Roads in South America
7 roads found in South America
Carretera Austral
🇨🇱 Chile
The Carretera Austral is a 1,240-kilometer road running through the remote Aysen region of Chilean Patagonia, from Puerto Montt to Villa O'Higgins. Construction began under the Pinochet government in 1976 and was not completed until 2000. The road traverses one of the wildest and least populated regions in South America, a landscape of temperate rainforests, hanging glaciers, turquoise rivers, and snow-capped volcanoes. The route passes through the Northern Patagonian Ice Field region, where massive glaciers calve into milky blue lakes. Key highlights include Queulat National Park with its stunning hanging glacier, the turquoise confluence of the Baker and Nef rivers, and the marble caves of General Carrera Lake. Much of the road remains unpaved, and several sections require ferry crossings. The Carretera Austral has become a bucket-list destination for cyclists and overlanders seeking adventure in one of the world's last true wilderness frontiers.
Death Road (North Yungas Road)
🇧🇴 Bolivia
North Yungas Road, universally known as the "Death Road," is a 64-kilometer route connecting La Paz to Coroico in the Yungas region of Bolivia. Carved into the side of the Cordillera Oriental mountain range, the road descends from 4,650 meters at La Cumbre pass to around 1,200 meters in the subtropical Yungas, dropping through multiple climate zones in a single journey. The Inter-American Development Bank christened it "the world's most dangerous road" in 1995, when an estimated 200 to 300 travelers died annually along its length. The most dangerous section is a single-lane dirt track just 3.2 meters wide, with sheer cliff drops of up to 600 meters on one side and no guardrails. Vehicles traveling downhill are required to drive on the outside edge (the cliff side) to give uphill traffic better visibility, meaning the driver has no view of the road edge. Fog, rain, and mudslides are common, and the surface shifts from rock to mud without warning. Crosses and memorials mark the spots where buses and trucks have plunged into the abyss. Since 2006, a modern bypass road has diverted most vehicular traffic away from the old Death Road, and the route has been reborn as one of the world's most popular mountain biking experiences. Thousands of adventure tourists each year ride the 64-kilometer descent on bicycles, a thrilling journey that takes about three to four hours. While the road is far safer without heavy truck traffic, accidents still occur, and several cyclists have died on the route. The contrast between the freezing summit and the lush tropical vegetation at the bottom makes for an extraordinary sensory experience.
Pan-American Highway through Peru
🇵🇪 Peru
The Pan-American Highway's Peruvian section stretches approximately 2,640 kilometers along the country's Pacific coast, from the Ecuadorian border in the north to the Chilean border in the south. This ribbon of asphalt traverses one of the driest deserts on Earth, the Atacama-Sechura coastal strip, where some weather stations have never recorded rainfall. The road passes through a mesmerizing landscape of sand dunes, coastal cliffs, and arid valleys. The highway passes near many of Peru's most remarkable archaeological and natural sites. Near Nazca, the famous Nazca Lines are visible from small aircraft that depart from the roadside town. The Paracas National Reserve offers dramatic coastal scenery with red sand beaches and abundant marine wildlife. The Huacachina oasis, a palm-fringed lagoon surrounded by towering sand dunes, sits just off the highway near Ica. The road also connects Lima, the gastronomic capital of South America, with Arequipa, the elegant colonial city at the foot of El Misti volcano.
Ruta 40
🇦🇷 Argentina
Ruta Nacional 40 is Argentina's longest highway and one of the great road trips on Earth, stretching over 5,000 kilometers from Cabo Virgenes at the southern tip of Patagonia to La Quiaca on the Bolivian border. Running parallel to the Andes mountain range along the entire western edge of Argentina, the road passes through 20 national parks, crosses 18 rivers, and traverses 236 bridges. It connects some of the most diverse and stunning landscapes in South America, from the windswept steppe of Patagonia to the high-altitude deserts of the Puna. The southern Patagonian section is the most legendary and challenging stretch, where the road passes through vast, empty expanses with barely a settlement in sight. Here, fuel stations can be hundreds of kilometers apart, and the famous Patagonian winds can buffet vehicles with gusts exceeding 100 km/h. The road surface alternates between paved sections and rough gravel (ripio), particularly in the more remote southern portions. Between El Chalten and Perito Moreno, drivers traverse some of the most isolated territory accessible by road in South America. Further north, Ruta 40 passes through the wine country of Mendoza, where the road runs through renowned vineyard regions with the snow-capped Andes as a backdrop. Continuing north through the high desert of the Puna, the road climbs to over 5,000 meters at Abra del Acay, one of the highest points on any national highway in the world. The entire route typically takes two to three weeks to drive, making it one of the ultimate long-distance road adventures.
Ruta de los Siete Lagos (Route of Seven Lakes)
🇦🇷 Argentina
The Ruta de los Siete Lagos is a 107-kilometer stretch of Ruta Nacional 40 between San Martin de los Andes and Villa La Angostura in the Argentine Lake District of northern Patagonia. As its name suggests, the road passes seven stunning glacial lakes, each with its own distinct color ranging from deep emerald to brilliant turquoise, set against a backdrop of snow-dusted Andean peaks and ancient Araucaria (monkey puzzle) forests. The seven lakes along the route are Machonica, Falkner, Villarino, Correntoso, Espejo, Escondido, and Lacar. The road climbs through Lanin and Nahuel Huapi National Parks, crossing mountain passes that offer sweeping views of the lake-studded landscape below. Numerous pulloffs and short trails lead to hidden beaches, viewpoints, and waterfalls. The route is equally spectacular in every season, from the wildflower-covered meadows of spring to the fiery autumn colors of the southern beech forests.
Salar de Uyuni Road
🇧🇴 Bolivia
The road across Bolivia's Salar de Uyuni is unlike any other driving experience on Earth. The Salar is the world's largest salt flat, covering 10,582 square kilometers at an elevation of 3,656 meters in the Altiplano of southwestern Bolivia. During the dry season (May-November), vehicles drive directly across the vast white expanse of hexagonally cracked salt crust that extends to the horizon in every direction, creating a surreal sense of infinite space. During the wet season (December-April), a thin layer of water transforms the flat into the world's largest natural mirror, perfectly reflecting the sky and clouds in a scene that blurs the boundary between earth and atmosphere. The route from the town of Uyuni typically crosses the salt flat to Isla Incahuasi (Fish Island), a rocky outcrop covered in giant cacti that rises from the white plain like a mirage. The journey often continues to the Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve, passing through a landscape of colored lagoons, geysers, and volcanic hot springs.
Serra do Rio do Rastro
🇧🇷 Brazil
The Serra do Rio do Rastro is an 8-kilometer mountain road in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil that descends 1,460 meters through a series of over 250 tight curves and hairpin bends carved into the face of a dramatic escarpment. Often called the most beautiful road in Brazil, SC-438 connects the highland town of Bom Jardim da Serra to the lowlands below in a dizzying sequence of switchbacks that seems to defy engineering logic. The road clings to the near-vertical face of the Serra Catarinense, and on clear days the views from the upper sections extend for over 100 kilometers across the coastal plain. Clouds frequently sit at mid-level on the escarpment, meaning drivers descend through a cloud layer and emerge into sunshine below. The microclimate at the top is cold enough for frost and occasional snow in winter, while the base is subtropical. A viewpoint platform near the summit offers one of the most photographed road panoramas in South America.