Can't ride anymore - renting a car in Chile?
 

Hello Hubb,

a couple of months ago i made a post about my plan to come to south america with my father and take him riding one last time before his shoulders condition deteriorates too much to ride a bike for a lenghty period of time.

(http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nce-ride-81500)
I got some great answers there and lots of information.

Unfortunately, now (6 months later) the thing I feared has allready happened - his shoulders have gone so bad, he can't even ride for two days. Now we are in a "screw it, we are going anyway" mood, but i guess our mode of transport will have to be a car.

Therefore- does anyone have some advice where we can rent a decent priced 4WD Car for about 4 weeks in Chile next february?

It's expensive but all the rental cars in Calama are 4x4 Hilux on account of the mining. It is possible to cross boarders (at least with Argentina) as I met a couple in Patagonia who rented a car in Santiago and drove it down to punta arenas. So it's a definite option for overlanding. Sorry can't be of any more use than that.

Thanks Ridetheworld,

do you have any idea of the price range we should be expecting? Or does anyone know any specific renters we should check out?

Thanks,

Max

Do you want to travel in the north or the south of Chile?

One big thing to keep in mind is that February is the month that all of Chile takes vacation. So booking asap is important.

If you want to travel in the north you could fly into Iquique and traverse the Atacama down to San Pedro, then on to Calama and return the car there and fly out.

You can rent a Hilux 4x4 in pretty much all the rental car places in Chile north and south. But supply is limited because of mining operations which use rental trucks.

If you wanted to travel in the south you could fly into Punta Arenas and drive north to Puerta Natales and on to the Torres. Then return back to Punta Arenas and return the truck and fly out.

Both trip are an easy 7-10 day and longer of you really stopped to see all the great things on both areas.

Start with these guys, they have offices all over Chile. As far as leaving Chile to go to Argentina or Bolivia, I am not 100% certain you can. I was told no both times I rented in Chile. Hope this helps. The prices for a Hilux were over $100 USD a day. So its not a cheap choice to rent a 4x4. However the roads in the north and the south are not great and the trucks take a lot of abuse. I used 4wd in the north but not the south. However I did see a guy in a standard car in the south and he had a broken ball joint in the middle of no where. So a truck is advisable. Even a 2wd Hilux would be fine.
http://www.econorent.cl/