Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 128

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Punta Tombo
Just short of three hours south of Puerto
Madryn, the Reserva Provincial Punta
Tombo (Sept-late March daily 8am-6pm;
AR$60), home to the largest penguin
nesting site on the continent, makes
a perfect spot to get up close to the
creatures. Aside from the million or so
Magellanic penguins wandering the area
- so curious and numerous you may have
to step around them on the path - you'll
be treated to a vast variety of birds, from
rock cormorants to kelp gulls flying
overhead. The reserve can be visited
independently by car or on a long day's
tour (around AR$350) from Puerto
Madryn; these tours often include stops
at Playa Unión to spot dolphins and in
Trelew or Gaiman to sample a Welsh tea.

and Bariloche has grown in popularity
with backpackers - buses depart several
times a week in season along this route
- though it still retains a real sense of
isolation and adventure. (If you don't
want to travel between El Calafate/El
Chaltén and Bariloche via RN40, you'll
need to catch a bus all the way towards
the coast to Puerto Madryn, Trelew
or Caleta Olivia, and then head back
inland again.) This is classic Patagonian
landscape: many kilometres of flat
grassland, with hundreds of cattle
roaming freely, interrupted only by the
occasional village or estancia .
There's little to see along the way apart
from the stunning deserted grassland
landscape itself. However, the ancient
cave paintings near the unattractive town
of Perito Moreno almost justify the
journey on their own. With transport
of your own, you can also visit the
wonderful and isolated Parque Nacional
Perito Moreno , just off the road along
RN37.

RUTA 40
Ruta 40 (or RN40) runs from the top
to the bottom of Argentina, following
the line of the Andes all the way to the
far south from the border with Bolivia
in the north. It covers 5000km and 11
provinces, crosses 18 important rivers on
236 bridges, and connects 13 great lakes
and salt flats, 20 national parks and
hundreds of communities. In recent years
the section between El Calafate/El Chaltén

PERITO MORENO
With a little over 4000 inhabitants,
PERITO MORENO is the biggest town
in this part of the world. Roughly halfway
between El Chaltén and Bariloche, it is a

TRAVELLING RUTA 40
The best time to travel Ruta 40 from El Calafate/El Chaltén to Bariloche is from November to
the end of March. Outside of these months, buses are less frequent and accommodation can be
hard to find. The Cueva de las Manos Pintadas can only be visited from December to February.
A handful of companies offer bus services between El Calafate and Bariloche, via Perito
Moreno, including the well-established Chalten Travel ( W chaltentravel.com), which has
o ces in El Calafate, El Chaltén and Bariloche, and operates between November and the end
of March. Note that services (and transport operators) on this route are notoriously prone to
change, so it's important to check the latest timetables before planning a trip.
If you have more time and money, plus a sense of adventure, the best way of all to see
the region is to rent a car . It's a huge territory, much of the road is un-tarmacked and fuel stops
are few and far between, but a car gives you the freedom to stop and explore. Two places to
break for fuel are Bajo Caracoles, 130km south of Perito Moreno, and Gobernador Gregores,
around 440km north. Neither offers anything in the way of attractions, but they are essential
for petrol and food.
There is little in the way of budget accommodation along the route (especially as the
windy, hard plains make camping virtually impossible), but there are a few estancias where you
can try the local produce, and learn from the farmers about their way of life.
If you want to take an organized tour on RN40, try the appropriately named Ruta 40
agency ( T 0294 452 3378, W ruta-40.com).