Patagonia Motorcycle Tour: Tierra del Fuego to Ushuaia

Your Patagonia motorcycle tour begins with the flight from Germany, Switzerland or Austria to South America. After an overnight transatlantic flight, you land in Chile and the journey to the end of the world truly begins.

On the second day of your Patagonia route, our team picks you up at Punta Arenas Airport and transfers you to Puerto Natales in around three hours. There you meet your motorcycle and receive all the key information about the trip ahead.

This Torres del Paine stage takes you to the national park early in the morning, its rugged granite towers providing an impressive backdrop to the first riding day. An optional walk rounds off the day before you head back to Puerto Natales for the night.

On this Tierra del Fuego stage you cross the Strait of Magellan by ferry and reach the island of Tierra del Fuego. Amid yellow grasses and scattered clusters of trees lies Porvenir, the largest town in the Chilean part of the island.

A long riding day takes you across the border into Argentina. The route reveals its raw side here: lakes, glaciers and icy mountains line the road all the way to Ushuaia at the end of the world. You have now reached the southernmost city on earth accessible by road.

Use this rest day in Ushuaia to explore the colourful houses of the world's southernmost city. Optionally, a boat can take you towards Puerto Williams, even further south, with penguins and sea lions visible along the way.

Back on the Argentine part of Tierra del Fuego, you follow the shores of Lago Fagnano again, this time on a mixed on- and off-road stage into a constant headwind. The wind-bent trees lining the route tell the story. Overnight stay in the small village of Cerro Sombrero.

Another ferry crossing takes you off the island of Tierra del Fuego heading north. El Calafate greets you with restaurants and souvenir shops – most visitors come for the nearby glacier, which you too will reach the following day.

This Perito Moreno Glacier stage takes you to one of the few ice masses on earth that is still growing: 30 kilometres long, several kilometres wide and advancing two metres a day. You can hear the ice cracking and groaning long before you arrive.

Following the shores of Lago Argentino, Argentina's largest lake, you ride the famous Ruta 40 through seemingly endless open country. A fuel stop in the small village of Tres Lagos is part of the stage, as is the detour onto the narrower Ruta 29 before rejoining the Ruta 40.

On one of the most remote stretches of the Ruta 40 your main company is rheas and guanacos. After crossing into Chile, an unpaved road follows the shores of Lago General Carrera – a highlight of any Ruta 40 motorcycle tour and one of the most striking lake settings in Patagonia.

Puerto Guadal, a village of around 500 inhabitants, lives from farming and tourism. An abandoned copper mine, a waterfall and marble caves are all within easy reach. You spend the night in a comfortable hotel right on the lake.

This stage follows the azure-blue Lago General Carrera, whose far shore lies in Argentina. Via the unpaved Highway 7 you leave the Carrera province and reach Coihaique, where you spend the night in a centrally located hotel.

Two national parks, Queulat and Lago Las Torres, define this Carretera Austral stage. Dense dark-green rainforest, countless lakes and rivers invite frequent photo stops along the way. Overnight stay in the village of Puyuhuapi.

Continuing along the Carretera Austral, a new lake or waterfall appears around every bend while the snow-capped Andes remain constantly in view. After a break in Futaleufu you cross the border into Argentina, reaching the Welsh-influenced village of Trevelin before arriving in Esquel.

This stage takes you through Los Alerces National Park with its countless lakes, past El Bolson – a town known for regular UFO sightings. On the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi you reach San Carlos de Bariloche, often called the Argentine Switzerland.

Via the Ruta 40 you follow the Andes northward, passing the tourist village of Villa La Angostura. Fine views of the mountain peaks accompany you all the way to Junin de los Andes, where you spend the night.

Riding parallel to the Rio Malleo you reach the border and a scenic Andean pass lined with native monkey-puzzle trees. This stage ends at Lake Villarrica, with two nearby national parks visible on the horizon – a fitting close to a long journey through the southern cone.

An 80-kilometre transfer takes you from Villarrica to Temuco Airport, where your Patagonia motorcycle tour boards its return flight home. Germany, Switzerland or Austria await you the following day.

After landing, your Patagonia motorcycle tour comes to an end, leaving you with memories from Tierra del Fuego to the Carretera Austral. Route changes may be adapted to current on-site conditions.