High Altitudes & Crosswinds:
Driving the Southern Cone of South America is an exercise in geological extremes. This is not a standard road trip; it is a cross-border expedition that oscillates between the driest desert on Earth and the glacial fields of Patagonia.
The infrastructure here ranges from pristine, government-funded asphalt to corrugated gravel tracks (“ripio”) that destroy suspension components. This guide analyzes the essential sectors of the loop, focusing on the engineering of the Andes crossings and the logistical realities of the remote south.
1. The High-Altitude Crossings: Paso de Jama & San Francisco
Route: RN52 (Arg) to Route 27 (Chi) Elevation: 4,200m – 4,726m
The adventure begins in the north, traversing the Andes where the air is thinnest.
- Paso de Jama: Connecting Jujuy to San Pedro de Atacama, this is a fully paved logistical artery. It creates a sustained high-altitude plateau drive. Riders must account for “altitude sickness” in engines—a significant loss of horsepower due to oxygen deprivation.
- Paso San Francisco: A more remote alternative reaching 4,726 meters. The Argentine side is paved; the Chilean side turns to gravel. It passes through a corridor of 6,000m volcanoes. It is desolate, requiring auxiliary fuel and distinct self-sufficiency.
2. The Lunar Sector: The Atacama Desert
Route: Chile Route 23 Terrain: Hyper-arid basin.
Descending from the Andes into Chile, you enter the Atacama, the driest non-polar desert in the world.
- The Drive: The road from the border to San Pedro de Atacama drops thousands of meters in elevation. Brake temperature management is critical on the descent. The landscape is mineral-heavy and vegetation-free, resembling the surface of Mars. The heat is dry and intense, stressing cooling systems.
3. The Engineering Icon: Los Caracoles
Route: Chile Route 60 / Argentina Route 7 Profile: The Paso Internacional Los Libertadores
This is the primary commercial link between Santiago and Mendoza.
- The Switchbacks: The Chilean ascent is famous for “The Snails” (Los Caracoles)—a stack of 29 hairpin turns carved into a sheer slope.
- The Reality: While visually stunning, this is a heavy-haulage route. You will be sharing the road with convoys of slow-moving trucks. Patience and calculated overtaking are required. The tunnel at the summit allows you to bypass the treacherous Christ the Redeemer dirt pass (unless you are on an adventure bike and choose to take the old road over the top).
4. The Lake District: The Seven Lakes Route
Route: RN40 (formerly RN234) Region: Patagonia (North)
Between Bariloche and San Martín de los Andes, the landscape shifts from arid steppe to alpine forest.
- The Infrastructure: The Ruta de los Siete Lagos is a 107km stretch of tarmac that rivals the best of the Alps. It winds through dense forests and skirts glacial lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Correntoso, Espejo). The tarmac is generally excellent, allowing for a spirited rhythm.
5. The Civil Engineering Project: Carretera Austral
Route: Chile Route 7 Profile: ~1,240 km | Puerto Montt to Villa O’Higgins
Initiated in the 1970s for strategic geopolitical reasons, this road connects remote Chilean communities that were previously accessible only by sea.
- The Logistics: Route 7 is not continuous. It is a multimodal journey requiring four distinct ferry crossings.
- The Surface: While the northern section is paved, large swathes of the south remain gravel. Construction is perpetual. The route cuts through temperate rainforests and skirts fjords, meaning rain is a near-constant variable.
6. The Wind Tunnel: Patagonian Steppe
Route: RN40 (Argentina) Terrain: High desert plains.
Crossing back into Argentina, Ruta 40 runs parallel to the Andes but sits in their rain shadow.
- The Challenge: The wind. The “Patagonian Express” consists of relentless westerly crosswinds that can exceed 100 km/h. Motorcyclists often have to lean the bike at 20 degrees just to ride in a straight line.
- The Surface: Much of the legendary ripio (gravel) has been paved in recent years, but sections south of Bajo Caracoles can still be broken and unpredictable.
- Key Landmarks: The route provides access to the granite spires of Fitz Roy (El Chaltén) and the glacial wall of Perito Moreno (El Calafate).
7. The Terminus: Torres del Paine
Location: Magallanes Region, Chile Terrain: Glacial massifs.
The loop culminates in the deep south at Torres del Paine National Park.
- The Drive: The roads within the park are unpaved gravel, winding between azure lakes and the sheer granite towers of the Paine massif. It is the visual climax of the Southern Cone.
The Verdict
The Argentina-Chile loop is a study in contrasts. You trade the heat of the Atacama for the hypothermic winds of Patagonia. It is not a relaxing holiday; it is a test of vehicle durability and driver focus. The grandeur of the Andes is the constant companion, forcing the road builders to construct some of the most dramatic infrastructure in the Americas.
