Tierra del Fuego to Buenos Aires

Here's how I would do it:

From Ushuaia fly or take a bus to El Calafate. 1 day here is enough to see the glacier. El Chalten is fantastic, if you like trekking I-d stay 3 or 4 days. From either El Chalten or El Calafate take the Ruta 40 trip with Chalten Travel up to Bariloche. It takes 2 days and it's very slow travel along poor roads, but it's a very remote and beautiful area. You also have the option of visiting Cueva de los Manos, a UNESCO site in the middle of nowhere.

If you have time stop at El Bolson, 2 hours south of Bariloche. Scenery is equally as good as Bariloche and it's less touristy. Bariloche is worth a few days too, though try stay outside the centre, maybe around Lago Gutierrez.

From Bariloche or El Bolson take overnight bus to Puerto Madryn or Trelew (it passes through all 4 towns). You can see penguins in Punta TOmba near Trelwe and whales in Peninsula Valdes near Madryn. From there either fly or bus to BA.

To save time take overnight buses, they are generally very comfortable iN Argentina and good value. We flew the Calafate to Ushuaia leg as you have to change buses in Rio Gallegos and it's a long trip.

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Usually no problem though for the overnight buses maybe reserve in advance, especially as you're on a short trip. The Ruta 40 trip is with a tour agency so has to be booked in advance. Reply to this

Hi Lapamela,

Do it overland, time permitting.
You'll get the feeling of Patagonia!...flying you'll see nothing.

Here're some links to help you plan your journey back to Buenos Aires...








Hope this will help, but if unsure just contact me.

Happy travels,
Daniel

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I agree with Barry. I did pretty much the exact route he did but going in the opposite direction. Ushuaia is quite pretty and so plan for a few days there with Tierra del Fuego, ski hill hike, and maybe boat tour on the agenda. Then I would catch a bus to Puerto Natales if you have the time....go check out the gorgeous Torres del Paine. I did a 5 day trek there but you can do a 1 day tour if you don't want to trek (or lack the time). Then you can catch a bus to El Calafate for the gorgeous Glacier Moreno. There is not much else to do here so like Barry mentioned, you can do it in one day....one night. Then catch a bus to El Chalten which is easily my favorite stop in all of Patagonia. There are tons of day and night treks here and the scenery is spectacular. It is quite a 'chill' little town tucked into the mountains if you like that sort of thing. Then catch a bus from there to Bariloche up the Route 40....this direct bus only runs twice weekly so work your schedule around that....it is well worth it. You can take a bus on another day but it takes you back down to El Calafate and then over to the east side and then up to Bariloche....nicer roads but the Route 40 has spectacular scenery. From El Chalten to Bariloche along the route 40 it takes 34 hours. As bad as that sounds....it was one of my most favorite bus journeys. You can stop in El Bolson before Bariloche....I didn't stop there so I can't offer any advice but I heard it is well worth the stop. Unfortunately, the Chilean volcano that was erupting while i was there was spewing all of its ash into El Bolson (we even had to wear masks on the bus when driving through the area). Bariloche is really touristy but is surrounded by the gorgeous scenery of the Lake District. Stay at the 1004 Hostel here....the view is beautiful and the hostel is really nice. I rented a car here for 5 days and drove all around the Lake District...mostly on the Chilean side...well worth the car rental and time if you have it. Climbing up mount Otto is nice too (in Bariloche)....beautiful scenery from up there. Then I would catch a bus East to Puerto Madryn. I rented a car here too since it was cheaper than doing the 'tour' to the Valdes Peninsula (with 5 of us in the car). We drove all around the Peninsula and saw some awesome wildlife and then I stayed in Puerto Piramides for 3 days. Most of the whale watching tours are out of this tiny town. There were a few whales in the area when I was there (pre-season) and I could watch them by climbing up on the cliffs beside the beach. I was with one other person and we were the only two tourists there for the entire 3 days....a rare and awesome experience. Then from there, I would catch a bus to Buenos Aires.

Hope that helps....that is what I did and it was a fabulous experience. 😊 Reply to this

as for time line....everything i did (that i wrote in my first message) took 35 days. That included getting stranded in Ushuaia a few extra days. So you can definitely do it in a month....

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask me. Patagonia is awesome! :P Reply to this

Great tips, guys, thank you very much. Just one more question. Does anybody remember which days the Route 40 is running?

Cheers

Pamela Reply to this

or tuesdays and saturdays.... Reply to this

Thanks guys. Reply to this

I'm not sure if they'll let you wait around for the next bus, you'd need to ask the agency.
Chalten Travel do stop in Perito Moreno town overnight and there is also a worthwhile optional side trip to the Cave of the Hands. Another agency that does the trip includes tours to one of the remote national parks near Perito Moreno (forgotten name).

If you do want to stop off, try doing what Kathy did (see messge 9) and wait around for buses at the stations. Reply to this