In this guide
I'm writing this in August, which is when the emails for next season start arriving. The question is always the same — "how much is a camper?" — and the honest answer is never a single number. It depends on the month, on how many days you travel, on whether you cross into Argentina, and on whether you understand what you're actually renting.
So here's all of it, in order. No fluff. If you read this and rent from someone else, it will still have been worth writing.
What a "camper" means in Chile
In Chile the word covers three very different vehicles, and that confusion is the number one cause of disappointed travelers.
- Camper truck (a camper on a pickup): a living module mounted on the bed of a 4x4 pickup. It's what we rent, and it's all we rent. High clearance, real traction, and a drivetrain any small-town mechanic in Patagonia knows how to fix.
- Campervan: a van converted inside. Cheaper to run, easier to park in a city, far more limited on deep gravel, water crossings and muddy climbs.
- Motorhome: a big coachbuilt RV. Comfortable on pavement, awkward on the narrow southern roads where you'll meet logging trucks on blind curves with no shoulder.
We chose camper trucks deliberately, and we have no vans and no motorhomes. The reason is simple: 90% of what people come to southern Chile to see sits at the end of a gravel road. If the vehicle makes you say "this is as far as I go," the trip shrinks.
How to search for this
Searching motorhome rental Chile will return everything mixed together. Filter for 4x4 camper or camper truck if your plan includes the Carretera Austral, back-road Chiloé or the national parks. If your plan is Route 5 and cities, a van is plenty.
What renting a camper in Chile actually costs
Our price depends on three things: the model, the season, and how long you stay. These are the current daily rates in Chilean pesos:
| Season | Months | Nomads M (2 people) | Nomads L (up to 4) |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | November to March | CLP 193,000 | CLP 219,000 |
| Mid | April, September, October | CLP 158,000 | CLP 180,000 |
| Low | May to August | CLP 134,000 | CLP 152,000 |
And here's the part almost nobody takes advantage of: from 15 days the rate drops, and it drops retroactively across the whole rental, not just the extra days. In high season the Nomads L goes from CLP 219,000 to CLP 198,000 a day; the Nomads M from CLP 193,000 to CLP 174,000. In low season the drop is bigger still, down to CLP 117,000 a day on the M.
Put plainly: 14 days costs almost the same as 16. If you have any flexibility, stretching the trip by two days is the best financial decision you'll make in the whole plan.
The real budget, not just the rental
The rental is half the story. For a typical two-week Carretera Austral trip, also budget:
- Fuel: a diesel pickup carrying a camper uses roughly 12-14 litres per 100 km, more with a headwind (and there will be a headwind). Two weeks is usually 2,000-3,000 km. Fuel on the Carretera Austral costs more than in Puerto Montt, so fill up when you can, not when you need to.
- Ferries: vehicle ferry legs are paid separately and need to be booked ahead. Full detail in the Carretera Austral ferry guide.
- Campsites: anywhere from free to about CLP 20,000 a pitch, depending on whether it's a national park site, a private campsite with hot showers, or a basic designated area.
- Park entry (CONAF): charged per person, per park, and non-resident rates are higher than resident ones.
- Food: shopping in Puerto Varas or Puerto Montt before you leave is noticeably cheaper than shopping in Villa O'Higgins, where everything arrived by truck and ferry.
About the security deposit
Every serious company asks for a refundable deposit on handover, released when the camper comes back in good condition. The amount changes if your route crosses into Argentina. It isn't a charge, it's a hold. Always ask how much, in what payment form, and how many days until it's released before you book — ours is spelled out in the FAQ.
Requirements: licence, age and deposit
What we ask, and broadly what you'll find across the Chilean market:
- A valid driving licence from your own country. You don't need an international permit to drive a camper in Chile, though it doesn't hurt to carry one if your licence isn't in Latin script.
- Minimum age 25.
- Manual transmission experience. This isn't a formality. Our trucks are manual, and easing one down a loose gravel descent in second gear is not the same as doing it in an automatic.
- A credit card in the main driver's name for the deposit (we also accept transfer or cash).
- 50% deposit to confirm the booking, balance before handover. Credit card payments carry a 3% surcharge, which is what the payment gateway charges us.
What's included, and what you bring yourself
This varies a lot between companies, so compare carefully. Both our campers include:
- A diesel heater, independent of the vehicle's fuel system. In Patagonia that's not a luxury, it's the difference between sleeping and enduring.
