🌎 Argentina · Patagonia to the Andes
La Quiaca → Cabo Vírgenes · La Cuarenta
Ruta 40Argentina
One of the longest roads on Earth. From the glaciers of Patagonia to the high-altitude deserts of the Andes — 5,200km of raw, unfiltered Argentina that will change the way you see the world.
🏔 Andes Mountain Passes
🧊 Perito Moreno Glacier
🍷 Mendoza Wine Country
🖐 Cueva de las Manos
🦅 Patagonian Wildlife
5,200
Kilometres of road
Scroll to explore
Best Time
Oct – Apr
Full Route
30 – 45 Days
Start From
Buenos Aires
Currency
Argentine Peso
Max Altitude
4,956m (Salta)
Style
Self-Drive / 4WD
🌎 Argentina · 5,200 Kilometres
The Road That Changes Everything
There are roads, and then there is Ruta 40. Stretching the entire length of Argentina — from the Bolivian border high in the Andean puna to the lighthouse at the edge of the continent — La Cuarenta is not a route you simply drive. It's a journey through the full story of a country: its indigenous roots, its colonial scars, its wild empty spaces, and its extraordinary hospitality.
We drove it north to south over 32 days, covering all 5,200 kilometres in a 4WD loaded with camping gear, camera equipment, and an unreasonable amount of yerba maté. What we found was the most varied, demanding, and deeply moving road trip any of us had ever experienced. High-altitude salt flats that glow pink at dawn. Mendoza vineyards with the Andes as a backdrop. The impossible silence of the Patagonian steppe. The thundering crack of Perito Moreno Glacier calving into turquoise water.
This guide is everything we learned — the places that genuinely moved us, the mistakes we made so you don't have to, and the honest picture of what driving this road is actually like. It's not always comfortable. It's not always easy. But there is nothing else like it on Earth.
"The road doesn't just show you Argentina — it shows you how small you are, and somehow that feels like the best gift it can give."— Davana World Tour, Day 28 · Patagonian Steppe
Suggested North → South Itinerary
The Route
We drove Ruta 40 north to south over 32 days — starting in the Andean highlands of Jujuy and finishing at the windswept edge of Patagonia. This is our recommended breakdown for a first-time drive.
Days 1 – 4 · Jujuy & Salta
The Andes Highlands — Puna & Salinas
Start at La Quiaca on the Bolivian border. Drive south through the jaw-dropping Quebrada de Humahuaca (UNESCO), past the rainbow-coloured Cerro de los Siete Colores in Purmamarca, and stop at the vast Salinas Grandes salt flat — the second biggest in the world.
Approx. 600km · Altitude up to 4,956m
Days 5 – 8 · Cafayate & Calchaquí Valleys
Red Rock Canyons & High-Altitude Wine
Wind through the Quebrada de las Conchas — dramatic red rock formations shaped by millions of years of erosion. Arrive in Cafayate, a charming wine town surrounded by Torrontés vineyards at 1,700m altitude. One of the most photogenic stretches of the entire route.
Approx. 400km
Days 9 – 14 · La Rioja & Mendoza
Valle de la Luna & Wine Capital
Pass through Ischigualasto (Valle de la Luna) — a surreal landscape of eroded grey clay and alien rock formations that genuinely looks like another planet. Continue south into Mendoza, Argentina's wine capital. Plan two full days here — the Uco Valley vineyards alone are worth the trip.
Approx. 900km
Days 15 – 22 · Neuquén & Bariloche
Lakes District — Switzerland of Argentina
Drive through the stunning Seven Lakes Road (Ruta de los Siete Lagos) — a legendary section with alpine lakes, araucaria forests, and snow-capped volcanoes at every turn. Stop in San Martín de los Andes and Bariloche — the lakeside chocolate town that serves as the gateway to Patagonia.
Approx. 1,100km
Days 23 – 28 · Santa Cruz
Patagonian Steppe & Cave of Hands
The most remote and humbling stretch of the route. Hundreds of kilometres of empty steppe — just the road, the wind, condors overhead, and the occasional guanaco. Stop at Cueva de las Manos, then push south to El Chaltén for the Fitz Roy trails.
Approx. 1,200km · Some unpaved
Days 29 – 32 · El Calafate & Cabo Vírgenes
Glaciers & the End of the World
The grand finale. Walk the boardwalks of Perito Moreno Glacier as the ice cracks and collapses around you. Then drive the final empty stretch south to Cabo Vírgenes — the lighthouse at the edge of the continent, where the Atlantic wind hits you and you realise you've done it.
