Southern Chile Camping Spots

Chiloe

Playa Gaviotas, Ancud (S41 51.889 W73 45.707, 7m)

Nice campground with beach access, although a little run down. Individual sites with big hedges for wind protection.  Each site has a covered picnic table and covered tent area (with sand floor). Electricity in each of the sites. There are rundown sinks with water at each end of the camping area. There is a to the beach, 3-4 minutes walk away. There is a large Fogon with tables, table football, covered grilling area and large fireplace. It rains a lot in Ancud !  CH$8,000 per night.

Terpel, Castro, Chiloe (S42 27.021 W73 46.457, 54m)

Petrol Station in Chiloe. Parking area. Toilets and WIFI. Free

Licadad Camping , Castro, Chiloe (S42 30.800 W73 47.600, 47m)

Narrow lane down but large area at bottom. Toilets and cold showers.  CH$8,000 per night.

Mirador, South of Castro, Chiloe (S42 28.910 W73 46.151, 75m)

Large area for mirador. Nice view but not a peaceful place to stay due to late night activity – cars coming and going late into the night.  No facilities. Free.

Carretera Austral

Under South Side of Suspension Bridge, Carretera Austral North (S43 10.568 W72 26.396, 66m)

Small Beach just under the bridge. For tent campers there is a good grass area and can even put your tent under the bridge for shelter. Good Fishing. Good views. No Facilities. Free.

Caro del Indio, Road to Futalefu (S43 22.314 W72 04.584, 134m)

Pay campsite. There are small fogons at this place with running water. Wood fired showers. Rustic toilets.  Pretty difficult to find a flat spot although we did manage.  Access to the river for fishing although to a fairly small stretch. CH$3000 per person.

By Bridge, La Junta (S43 57.737 W72 23.770, 54m)

There is small picnic area on the Southern side of this bridge down at water level. No facilities. Free. Be careful as one end is a very low suspension cable for the bridge and even a tall car might struggle to get underneath.  We parked at the top.

Quelat Campground, Ventisquero Colgante (S44 28.239 W72 32.889, 77m)

This has to be one of the nicest campgrounds we’ve seen in Chile. Each site has shelter with picnic table, grill and water tap. There are temperamental hot showers and clean toilets. The campground has two sections and the section nearest the bathrooms is better. CH$3,000 per person.

Pullout by Sea, Puerto Cisnes (S44 44.712 W72 41.708, 3m)

This is a couple of hundred meters along from a recreation area which is free. This was very busy as it was a holiday but would usually be a better choice. The spot we chose was a pull-out off the road right on the sea. Great views.  No Facilities. Free.

Lago Las Torres Camping (S44 47.918, W72 12.141, 274m)

In fine weather this is a beautiful campsite on a beautiful lake. There are a number of small cabanas for camping/cooking here. Picnic tables and grills. Fairly grim toilets and showers across the highway. We didn’t have hot water although there is supposed to be. The owners run fishing trips on the lake. CH$6,000.

Roadside Pullout, El Salto on Rio Pollux (S45 41.093 W72 03.396, 366m)

Small Pullout by the side of the road. We didn’t want to stay in Coyhaique so we drove a few Km’s past and found this. There is virtually no traffic overnight. It is right next to a pretty waterfall and a small 20 minute hike will get you to the bottom of it. No Facilities. Free.

Laguna Chaguay, Cerro Castillo (S45 59.182 W71 52.857, 1007m)

5 campsites. All are large with shelters, firepits, bins, water and picnic tables. Central toilet block with hot showers (wood fired). Water pressure was low when we were there. This campsite has the trailhead for a nice walk into the hills.  We paid CH$2,000 per person. Others paid CH$5,000 for a site.

Lakeside Parking, Puerto Rio Tranquillo (S46 37.428 W72 40.373, 192m)

Parking area in front of the lake. We asked the police if this was ok to park here overnight and they told us yes. No Facilities. Free.  Very windy.

Camping Pudu, Puerto Rio Tranquillo (S46 38.040 W72 39.888, 217m)

Lovely campsite with great views of the lake.  Probably the best toilet and shower block of any campsite we’ve been to on this trip.  Amazing hot showers with good pressure. Wind breaks. Firepits. Picinic Tables. Sauna (CH$12000 for 4). Campsite CH$5000 per person.

