Ruta 40, Argentina

Ruta 40 is a classic road in western Argentina, stretching all the way from Puna to Cabo Virgins. It’s an incredible 3,045 miles long, and not surprisingly, is the longest road in Argentina. Running parallel to the Andes, Ruta 40 reaches almost 16,000 above sea level and crosses 236 bridges, 18 major rivers, 13 great lakes, and 20 reservations and national parks. Throughout the journey, drivers may cross over some unpaved roads and through some extremely remote areas. Part of the myth of Ruta 40 was its difficulty: long sections of hundreds of miles of tough gravel road, with a ridged washboard surface, potholes and loose stones, and sandblasting the underside of the car. Paving work done over the past ten years has paved most of Ruta 40 and roadwork is continuing, but there still are some very difficult gravel and dirt sections on Ruta 40.

One of the most beautiful highways in the world, traveling along the Ruta 40 is internationally renowned as a classic road trip. Beginning at the Bolivian border, it runs parallel to the Andes all the way to Rio Gallegos. With its notoriously poor surfaces – just dirt and gravel in sections – hairpin bends, and endless straight sections buffeted by violent gusts across the deserted steppe, it is considered one of the world’s most epic drives. As summer rains tend to flood and damage the route, the Northwest and Cuyo are better to be traveled during the winter season, roughly from May to September. A far cry from Patagonia, where the best time for road trips is from October to April. Winter snow and ice make the journey more challenging there, thus, summer promises better conditions.