Approx. 500km · Finish!
Experiences Along the Way
What To Do
Ruta 40 is not one experience — it's forty. Every hundred kilometres reveals a different Argentina: salt flats and canyon villages in the north, wine valleys and lunar landscapes through the centre, glaciers and jagged peaks in the south. These are the moments that define the drive.
🏔 The Andean North · Jujuy & Salta
🌈 Jujuy · UNESCO World Heritage
Walk the Hill of Seven Colours, Purmamarca
The Cerro de los Siete Colores towers directly behind the village — crimson, gold, violet, white and jade striped through 10 million years of mineral-rich sediment. Hike the Paseo de los Colorados loop at sunrise before the tour buses arrive and the light turns the hillside almost fluorescent. The village market below sells some of the finest woven textiles in the north.
🧂 Jujuy · Puna Plateau
Drive Across Salinas Grandes
At 3,450 metres, this 212 km² salt flat is one of the most disorienting landscapes on Earth — a blinding white crust stretching to the horizon under a sky so blue it hurts to look at. The road cuts straight across it for 30 kilometres. Perspective tricks are mandatory: photograph yourself holding a tiny person in your palm, a centuries-old photographer's cliché that never gets old. Pull over and listen — the silence here is absolute.
🚂 Salta · Andean Railway
Ride the Train to the Clouds
The Tren a las Nubes departs Salta and climbs to 4,220 metres above sea level — one of the highest railway lines in the world — crossing 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, and 13 viaducts before reaching the spectacular La Polvorilla iron viaduct suspended over a canyon. The journey takes 16 hours return and crosses landscapes that shift from subtropical valley to high-altitude desert. Altitude sickness is real — carry coca leaves and take it slow.
🍷 Cafayate & the Calchaquí Valleys
🌵 Salta · Quebrada de las Flechas
Drive Through the Quebrada de las Flechas
South of Cafayate on Ruta 40, a 30-kilometre stretch of gravel road carves through a gorge where the rock has been eroded into thousands of blade-like fins pointing skyward at an angle, as if the earth itself tried to launch arrows into space. Golden light in the late afternoon turns the whole scene molten. This is one of the most dramatic photographs you will take on the entire trip — pull over often.
🍷 Cafayate · High-Altitude Wine
Taste Torrontés in Cafayate
Cafayate sits at 1,680 metres in the Calchaquí Valley and produces the finest Torrontés in the world — Argentina's distinctive white grape, floral and citrus-bright, found almost nowhere else. The town's dozen bodegas are all walkable from the central plaza. Bodega El Esteco, Domingo Molina, and Vasija Secreta are standouts. Pair it with goat cheese from a local farmstead and eat under a vine-draped pergola as the Andes turn pink at dusk.
🏛 Salta · Ancient Village
Explore the White Village of Cachi
Set beneath the snow-capped Nevado de Cachi at 2,280 metres, this whitewashed colonial village feels like it belongs to another century. The drive there via the Cuesta del Obispo — a switchback road through the Cardones National Park, bristling with giant cactus — is itself one of the great drives on Ruta 40. The town's archaeology museum houses pre-Columbian artefacts from civilisations that date back 10,000 years. Stay for sunset.
🌑 Ischigualasto & Talampaya · La Rioja & San Juan
🌑 San Juan · UNESCO World Heritage
Valle de la Luna — Ischigualasto
The Valley of the Moon is exactly what it sounds like: a landscape so alien, so stripped of colour and vegetation, that NASA used photographs of it to train early astronauts. The grey clay badlands are studded with perfect spherical boulders — naturally formed by erosion over 230 million years — and riddled with dinosaur fossils. The full moon tour (available on select nights) transforms the valley into something from science fiction. One of the most singular landscapes on Earth.
🏜 La Rioja · Red Canyon Country
Talampaya National Park
Towering terracotta canyon walls rise 150 metres either side of a dry riverbed, carved by wind and water over millions of years into cathedrals, amphitheatres, and perfectly eroded niches. The canyon floor is littered with petroglyphs from pre-Columbian cultures. Guided 4WD tours navigate the narrows and the Cathedral formation — a natural rock tower of extraordinary scale. Combined with Valle de la Luna 80km south, this is one of the great double-hit days on the entire route.
