Route 40, known in Argentina as Ruta 40 or more simply as “la cuarenta,” is the highway that runs the length of the country, from near Tierra Del Fuego to Bolivia. It’s like America’s 66, a legendary road that has become part of the national lore. Although its mostly unpaved, I thought it would be fun to drive a portion of it, from El Chalten to Los Antiguos. The alternative would’ve taken us south, then east, then north, then west in a much longer (distance and timewise) route. Another thing I’ve learned about Patagonia besides it’s a big empty desert, is that highways aren’t plentiful and traveling often takes very circuitous routes. Anyways, we reserved seats on the first bus going north on 40 from El Chalten this season.

            As Joylani mentioned in her post, it was a pretty boring day. We left El Chalten at 9am, spent the next 13 hours on a bus with mostly European backpackers, and arrived late at the border town of Los Antiguos, where there is one overpriced hotel. The drive was not as romantic as the reputation (bumbling along at low speeds on a gravel road) and aside from the first hour or so (photo above), there was nothing to see.