Routa 40

I think It’s something like 80km of asphalt as you leave El Calafate, then the road runs out and the ripio begins. It then goes on and on and on, slowly making it’s dusty way north. There is one fuel stop at Tres Lagos, and then not another for the next 370 km at Bajo Caracoles. I filled the spare can up and tied it securely to the right hand rear footrest and set off with a certain amount of trepidation as to what was coming that day. I was lucky in that the sun was shining and there was not a lot of wind. It was bad enough doing that road in the dry, if it had been wet and windy it would have rapidly become a nightmare!! I had planned to stay in Bajo Caracoles, as there was a hotel marked on the GPS, but when I got there it was about 3.30 in the afternoon and I figured seening it was only another 120km to Perito Moreno there would be more choice and more life!! And I could again have two nights there and have a chance to rest up.

Having said all this the scenery as you ride Routa 40 is lovely. It isn’t as flat and desolate as the Patagonian roads on the east coast, and the rolling hills and the constant presence of the Andean mountains to your west, always provide the promise of what’s to come.



Two nights in the nice little Hotel Americano was enough to allow the antibiotics to work their magic and allow me to carry on without someone standing on my chest. The bike also had another good clean, and check over from top to bottom. I’ve made it my goal to have the cleanest travellers bike on the north south route. It may not give you the street cred, but it makes me feel good about my ride.



Even if it was only going to last 20km outside the town the next day before the ripio started again. It only lasted 120km, but it was some of the most difficult that I’ve ridden. The gravel was deeper, which kept the speed well down, and it took me nearly three hours to cover that distance. Luckily that was all it was that day, and although I had another 520km to cover it soon turned into rough tarmac at Rio Mayo, where the potholes were more than willing to swallow the front wheel of a drowsy rider, and then onto smoother two lane highway all the way up to Esquel.