Photo stories
Ruta 40: open roads and epic vistas in Argentine Patagonia
Ruta 40 stretches down Argentina for over 5,000km, connecting the red rock valleys of the north with the sunny vineyards of the centre and the creaking glaciers of the south.
The Andes remain a constant backdrop until, finally, the road turns east and crosses the vast steppe in the far south. When it reaches Punta Loyola, it simply runs out of land to traverse.
The north is a story for another day. Our focus here is Patagonia, which begins, as you'd expect, with a flush of alpine forests, azure lakes and snowy volcanoes in the Lake District.
South of the tourist hub of Bariloche, away from the noise and busyness, the landscapes open up, the air falls quiet and you start to feel the true immensity of Patagonia.
Patagonia does natural beauty like nowhere else. But it's the people like Evelyn who add warmth and character, providing the most welcoming hospitality you could ever wish for.
25 years ago she swapped the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires for the quiet life on the side of a lake. Her estancia is a lovely spot to soak up and explore the surroundings.
Throughout Patagonia, luxury accommodation is less about thread counts and designer shampoo, and all about warm welcomes, comfy beds, hearty food and spectacular views.
Asados are rooted in the culture down here, the centrepiece around which conversations flow, food is shared and stories are swapped. Vegetarians worry not, you'll be looked after too.
From the lakes, Ruta 40 rolls you smoothly south through a region of trees and mountains, steppe and sky. The next stop brings the great canyons and ancient forests of Chubut province.
Los Alerces National Park is a place of lush temperate rainforest, sparkling blue rivers and glistening turquoise lakes, best explored on foot. Some of the trees are over 2,600 years old.
By contrast, Piedra Parada is a place of dry canyons, petrified woods and salt lakes, best explored in a vehicle with a guide. The cave paintings here are even older than those alerce trees.
The Piedra Parada reserve takes its name from an ancient volcanic monolith reaching almost 245 metres high into the sky. Guanacos and rheas roam the plains below.
The nearby Laguna Aleusco is one of the most important flamingo reserves in the Americas. In the breeding season, you can count brilliantly scarlet Chilean flamingos by the thousand.
South of Esquel, the landscape turns drier and the hills recede. This is the land of vast steppe, big skies and distant horizons. It's a lonely place to live, but a fascinating one to drive through.
Sometimes, it pays to stray off the main path. Such is the case down here, where turning off the Ruta 40 connects you to one of the region's great areas of wild parkland.
If you've driven down Chile's Carretera Austral with us, chances are you've walked in the new Patagonia National Park, a true conservation success story. This is the Argentine side of the border.
Rewilding efforts have restored the landscape, helping to shift local industry away from unprofitable and ecologically damaging sheep farming to sustainable nature-based ecotourism.
There's plenty to keep your eyes peeled for in the sky. Cross your fingers and you might be treated to a sighting of Patagonia's most iconic bird species - the Andean condor.
The park is also a brilliant place to go for a proper walk. Our favourite hikes leads up to a stunning viewpoint of the lake, meseta mountains and white capped peaks beyond.
The best base for the region is a B&B on the shores of Lago Buenos Aires. Stretching across into Chile, where it is known as Lago General Carrera, it's one of South America's biggest lakes.
Coming off piste takes you momentarily off the smooth-going tarmac of Ruta 40 and onto the loose gravel of its scruffier sibling - RN41 - and past two rarely-seen mountain passes.
With barely another soul in sight, there's plenty of time to go slow, soak in the views and stop to get the camera out. Chile is right next door - in fact there's a little-known border pass here.
Sometimes it's these simple things that stick with you. Just taking a slower road, seeing perspectives that others won't and experiencing afresh Patagonia's profound sense of space and scale.
The epic landscapes keep coming, no matter which road you take. There's a gorge to explore, a high plateau rich in fossils and, for a challenge, a hike to the base of Cerro San Lorenzo's glaciers.
Back on the Ruta 40 again. This is the spectacular Pinturas Canyon - soon to become part of a vast protected area stretching into Chile. But it's not just the views that matter...
A true highlight of any trip, if luck is on your side, would be to spot a puma in the wild. The canyon is something of a stronghold and having a private guide maximises your chances.
There's no trouble getting close to the handprints of the Tehuelche, the ancestors of the historic hunter-gatherers of Patagonia. The prints have been in the canyon for around 10,000 years.
The final stretch takes us down past the milky green glacial Viedma Lake into true hiking country. El Chaltén is a tiny village watched over by the 'King of Patagonia'...
Mount Fitz Roy rises up from icy lagoons and through blankets of glaciers to a height of 3,405 metres. It is considered one of the most beautiful mountains on Earth, a notion we'd second.
The Southern Icefield makes its presence known down here. There's actually an area of unclaimed land nearby, part of an unresolved border dispute between Chile and Argentina.
El Chaltén is wonderfully set up for walkers, with hikes of varying difficulties and lengths. Get your boots on, grab a map, pack a picnic and let it all come to you...
At the end of a good day's walking, there's nothing better than sitting down to a well-deserved beer or maté and falling into impromptu conversations about your day with other hikers.
Before bed, it's always worth popping your head outside and appreciating the beauty up above. Look out too for Mount Fitz Roy glowing soft hues of pink and orange at dusk.
The last drive skirts the beautiful lakes Viedma and Argentino to arrive at El Calafate, base for visits to the world famous Perito Moreno Glacier - one of South America's true natural wonders.
The town of El Calafate is nothing to write home about. So you might prefer to stay on a 100-year-old working sheep and cattle farm to soak up a bit of authentic rural life, gauchos and all.
Wherever you stay, it pays to time your visit to the glacier right. This place gets busy. The freedom of having your own vehicle means you can visit early or late, when few others are around.
Or you could join an exclusive small-boat cruise through icy channels to quiet lookout points and up to the face of the glacier in late afternoon. It's a fitting final hurrah from Patagonia.
Our journey ends at the glacier, but beyond Calafate the Ruta 40 will swing eastwards out to the coast, completing its 5,000km journey all the way from the deserts of the north.
If you'd like to take the journey for real, October to April is the time to come and you want at least three weeks to do the journey. Please take a look at our self-drive or private-guided trip examples.
