After Brasil, Argentina is the second-largest county in South America,
stretching 4,527 km from top to bottom, and we'll be driving most of
that length. As we head south towards Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego,
the climate will get steadily colder, despite the summer reaching it's
peak on December 21st.
Unfortunately, Argentina is also reputed to be the most expensive country
in the Americas.
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Day:
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Destination: |
Km: |
Comments: |
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5 Dec
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Clorinda
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70
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Cross into Argentina from Paraguay
today. There is a road north from Asunción in Paraguay
to a concrete span bridge (Puente Remansco) leading to
the Argentinian border town of Puerto Falcón. After completing
emigration formalities, we'll continue on to Clorinda where we'll
spend the night.
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6 Dec
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Corrientes
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215
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From Clorinda we'll drive south on Route 11 to
the twin cities of Corrientes and Resistencia. We'll take the
General Belgrano bridge across the Río Paraná to
Corrientes. The main Plaza 25 de Mayo is supposedly one
of the best-preserved in Argentina.
We'll camp near the bus terminal at the Camping-Club Teléfono.
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7 Dec
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Parque Nacional Chaco
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115
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From Resistencia we'll detour northwest (Route
16 to Route 9) to the Parque Nacional Chaco, a preserve containing
some of the last remaining eastern Chaco forest and savanna. We'll
camp in the park, which supplies free (cold) showers. Supplies
are available at Capitán Solari, 6 km from the park entrance.
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8 Dec
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Reconquista
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310
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Continuing south on Route 11 towards Santa Fe,
we'll stop at this small town for the night.
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9 Dec
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Parana
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349
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Continuing south, we'll pass through Santa Fe and
take the Hernandarias tunnel to Parana. The center of Parana is
on a hill looking out across the river to Santa Fe.
We'll try to camp at Viale, about 1/2 hour north of Parana, where
we have some amigos de caravana. Judit & Claudio Occhipinti have
contacted us and will be driving there themselves, hopefully to
see us in Viale. Judit's brother Alexis Aranozich has a campground
where we can stay. (T(343) 4-921187.)
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10 Dec
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Rosario
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180
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Rosario is the third-largest city in Argentina,
and the largest in Santa Fe province. It has a lively arts scene,
many discoteques, and quite a few museums.
There is supposed to be camping in La Florida, near the river.
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11 Dec
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Buenos Aires
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320
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Buenos Aires! With a population of approximately
3 million, this is one of the great urban centers of South America.
In Buenos Aires, we'll try to find a reasonably-priced hotel with
secure parking. The South American Handbook lists many
possibilities.
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12 Dec
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Buenos Aires
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We'll spend an extra day here, resting, seeing
the city, and maintaining the busses.
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13 Dec
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Mar del Plata
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407
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Starting early out of Buenos Aires, we'll head
south again from Buenos Aires, we'll stop for the night in this
town, called 'the greatest Argentine resort'. There are supposedly
several campgrounds on the road (Route 11) south of town.
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14 Dec
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Necochea
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163
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Necochea is the second most famous resort in Argentina,
and we'll stop there after a short day's drive today. Necochea
has a 24 km long beach.
We'll try to camp at Rio Quequén, C 22 y Ribera
Rio Quequén which offers campsites on the beach.
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15 Dec
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Bahia Blanca
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331
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We'll continue west on Route 228 to Tres Arroyos,
and then on Route 3 to Bahia Blanca. This is one of the last major
cities we'll encounter before the long drive to Tierra del Fuego.
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16 Dec
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San Antonio Oeste
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430
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A long day's drive brings us to this small town.
We'll actually stay 17 km south of town on a developed beach called
Las Grutas. We'll stock up on provisions in town for the
next few days.
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17 Dec
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Puerto Pirámides
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320
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A long drive brings us to the Península
Valdés. Despite being a rather small peninsula jutting
out into the Atlantic, this is the location of the lowest point
in Argentina, the Salina Grande at 40m below sea level. Elephant
seals and penguins create colonies here, and a gravel road circles
the peninsula.
Camping is available in Puerto Pirámides at a municipal
site, as well as at several hotels.
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18 Dec
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Camarones
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365
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We'll spend the night in the tiny town of Camarones
(pop. 800). We'll try to stay at Kau-i-Keuken, but there
are two other hotels in town. The owner of Kau-i-Keuken leads
trips to a nearby penguin colony.
Along the way, if there is time, we may stop at the Punta Tombo
nature reserve. Punta Tombo is the largest breeding ground for
Magelenic penguins in Patagonia. The season runs September through
March.
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19 Dec
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Comodoro Rivadavia
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300
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With a population of 158,000, this is the largest
city in the province of Chubut. From here southbound, prices begin
to go up dramatically. Stock up!
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20 Dec
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Puerto San Julian
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428
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A long days drive south brings us to this small
city, pop. 4,500. We'll try to stay at the municipal campsite
on the Avenue Costanera entre Rivadavia y Roca.
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21 Dec
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Rio Gallegos
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406
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Another long day's drive brings us to the capital
of Santa Cruz province. The town is supposed to be drab, but it's
a good stopping point before crossing into Tierra del Fuego.
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22 Dec
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San Sebastian
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311
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Continuing south onto Tierra del Fuego, we'll cross
into Chile, take a ferry to Tierra del Fuego, and then cross back
into Argentina. The border crossings are supposed to be simple
if your papers are in order.
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23 Dec
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Ushuaia
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317
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Today we finally arrive in Ushuaia! We'll open
a bottle of champagne and settle in for the holidays.
There are many types of lodging available in town, from camping
facilities to luxury hotels .
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24 Dec -
1 Jan
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Ushuaia
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Hang out in Ushuiaia.
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2 Jan
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Head north!
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Total kilometers:
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5337
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