LatAm road-trip-till-you-drop: intense – but why not?!

I’ve been sorting through photos for upcoming posts about our LatAm-2026 road trip. Next up: Chile’s high-altitude Atacama Desert. Spoiler (no, these can never be spoiled): the views are jaw-droppingly oh-my-grandiosely-gorgeous-gradients!…

And while I was sifting, sorting, and editing the pics of South American roads – an idea came to me…

Yes – I could piece together an incredible route here. And that’s just what I did. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

• Fly into Punta Arenas (Chile);
• Head to Torres del Paine (Chilean Patagonia);
• Cross into Argentine Patagonia;
• Up to the province of Jujuy for its colorful mountain landscapes;
• Across into Chile and its Atacama desert (which I’ll be telling you about soon);
• Head north and onto Bolivia’s Altiplano plateau;
• Next – the Uyuni salt flats;
• To Bolivia’s capital, La Paz;
• Northwest to Lake Titicaca (preferably the Peruvian side);
• Back east for a cycle down Bolivia’s Death Road;
• Back to La Paz;
• Done. Next up – fly home!

Sure – it’s a long haul, but it’s absolutely spectacular. So how many days would it take from flying in to Punta Arenas to flying out from La Paz?

Let’s break it down:

Segment 1: Fly into Punta Arenas, spend the night, then a full day’s drive to Patagonia, followed by at least five days of hiking = six days.

Segment 2: Chilean Patagonia → Argentine Patagonia. One day getting from one to the other, one day for a glacier, three days trekking and exploring, one day for the Perito Moreno Glacier = six days.

Segment 3: Jujuy. One day to fly in + three days around and about there = four days.

Segment 4: Atacama. Driving there + checkingj everything out = four days.

Segment 5: Altiplano and Uyuni. Three days for mountains, volcanoes, and desert; one day for the salt flats + the flight to La Paz = five days.

Segment 6: Two days for Titicaca, one day for Death Road (an absolute must!), plus a day to wander around La Paz – lots to see there. Total = four days.

Grand total: 29 days. And since you’ll want a rest day or two somewhere in the middle, let’s call it a full month from first touchdown to last takeoff. Clearly, this is a perfect example of “tourism a road-trip till you drop”, but hey – why not?!

Oh, and, of course – you can easily do the whole route in reverse.

Hi-res pics from our LatAm-2026 trip are here.