🍷 Mendoza · World Wine Capital
Cycle the Mendoza Wine Route
Mendoza is the wine capital of South America and one of the great wine regions of the world. The classic approach is to rent a bicycle in Luján de Cuyo or Maipú and pedal between bodegas on flat vineyard roads with the Andes at your back. Catena Zapata, Achaval Ferrer, and Zuccardi are all world-class. Book a winery lunch — long, slow, many glasses — and take an Uber home. Then do it again the next day in the Uco Valley.
🌲 The Patagonian Lakes District · Neuquén & Río Negro
🏔 Neuquén · Seven Lakes Road
Drive the Ruta de los Siete Lagos
The stretch of Ruta 40 between San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura is widely considered the most beautiful road in Argentina — and one of the most beautiful in the world. Curving through ancient Andean forest, it passes alongside seven glacial lakes of impossible blue and green: Espejo, Correntoso, Villarino, Falkner, Hermoso, Machónico, and Lácar. In autumn (April–May) the lenga beech turns gold and crimson. Stop at every mirador. Drive slowly.
🎿 Bariloche · Patagonian Alps
Bariloche — Chocolate, Craft Beer & Mountains
San Carlos de Bariloche sits on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi beneath a ring of Andean peaks that look transplanted from Switzerland. The Circuito Chico — a half-day driving loop — passes waterfalls, forest viewpoints, and the famous Llao Llao Hotel. In winter it's a major ski resort; in summer it's all hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking. The city itself is famous for artisanal chocolate (try Mamuschka) and craft beer. Don't leave without dining on Patagonian trout at a lakeside restaurant.
🚂 Chubut · The Old Patagonian Express
Ride La Trochita from Esquel
La Trochita — immortalised by Paul Theroux in The Old Patagonian Express — is a narrow-gauge steam railway that has been running through the Patagonian steppe since 1922, almost unchanged. The journey from Esquel clatters through open grassland past guanacos and condors for 18 of the original 402km route. It is slow, smoky, and utterly wonderful. The locomotive is 100 years old. The views are timeless. Book in advance — it only runs on certain days.
🧊 Southern Patagonia · Santa Cruz & Los Glaciares
🖐 Santa Cruz · UNESCO · 13,000 Years Old
Cueva de las Manos — Hands of Time
A 160-metre canyon wall covered in over 2,000 hand stencils, made by pressing hollow bird bones against the rock and blowing ochre pigment over outstretched palms. The oldest are 13,000 years old; the most recent, around 9,000. They are the oldest known human artwork in South America. The canyon setting — red sandstone dropping to a cobalt-blue river — is spectacular in its own right. A UNESCO World Heritage Site and genuinely one of the most affecting places on the entire route.
🏔 El Chaltén · Argentina's Trekking Capital
Hike to Laguna de los Tres — Fitz Roy
El Chaltén exists for one reason: Fitz Roy. The Laguna de los Tres trail climbs 1,200 metres over 22km through lenga beech forest, crossing hanging valleys, before emerging above the treeline onto a glacial moraine. The view — Fitz Roy's granite needles reflected in a steel-grey glacial lake, ringed by ice — is considered one of the greatest in South America. No permit required. Set off by 7am to beat the afternoon cloud that often obscures the summit.
🧊 El Calafate · Non-Negotiable
Perito Moreno Glacier
One of the only glaciers in the world that is not retreating — in fact it actively advances, periodically damming Lago Argentino until the ice dam collapses in a spectacular rupture. Stand on the steel walkway system as house-sized blocks of cobalt-blue ice calve away with a crack like a rifle shot and crash into the lake below. Book the Big Ice trekking experience to walk on crampons across the glacier's surface and drink whiskey cooled with 10,000-year-old ice. This alone is worth the entire journey.
📺 Davana World Tour on YouTube
Watch the Ruta 40 Videos
Every stop of the journey, captured on film. From the Jujuy salt flats to the Patagonian lakes — 20 episodes covering the full length of Argentina.
