Motorway driving in Chile

The motorways in Chile are pretty well built, but if you've driven in countries like France where they are closed off from wild animals and human activity you may be in for a surprise. In my view they are much more like the British dual carriageways than the French Autoroutes. Don't be surprised to see people running across the dual carriageway to stand on the other side and wait at one of the many bus stops. Don't be surprised to see turnings that lead to small towns alongside the motorway, pigs, dogs, or small cabins selling cheese (Queso), or Mote con Huesillo.

One tip that may prove to be financially valuable to you is the following. When you get a ticket from a major motorway toll booth, exits from the motorway on slip roads are free if you show it to the cashier or scan it in the ticket reader.

The ticket from this tollgate gives you the right to one passage during a period of 12 hours through the slip-road toll gates between (and including) Bulnes and Mininco

If you don't have your ticket you can expect to pay 500 CLP, which isn't too much so don't worry if you lose your ticket. Click here for a conversion