ques? about land trip ushuaia 2 el calafate

[diego7david]

anyone travel by car or bus from ushuaia to el calafate or know anything about travel between the two places? for january or summer time...

buses?
car rental?
travel time?
route? etc...........thanks david

 

[soulskier]

1000 kms and need to cross into Chile, so if you rent a car, make sure the papers are in order.

 

[diego7david]

thats more daunting than i thought..........hmm, you've convinced me not to walk. or car, now to find out about the bus.

 

[soulskier]

Or fly on LADE or Aerolineas.

 

[diego7david]

i could easily fly. but one of the reasons i bought into buenos aires, was probably one of the same reasons many people came for. to explore living in argentina (and south america) and to interact in different ways and with different people. i want to see back woods argentina and looking on the map of the roads and trails to calafate from ushuaia, they look like fun, at least once. they may not bear repeating, but it is a little off the normal path. i was in punta arenas and puerto natales and found them ok. wouldnt want to live there but ok to visit for a short time. i expect lots of mountains, some real people, some good argentine spirit. and a lot of, i dont know... but i want to see. unless advice and info gives reasons not to do it.

 

[soulskier]

Love your spirit of adventure. Please post a trip report afterwards.

 

[igor]

I believe there is a single company that runs a bus between Ushuaia and Rio Gallegos. It takes about 12 hours to get to Rio Gallegos and significant portion of the road is not asphalted, but covered by "ripio" (ground seashells or some other ocean shore material). You will have to cross Magellan strait by ferry (that is a must for every respected traveler). Crossing into Chilean territory on a rental car may be problematic, but it is possible that cars from local agencies already have necessary paperwork. From Rio Gallegos there is regular transportation anywhere including el Calafate.

 

[leanuk]

Hi Diego,

Although I didn't do the whole Rio Gallegos-Ushuaia trip, I did the Rio Grande-Ushuaia part by bus many years ago and I can tell you that if you are into mountains, woods, etc, this is definitely a must. This is the only part in Argentina where you can "cross" the Andes and be still in Argentina rather than in Chile, as Ushuaia is located on the other side of the Andes.

I agree that it might be ok to do the bus from Rio Gallegos, but I was checking and it's not 1000km but around 600km. Still, will take around 12hrs because of the immigration checks and the ferry cross. A lot, but doable. And there are regular buses from Rio Gallegos. As to the landscape, from Rio Gallegos to Rio Grande (in Tierra del Fuego) it's typical patagonic arid land. So maybe if you are interested more in the mountains and feel like exploring yourself, another option would be to fly in and out of Rio Grande, get a car there, and drive through the mountains to Ushuaia. The area of Ushuaia is very interesting and by having a car you'll save money in excursions. Whereas renting a car in Rio Gallegos and returning it in Ushuaia will cost you an arm and a leg. Alternatively, if you already have the ticket to Rio Gallegos, you could take the bus to Rio Grande and then pick up the car there.

 

[diego7david]

thanks guys. i have time for a slow trip in january. so i look forward to the trip and whatever it entails. in 2005 i hitch hiked from puerto natales around torre del paine nat park in chile and enjoyed a magnificent time at lago grey. i will post about my patagonia adventure afterwards (if i survive the pirates, aborigines, tourists, wild animals and the ups and downs of the peso).

 

[soulskier]

thanks guys. i have time for a slow trip in january. so i look forward to the trip and whatever it entails. in 2005 i hitch hiked from puerto natales around torre del paine nat park in chile and enjoyed a magnificent time at lago grey. i will post about my patagonia adventure afterwards (if i survive the pirates, aborigines, tourists, wild animals and the ups and downs of the peso).

I thought the peso just went down, not up?