Desierto del Diablo
Desierto del Diablo
Desierto del Diablo: Argentina's MARS-LIKE Desert 🌵
Desierto del Diablo (Devil's Desert) — Argentina's most remote desert. Salar de Pocitos and the Mars-like red
La Trochita
La Trochita
La Trochita: Argentina's LEGENDARY Steam Train 🚂
Experience La Trochita, Argentina's most legendary heritage railway — the steam train that inspired Paul Thero
San Martín de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes — Patagonia's Best-Kept Secret 🌄
Hiked 'El Cerro Colorado' (10km, 6 hours) then found the spectacular Waterfall Chachín. Northern Patagonia at
Road of the Seven Lakes
Road of the Seven Lakes
Road of the Seven Lakes — Most Breathtaking Drive in Patagonia 🏔️🌊
107 km on Ruta 40 between San Martín de los Andes and Villa La Angostura. Seven glacier lakes. One of the worl
Bariloche & Nahuel Huapi
Bariloche & Nahuel Huapi
Bariloche & Nahuel Huapi — Patagonia's Most Stunning National Park 🏔️
Nahuel Huapi National Park in Bariloche — the Switzerland of Patagonia. Circuito Chico viewpoint, Mount Tronad
El Nihuil Dam
El Nihuil Dam
El Nihuil Dam — San Rafael's Hidden Gem, Mendoza 🏞️
Dramatic canyon walls and turquoise reservoir in the middle of the desert. One of the most underrated sights i
Catena Zapata
Catena Zapata
Catena Zapata — Inside One of the World's Best Wineries 🍷🏆
Visiting Catena Zapata — one of the world's most prestigious wineries, founded 1902 in Mendoza. The family tha
Cycling Mendoza Wineries
Cycling Mendoza Wineries
Cycling Through 5 Mendoza Wineries 🚴♀️🍷
The best way to explore Mendoza's wine region? By bicycle. Wine & Ride took us through 5 incredible wineries,
Quebrada de las Conchas
Quebrada de las Conchas
Quebrada de las Conchas — Most Scenic Drive in Argentina 🚗🌵
Route 68 from Salta to Cafayate — red rock formations, La Garganta del Diablo canyon, Los Colorados marine fos
Colomé & James Turrell Museum
Colomé & James Turrell Museum
Colomé Winery & James Turrell Museum at 2,300m 🎨🍷
Bodega Colomé in Molinos, Salta — one of Argentina's oldest wineries at 2,300m AND home to the world's only Ja
High Altitude Malbec at 2,600m
High Altitude Malbec at 2,600m
High Altitude Malbec at 2,600m — Nueve Cumbres Winery 🍷🏔️
Award-winning high-altitude Malbec at Nueve Cumbres winery in Cachi — the Calchaquí Valley's most remote wine
Cachi
Cachi
Cachi — Argentina's Most Beautiful Colonial Village 🏡 Ruta 40
Adobe houses, cobblestone streets, and the snow-capped Nevado de Cachi. One of the least-visited and most beau
Mars on Earth
Mars on Earth
Mars on Earth — Desierto del Diablo & Salar de Pocitos 🌵
Salar de Pocitos salt flat + Desierto del Diablo (Devil's Desert) — two of the most otherworldly, Mars-like la
Salta Argentina
Salta Argentina
Salta Argentina — Cable Car Views Over the City 🚡🇦🇷
The 'cradle of Argentine folklore.' Teleférico San Bernardo cable car for panoramic views over the city and th
Salinas Grandes Salt Flat
Salinas Grandes Salt Flat
Salinas Grandes Salt Flat at 3,450m — Argentina's White Desert 🤍
A 212 km² white salt flat at 3,450m altitude on the border of Jujuy and Salta. Part of the famous Lithium Tria
Hill of 7 Colours
Hill of 7 Colours
Hill of 7 Colours — Cerro de los Siete Colores, Argentina 🌈
The Hill of Seven Colours in Purmamarca, Jujuy — seven distinct coloured rock layers in the Quebrada de Purmam
Recoleta & Palermo
Recoleta & Palermo
Recoleta & Palermo — Buenos Aires' Most Beautiful Neighbourhoods 🌸
Floralis Genérica, MALBA modern art (Frida Kahlo!), Jardín Japonés, strolling Palermo Soho. The most beautiful
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero
Puerto Madero — Puente de la Mujer & Tango Bridge 💃
Walking the iconic Puente de la Mujer by Calatrava — designed in the shape of a tango dancer — then aboard the
El Viejo Almacén — Tango
El Viejo Almacén — Tango
Real Argentine Tango Show 🇦🇷 El Viejo Almacén — Since 1769
El Viejo Almacén — one of the oldest and most authentic tango venues in Buenos Aires since 1769. Live orchestr
Buenos Aires in 30 Seconds
Buenos Aires in 30 Seconds
Buenos Aires in 30 Seconds 🇦🇷
Buenos Aires — one of the world's great cities. Architecture, tango, food, and energy like nowhere else in Sou
Obelisco & Casa Rosada
Obelisco & Casa Rosada
First 24 Hours in Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Obelisco & Casa Rosada
First stop in Buenos Aires: the iconic Obelisco at Plaza de la República, then the historic Casa Rosada — Arge
San Telmo
San Telmo
San Telmo — Buenos Aires' Oldest Barrio 🇦🇷
Cobblestones, the 1897 Mercado de San Telmo, the iconic Mafalda statue, and Sunday's Feria alive with artisans
Accommodation
Where To Stay
Our actual stays along the full route — from Buenos Aires through the Andean north to the Patagonian Lakes District.