Glacier Exploradores (S46 29.882 W73 09.281, 148m)

Car Park for the Glacier. Toilets outside the ticket office for the glacier. Free.

Rio Nef Overlook, South of Bertrand (S47 07.860 W72 43.744, 181m)

Large area high on cliff above river. Well off the road and great views. A  little slopey but not too hard to get flat. No facilities. Free.

Caleta Tortel (S47 47.747 W73 31.865, 53m)

Parking area for town. Toilets available (CH$100 but were left unlocked overnight).  The parking area was full overnight so would recommend not arriving too late. Free.

Camping by Bridge over Rio Negro (S47 58.848 W73 10.235, 2m)

Gravel area by bridge over Rio Negro. Would make good overnight camping. No Facilities. Free.

On Rio Mayer, Villa O’Higgins (S48 25.181 W72 32.991, 271m)

On wide flat river bank – views of snowcapped mountains. No facilities. Free.

Puerto Yungay Ferry (S47 56.129 W73 19.433, 24m)

Small Parking area on North side of ferry. Toilets at café.  Free.  For 20km after ferry going North there is really nowhere to camp.

On South side there are a number of places to camp near the ferry  perhaps the best is Rio Negro Bridge (S47 58.848 W73 10.235) which is about 5km from ferry terminal. You could also spend the night at Southern ferry (S47 58.077 W73 13.426) although there is less room – we saw cyclists making camp inside the waiting room where there is a toilet.

Beachside, Chile Chico (S46 32.334 W71 42.931, 217m)

At beach on lake. Quite busy during the day with locals enjoying the lake and swimming. Very quiet overnight and patrolled by police.  No Facilities. Free.

Chilean Tierra Del Fuego

Plaza, Cerro Sombrero (S52 46.582 W69 17.474, 41m)

Sheltered from fierce wind behind old cinema museum. Very quiet overnight. No Facilities. Free.

Lago Blanco (S54 03.990 W68 57.365, 121m)

Designated free camping area in light woodland on shores of lake. There are pit toilets here but they are scary.  Suits smaller vehicles or tent camping more than a bigger truck.   There is plenty of space for a bigger truck but it is difficult to get shelter from the wind. Free.

Bahia Azul (S52 29.678 W69 31.271, 2m)

At the TdF side of the ferry. Very quiet overnight and allowed us to get first ferry in the morning. There are toilets and a shower in the visitor centre. We parked behind a long high wall to get shelter from the wind. Free.

Far South Chile

Parque Chabanco, Punta Arenas (S52 59.227 W70 48.822, 2m)

Free Camping areas with fire pits and some corrugated iron shelters. By sea. Some trees for wind shelter. We parked right on sea front but below the area with trees.

Rio Serrano Camping, Torres del Paine (S51 13.682 W72 58.426, 13m)

Nice campsite with good views.  Grills, shelters with benches, lights and a table. Power.  Water available from outside taps at bathroom block.  Clean showers and toilets.  Pay Campsite. CH$10,000 for two with free wood included in price.

Hotel Las Torres, Torres del Paine (S50 58.388 W72 52.423, 122m)

Very nice hotel with a parking area out front (on grass) where you can camp (if self-contained) and leave your vehicle while off hiking. There are very nice toilets in the hotel . There is also a day use area next to the car park with picnic tables and a small shop.  Free.

Los Cuernos, Torres del Paine (S51 01.432 W72 59.172, 87m) – Tent and Refugio only

Private campsite on the W which you must walk to. Cooking hut (small with only 2 tables). Tent platforms. Bar & Refugio.   Toilets and showers (only 2 for at least 100 people).  Potable water. This felt very expensive and very crowded and the facilities were insufficient for the number of people using the campground (though this maybe because the next campsite, Camping Italia, was closed at the time we visited). There is a bar here and meals can be purchased. CH$8,000 per person.

Paine Grande Mountain Lodge, Torres del Paine (S51 04.311 W73 05.681, 42m) – Tent and Refugio Only

National Park Campsite on the W which you must walk to. Large grass area for tents – best shelter against wind right up against hillside. Quincho for cooking with gas stove. Potable Water. Toilets & Showers. Big bar/restaurant which serves a buffet dinner for CH$10,500. Small shop.  Price CH$4,500 per person.