Argentina, Santa Cruz
Endless steppe straights ending with the Fitz Roy massif filling the windscreen.
Length
215 km
In miles
133.6 mi
Driving time
5 hr 23 min
Atlas rating
9.1 / 10
The run
El Calafate to El Chalten, following the RN40. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Ferocious crosswinds all year
Nearby
656 km away
Carretera Austral
Patagonia's legendary road through rainforest, fjords and hanging glaciers.
951 km away
Route of the Seven Lakes
Volcano views over deep blue lakes with a smoking Osorno cone alongside.
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Ruta 40, Mendoza Wine Roads
Vineyard straights and gentle curves with the Andes as a permanent backdrop.
1826 km away
Valle Nevado Road
Forty numbered hairpins climb from the capital straight into the high Andes.
1888 km away
Los Caracoles
A stack of Andean snail bends beneath Aconcagua on the road to Chile.
2189 km away
Paso Agua Negra
A 4780 metre Andean crossing past penitentes ice spikes and no traffic at all.