29 properties
🌆 Buenos Aires
🌿 Boutique
Almarena Madero Urbano
📍 Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
🌊 Waterfront🛁 Pool & Spa⭐ 4.2
⭐ Luxury
Resort Experience Puerto Madero
📍 Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires
🏊 Jacuzzi🌆 Floor 20 Views⭐ 4.6
🏔 The Andean North · Jujuy & Salta
🌿 Boutique
Colores de Purmamarca
📍 Purmamarca, Jujuy
🌈 7-Coloured Hill🏺 Adobe Style⭐ Boutique
🏨 Mid-range
Hotel de Las Nubes
📍 San Antonio des Cobres
🏔️ High Altitude🌈 Coloured Hills🌵 Desert Views
🏕️ Budget
Hotel Huacalera
📍 Jujuy
🌵 Quebrada Views🌄 Andean Setting🛖 Authentic
🍷 Salta & Wine Country
🏕️ Budget
Cass Andina
📍 Tolar Grande
🧂 Salt Flats🌌 Stargazing🏔️ Remote Puna
🌿 Boutique
Estancia Santa Thelma
📍 Salta
🌿 Working Estancia🐴 Horse Riding🌾 Rural Escape
🌿 Boutique
Finca Valentina
📍 Salta
🌿 Finca Estate🌺 Garden Setting🌄 Valley Views
⭐ Luxury
Grace Cafayette
📍 Cafayate, Salta
🍷 Wine Valley♾️ Infinity Pool🌵 Desert Views⭐ Boutique Luxury
⭐ Luxury
Hotel Alejandro I
📍 Salta
🏙️ City Centre🛁 Spa🍽️ Fine Dining⭐ 5-Star
🌿 Boutique
La Vieja Esquina
📍 Salta
🏺 Adobe Architecture🌿 Garden Courtyard🎭 Cultural Stay
🏨 Mid-range
Tres Cruces
📍 Villa Union
🏔️ Andes Access🌵 Desert Landscape🛖 Lodge Style
🌿 Boutique
Vieja Posada Hotel Histórico
📍 Salta
🏛️ Historic Building🌿 Colonial Style🏙️ City Centre
🍷 Mendoza & Wine Country
🌿 Boutique
De Los Andes Hotel Boutique
📍 Mendoza
🍷 Wine Cellar🌄 Andean Views🌿 Boutique⭐ 4-Star
⭐ Luxury
Estancia Colomé Hotel
📍 Molinos, Salta
🍷 Private Winery🌵 Remote Estancia🎨 James Turrell Museum⭐ Exclusive
⭐ Luxury
Hilton Mendoza
📍 Mendoza
🍷 Wine Country🏊 Pool🏋️ Gym⭐ 5-Star
🏨 Mid-range
Hotel Belen
📍 Mendoza
🍷 Wine Region🏊 Pool🌿 Garden Setting
🌿 Boutique
La Matera Posada de Campo
📍 San Rafael
🌾 Gaucho Country🐴 Horse Riding🌿 Campo Escape
🌿 Boutique
La Sofia Apart & Wines
📍 Mendoza
🍷 Wine Cellar🏠 Apart Hotel🌿 Boutique🌄 Andes Views
🏨 Mid-range
Le Montreal Apartments
📍 Mendoza
🏠 Self Catering🍷 Wine Country🏙️ City Centre
🌲 Patagonia
🌿 Boutique
El Faro Boutique Hotel & Spa by DON
📍 Villa La Angostura
🍷 Vineyard Views🛁 Spa🌿 Boutique⭐ Adults Only
🏨 Mid-range
Hosteria El Puma
📍 El Chalten
🌵 Colonial Village🏔️ Valley Views🌿 Garden
🌿 Boutique
Hotel & Spa La Cheminée
📍 San Martin des Andes
🍷 Wine Region🛁 Spa🌄 Andes Views⭐ Boutique
🌿 Boutique
Kalasur Patagonia Apart Hotel
📍 San Martin des Andes
🏔️ Andes Views🌿 Apart Hotel⛷️ Ski Nearby🌲 Mountain Setting
🌿 Boutique
Kaulem Hotel Boutique
📍 El Chalten
🍷 Wine Valley🏔️ Red Rock Views⭐ Boutique
🏨 Mid-range
Las Bayas Home Suites
📍 Patagonia
🏔️ Lake Views🏠 Home Suites🌲 Forest Setting
🏨 Mid-range
Mirador del Lago Hotel
📍 Calafate
🏔️ Nahuel Huapi Views🌲 Lakeside🚵 Trails Nearby
⭐ Luxury
Radisson Blu Bariloche
📍 Bariloche, Patagonia
🏔️ Lake Views🛁 Spa⛷️ Ski Nearby⭐ 5-Star
🌿 Boutique
Sentidos Cardinales
📍 Patagonia
🌿 Rural Retreat🌅 Mountain Views⭐ Boutique
Before You Drive
Essential Information
Visa
Visa-free for most
EU, US, UK, Australian and most nationalities enter Argentina visa-free for 90 days. Check requirements for your passport before travelling.
Vehicle
4WD Recommended
