Comments on: Driving to Argentina from Santiago

By: ywok

ywok — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:20:13 +0000

hi Larry and Kenrick,

the road is pretty wide, as it’s an international truck route.
the only caveat I would say is that when you see a long line of trucks that seem parked, they probably are and you are authorized to overtake them with caution.
the trucks may be waiting their turn to clear customs, so you won’t be going anywhere if you tuck in with them.

Mid May is usually good. you can check the weather for portillo or paso libertadores to see if there is a large snowfall on the way. normal snow and flurries won’t close the pass.

By: Kenrick

Kenrick — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:41:01 +0000

Is it safe to take this trip in Mid May or would that be to close to winter?

By: larry

larry — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 03:48:33 +0000

thank you for all the information.

i am wondering how difficult the drive from Santiago to Mendoza is

are the roads narrow steep and full of hair pin turns?

thank you

By: David

David — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 22:44:40 +0000

ywok’s clarification of the steps required to take a rental car from Chile to Argentina is really appreciated. I’ve booked a car through Alamo but they’ve been maddeningly vague about the mechanics of acquiring the authorization…other than saying that it will take 24 hours after they get a signed rental agreement and that can’t happen prior to my arrival at Santiago airport. In other words, I’d have to hang around Santiago for a day when I was originally planning to head out of town.

Is there an alternative to this inconvenience…like securing authorization in advance?

Thanks,
David from Canada

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:30:58 +0000

I’ve done this trip so many times of the bus and I really want to do it in the car as well. Soon…maybe…

Thanks for the detailed article stating how to do it all!

By: ywok

ywok — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:51:35 +0000

ywok says: it really depends on the time at the border control more than anything.
I’ve driven out on a weekday and you might have 1 or 2 cars in line ahead of you, and you’re finished in twenty minutes.
I’ve also driven out on a long weekend and it can be a long (long, long) wait.
better avoid the crowds.
then it’s about 50 minutes to Uspallata, or about 2.45 to Mendoza.
So, 5 hours is a conservative estimate with little delay at the border.

If you buy the insurance right at the border (at the little Argentinean stand where they ask for the paper, and you have already exchanged money to pesos) it’s the cheapest and fastest option. the equivalent of 8000 pesos.
the guard won’t even open the envelope with the insurance since you just bought it in front of him.
true!

By: ChileExpat

ChileExpat — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:27:16 +0000

The cost of the insurance is at least USD 20/CLP 10.000, depending on the insurer and length of your trip.

I’ll have to defer to ywok on the drive time, but I can say that Google Maps’s 5-hour estimate is in line with my bus trip to Mendoza a few years ago.

By: Isabel of Montreal

Isabel of Montreal — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:23:07 +0000

Hi, sounds great! Two questions: How long does it take to complete the drive to Mendoza, and how much does the Seguro de Responsabilidad Civil Internacional cost?