By road, Quintay and Pisco Elqui are about 348 miles (560 km) apart, or roughly 7 h 36 min of driving.
Full advisory: Chile. Advisory issued: Chile August 19, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Chile: “Use caution when walking or driving at night, especially if alone.”
| Total distance | 348 mi (560 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 7 h 36 min |
| Main roads, in order | F-800 → D-201 → D-485 |
| Regions on the route | Valparaíso, Coquimbo |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
The Quintay–Pisco Elqui drive in a few lines
F-800 (14 mi) and D-485 (12 mi) carry about 7% of the 348 miles. It runs through 2 regions: Valparaíso, Coquimbo. Of the 9 stops listed below, 4 are within a mile of the road.
Roads you'll take from Quintay to Pisco Elqui
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | Valparaíso |
| F-800 | 1–15 | 14 | Valparaíso |
| connecting roads | 15–16 | 1 | Valparaíso |
| local roads | 16–21 | 5 | Valparaíso |
| connecting roads | 21–22 | 1 | Valparaíso |
| local roads | 22–61 | 39 | Valparaíso |
| connecting roads | 61–63 | 2 | Valparaíso |
| local roads | 63–299 | 236 | Valparaíso, Coquimbo |
| connecting roads | 299–300 | 1 | Coquimbo |
| D-201 | 300–304 | 4 | Coquimbo |
| local roads | 304–336 | 32 | Coquimbo |
| D-485 | 336–348 | 12 | Coquimbo |
- Mile 116 of this route: Valparaíso → Coquimbo (region line)
Breaking up the drive: stops between Quintay and Pisco Elqui
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar (mile 27), Museo Histórico-Arqueológico de Quillota (mile 53), Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral, La Serena (mile 286), Entomological and Natural History Museum of Vicuña (mile 324)
- Nature and outdoors: Lago Peñuelas National Reserve (mile 15), Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar (mile 27), La Campana National Park (mile 53), Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park (mile 227), Entomological and Natural History Museum of Vicuña (mile 324)
- Museums and history: Museo Palmira Romano (mile 46), Museo Histórico-Arqueológico de Quillota (mile 53), Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral, La Serena (mile 286), Entomological and Natural History Museum of Vicuña (mile 324)
Lago Peñuelas National Reserve
Chile's Lago Peñuelas National Reserve surrounds Peñuelas Lake, a freshwater reservoir that supplies drinking water to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.
Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar
Covering 395 hectares in Viña del Mar, the National Botanical Garden takes in hills of scrubland and sclerophyll forest.
Teatro Municipal Juan Bustos Ramírez
Quilpué's municipal theater opened on December 7, 1940, as Teatro Velarde; the city bought it in 2012 for reconstruction, and it reopened as Teatro Municipal Juan Bustos Ramírez in 2017.
Museo Palmira Romano
Run by the municipality of Limache in the Valparaíso Region, the Museo Palmira Romano is a museum listed in Chile's museum registry.
La Campana National Park
In Chile's coastal range northwest of Santiago, La Campana National Park protects the Chilean palm that Charles Darwin studied on his 1834 visit. Trails climb toward Cerro La Campana, and the park also holds petroglyphs and the Salto La Cortadera waterfall.
Museo Histórico-Arqueológico de Quillota
Quillota's history and archaeology museum occupies the Casa Colonial, a building declared a National Monument, in the city of Quillota.
Bosque de Fray Jorge National Park
Near Ovalle in Chile's semi-arid north, Fray Jorge National Park shelters a fog-fed forest of species typical of southern Chile, such as olivillo and canelo. A short marked loop trail winds through it, and the park is a UNESCO biosphere reserve.
Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral, La Serena
Also called La Serena Cathedral, this is the seat of the Archdiocese of La Serena, standing on the northeastern corner of the Plaza de Armas at Los Carrera and Cordovez streets.
Entomological and Natural History Museum of Vicuña
Opened in 1994, this private museum in Vicuña holds about 26,000 specimens, mostly insects, mollusks and birds, from Chile and other parts of Latin America, along with fossils.
More drives to Pisco Elqui
- Coquimbo to Pisco Elqui
- Punta de Choros to Pisco Elqui
- Copiapó to Pisco Elqui
- Reñaca to Pisco Elqui
- Algarrobo to Pisco Elqui
- Valparaíso to Pisco Elqui
From Quintay to other places in Chile
- Quintay to Villa Unión, Argentina
- Quintay to Malargüe, Argentina
- Quintay to San Agustín de Valle Fértil, Argentina
- Quintay to La Punta, Argentina
- Quintay to San José de Jáchal, Argentina
- Quintay to Barreal, Argentina
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Quintay to Pisco Elqui?
About 7 h 36 min of driving without stops, over 348 miles.
What is the driving distance from Quintay to Pisco Elqui?
About 348 miles (560 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Quintay to Pisco Elqui drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Chile Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Quintay to Pisco Elqui?
In order: F-800, D-201 and D-485. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Quintay to Pisco Elqui?
Closest to the road: Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar (botanical garden, mile 27, 0.4 mi from the route); Our Lady of Mercy Cathedral, La Serena (cathedral, mile 286, 0.3 mi from the route); Entomological and Natural History Museum of Vicuña (natural history museum, mile 324, 0.6 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.