- Solar panel, auxiliary battery and 220V inverter: several days off-grid without thinking about it.
- An Alpicool 22L compressor fridge (a real compressor, not a thermoelectric cooler — it holds temperature).
- Portable gas stove, stainless sink, fresh water tank, full pots-and-plates kit.
- Bedding, including a premium down duvet.
- Camping table and two chairs.
- All-terrain 4-season tyres, a spare and jump cables.
- Insurance included and unlimited mileage.
What's not included, and worth knowing early: towels (bring microfibre ones), an awning, and the portable hot-water shower or a grill, which we add on request. Starlink satellite internet is a separate add-on if you need to work on the road.
Where to pick up and drop off
Our base is Puerto Varas, and picking up there is free. It's a practical starting point: 20 minutes from Puerto Montt airport, an hour from where the gravel really begins, and one big supermarket away from your first shop.
- Puerto Varas: no charge.
- Puerto Montt airport (PMC): CLP 35,000.
- Coyhaique / Balmaceda: CLP 600,000 — useful if you'd rather fly over the northern stretch and start straight into Aysén.
- Puerto Natales: CLP 900,000, for one-way trips finishing at Torres del Paine.
Handover includes a full walkthrough: systems, heater, water, gas, what to do if something fails. It takes about an hour and it's worth taking seriously. Pickups run 10:00-17:00, drop-off before 16:00.
How many days you actually need
The classic mistake is measuring distances in Google Maps and believing them. On the Carretera Austral the real average — with gravel, ferries, photo stops and one unplanned stop somewhere with no signal — is 45 to 55 km/h. With that in mind:
| Days | How far you get comfortably |
|---|---|
| 7 days | Lakes, volcanoes and Chiloé, or Futaleufú and back. Don't attempt Aysén. |
| 10 days | As far as Futaleufú or Puyuhuapi at a calm pace, out and back. |
| 14-16 days | Marble Caves and Cerro Castillo, out and back, unhurried. The trip I recommend most. |
| 21 days | The whole Carretera Austral to Villa O'Higgins and back. |
| 28 days | The full run finishing at Torres del Paine, one way. |
All four day-by-day itineraries we've built are on the itineraries page, and every one starts in Puerto Varas.
Not sure your days add up?
Send us your dates and what you want to see. We'll tell you straight whether the route fits or whether you should cut it back — even when that means renting from us for fewer days.
Get a real quoteFive mistakes I see every season
1. Not booking the ferries
The Hornopirén–Caleta Gonzalo crossing fills up weeks ahead in January, and without that ferry there is no Carretera Austral. It's the only mistake on this list that can end a trip before it starts.
2. Planning too many kilometres per day
If your itinerary says 300 km a day, you'll see nothing and you'll arrive in the dark looking for somewhere to park. Drop to 150-200 and add a buffer day: southern weather will collect on that debt eventually.
3. Traveling without cash
In Villa O'Higgins, Caleta Tortel or Puerto Río Tranquilo there are days with no signal, a card machine that won't connect and an ATM with no money in it. Carry Chilean pesos in cash. Always.
4. Underestimating the wind
It isn't a Patagonian metaphor: the wind rips doors open, launches chairs and drinks your fuel. Park nose into the wind and stow anything loose before bed.
5. Booking the return flight too tight
When a ferry gets cancelled for swell — and they do — one spare day between drop-off and your flight is worth more than any insurance policy.
How to choose a rental company
Questions I'd ask if I were renting in a country I didn't know:
- Does roadside assistance cover my whole route? (There are areas within Chile that many policies exclude, and Argentina is almost never included.)
- What exactly happens if the vehicle fails at kilometre 800? Ask for the procedure, not a reassuring sentence.
- How and when is the security deposit released?
- Does the advertised price include insurance and mileage, or do those appear at the end?
- Who built the camper, and who maintains it? We build and repair ours in Puerto Varas, which means when something breaks we know exactly which part it is.
- Is somebody answering the phone at nine on a Sunday night?
If a company answers those six clearly, you're fine. If it dodges two, keep looking.
If you want to keep reading before deciding, the natural next step is the Carretera Austral by camper guide: how many days it takes, what the gravel is really like, and where to sleep each night.