South of Esquel, sections become gravel and dirt. A 4WD with high clearance is strongly recommended. Always carry a spare tyre — two if possible.
Fuel
Fill up every chance
Patagonian stretches can go 200–300km between fuel stops. Never pass a YPF station without topping up. Carry a 20L jerrycan in remote sections.
Money
Argentine Peso · Cash
Argentina's currency is complex. Use official exchange or bring USD cash (blue rate). ATMs in small Patagonian towns are unreliable — carry enough cash for 3+ days at a time.
Weather
Wildly Variable
Patagonia is famous for four seasons in one day. Pack waterproofs, thermals, and sun protection. Wind is constant and extreme in the south — secure everything on your vehicle.
Connectivity
Patchy in the south
Signal is good in cities and towns. Long stretches of Patagonia have zero coverage. Download offline maps (Maps.me or OsmAnd). Tell someone your daily itinerary.
Language
Spanish
Very little English outside tourist hubs. Learn key phrases: "¿Cuánto cuesta?" (how much?), "¿Hay nafta cerca?" (is there fuel nearby?). Locals are extremely warm and helpful.
Health & Safety
Altitude awareness
Northern stretches reach nearly 5,000m. Ascend slowly, stay hydrated, and allow acclimatisation time. Travel insurance with emergency evacuation is essential for remote sections.
Hard-earned Advice
Insider Tips
32 days on the road taught us things no guidebook will tell you. Here are the ones that matter most.
01
Never pass a fuel station without filling up
In Patagonia, gaps between fuel stops can exceed 300km. Passing a YPF feeling "pretty full" is how road trips end badly. Always top up, no exceptions. Carry a spare jerrycan south of Bariloche.
02
Carry more cash than you think you need
Argentina's parallel exchange rate means cash is king. ATMs in small Patagonian towns often run empty for days. Stock up in Mendoza or Bariloche before heading south. USD cash is also widely accepted at a better rate.
03
Drive north to south, not south to north
Starting in the high Andean north and descending through wine country into Patagonia gives you the most logical acclimatisation. Plus, finishing at Cabo Vírgenes lighthouse after 5,200km feels like a genuine ending.
04
Download offline maps before you leave cities
Large sections of Ruta 40 have zero mobile signal. Download your full route on Maps.me or OsmAnd while in Mendoza or Bariloche. Also note: Google Maps has taken some people on very wrong gravel roads — double check every route.
05
Book Perito Moreno ice trek 3 weeks ahead
The guided glacier walks sell out far in advance in high season (Dec–Feb). Book online before you leave home. Standing on the surface of a moving glacier is one of the great experiences of the route — don't miss it for the sake of a late booking.
06
Slow down — the emptiness is the point
The temptation is to chase the landmarks. But Ruta 40's real magic is in the 300km stretches of nothing — the endless steppe, the silence, the condor circling overhead. Stop the car. Turn the engine off. Stay longer than you planned.