Useful stuff for planning your Road Trip
Resources for your Ruta 40 Road Trip
Ruta 40 is an amazing highway, a challenge in itself, from the Puna highlands in the North to the solitary Patagonian steppes in the South it has plenty of attractions to visit, things to see and do.
Here you will learn more about Ruta 40 and all that it has to offer as well as important information that you need to know in order to plan your trip.
Maps
Maps are important to get your bearings when planning a trip. They give you a reference frame.
We have prepared many maps which you can find at our "Maps" webpage:
See Ruta 40's Maps
GHMContenidos
Road Sections
We have prepared detailed itineraries that cover the whole of Ruta 40. We divided it into "sections", each section is a leg of the highway, and it includes all description of the road: its altitude, difficulty, road conditions, type of paving (or lack of it), mileage, historic sites, landmarks, main towns, attractions, service stations, lodging and much more.
See Ruta 40's Ruta 40: Road sections
Below are links to each section from South to North along Ruta 40:
Ruta 40’s alignment across Argentina
- Section # 1. Cabo Vírgenes to Río Gallegos
- Section # 2. Río Gallegos to Río Turbio
- Section # 3. Río Turbio to Tres Lagos
- Section # 4. Tres Lagos to Perito Moreno
- Section # 5. Perito Moreno to Esquel
- Section # 6. Esquel to Bariloche
- Section # 7. Bariloche to Zapala
- Ruta de los Siete Lagos (Seven Lakes Road)
- Section # 8. Zapala to Barrancas
- Section # 9. Barrancas to Pareditas
- Section # 10 Pareditas to Mendoza
- Section # 11. Mendoza to Guandacol
- Section # 12. Guandacol to Alpasinche
- Section # 13. Alpasinche to Santa María
- Section # 14. Santa María to Cachi
- Section # 15. Cachi to San Antonio de los Cobres
- Section # 16. San Antonio de los Cobres to La Quiaca
Dirección de Turismo de Malargue
Gas Stations on Ruta 40
This highway crosses very solitary regions for instance the northern Puna plateau has few inhabitants, villages are mere groups of houses with a church, health post and some stores, service stations are scarce.
Patagonia is another example of great distances and few gas stations. That is why we list all the places either on, or close to Ruta 40 so that you can keep your petrol tank topped up.
See Ruta 40's Service Stations
Road Conditions
Roadworks and road closures can alter your trip. The road surface (is it paved or not?), and if the weather (floods, snow, ice or rain) has cut or blocked Ruta 40. Learn about it at our Road Conditions webpage.
See Ruta 40's Road Conditions
Ruta 40 is mostly paved. The long, dusty, bumpy gravel segments of Patagonia were almost completely paved a few years ago. However there are some unpaved sections and we list them in our "Paved - Unpaved" webpage:
Paved or gravel?
Visit our page on the paved and unpaved legs of Ruta 40, with maps and full information:
Diario Movil
Plan your Trip
Planning your trip is part of the fun: you travel with your mind, anticipating the pleasures and thrills that you will experience during your actual vacations.
We have prepared a page full of advice on how to plan your trip, and also a Free e-Book with tips, suggestions and check-lists.
Plan your Trip along Ruta 40
The Best Tips to Plan your Road Trip
Free E-Book
A beginners guide to planning a relaxing road trip
This is what you will find inside:
A step by step guide
- When to travel
- How to calculate your budget
- How to define the length of your trip
- Getting to your Road Trip
- A Check list
- Don't forget the Side Trips!
- What to Pack
- Over plan it or go with the flow?
- Hotel bookings
When to Drive Ruta 40?
Ruta 40 Can be visited all year round however some periods are better than otehers: you wan't to avoid the cold snowy weather in the South or the rainy season in the North. Keep away from the high season crowds and higer prices and learn when is the best time of the year to drive along Ruta 40.
Ruta 40, Best time to Drive It
Accommodation
Finding a place to spend the night or stopover for a few days during your Ruta 40 road trip is an important part of your trip planning process.
Our accommodation webpage has some tips on booking your hotel rooms. We also include links to hotels in each of our "Ruta 40 section" pages and the individual town webpages.
Ruta 40, Accommodation
Tips for Happy Holidays
A relaxed vacation is about having fun and avoiding uncomfortable situations. This page has useful suggestions about Argentina, how to keep safe, drive safely and keep out of trouble.
We also include some fun tips to unwind and get the best out of your Ruta 40 Road Trip.
Ruta 40, Tips & Advice for your trip to Argentina
Jujuy.gob.ar
Renting a Car
You can visit many towns along Ruta 40 by flying to them from different parts of the country. You can also take buses along many sections of Ruta 40, however a Road Trip means that you should do the driving, and that means renting a car.
Our "Car Rental" page has some useful tips on renting a car and the option for online car rentals.
