4 & Overland

South America Hotel Based Self Drive Adventure (Iquique to Ushuaia)

Cross the Strait of Magellan twice by boat, then finish in Ushuaia, the southernmost city on the planet – thirty-eight nights the full length of South America.

From£14,683pp

Duration38 days

StyleAdventure

Best suited toAdventurous drivers

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An independent Stradora pick. Details from the operator's published information, last checked 28 Oct 2026. Stradora DiscoveryChosen independently by our editors because we think it's worth the drive. We're not partnered with this operator: dates, prices and booking are handled by them, and we last checked their published details on 28 Oct 2026.

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38 nights through Argentina

Thirty-eight nights from Iquique to Ushuaia, self-driven with a support vehicle, escort and local guide, nine thousand kilometres down the length of South America.

This is the longest and most expensive expedition the operator runs, and the two roads it is built on are the famous ones: Argentina’s Ruta 40, which runs the length of the Andes, and Chile’s Carretera Austral through Patagonia.

The coastal desert of northern Chile and the Atacama open it, then the painted deserts and colonial towns of northern Argentina. The Lake District follows with its blue lagoons, then the snow-capped Andes and the vineyards of the Uco Valley at Mendoza, with nights on estancias and working farms along the way. Ruta 40 and the Carretera Austral carry the route south through glaciers and rock art, with two boat crossings of the Strait of Magellan, to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

The transfers, the manual 4×4 with standard insurance, the compulsory personal accident cover, a GPS and radio per vehicle, border documentation for two people per car, twin or double accommodation, all breakfasts and ten dinners, the two Magellan crossings, a support vehicle, an escort and a local bilingual guide are all included; airfares, fuel, the vehicle excess, tolls, other food, park fees, tips, insurance and visas are not, and they add up substantially over five and a half weeks. No off-road skills are needed. The operator also sells a twenty-one-day Patagonia-only version from Pucon at a considerably lower price, which covers five thousand kilometres and the best of the Patagonian roads without the deserts in the north. The southern summer from November to March is the window, and the Patagonian wind is constant.

Style

Adventure, Expedition, Guided

Duration

Grand tour (16+ nights)

Region

Central & South America

Vehicle provision

Vehicle provided

Departures

November - December

Starts/ends

Iquique, Chile → Ushuaia, Argentina