| Day | ||
| 27 Apr | Alicante depart 20.05 arrive Madrid (T4) 21.25 on IB 3887 | |
| 28 Apr | Santa Cruz | Madrid depart 00.35 arrive Lima 05.45 on LAN flight LA2707 Lima depart 10.20 arrive Santa Cruz 15.20 LAN Flight LA2563, Transfer to Hotel Camino Real |
| 29 Apr | Sucre | Transfer Hotel to Airport. Flight on Boliviana to Sucre Transfer to Parador Santa Maria la Real |
| 30 Apr | Sucre | Sucre city tour, Parador Santa Maria la Real |
| 1 May | Potosi | Sucre to Potosi with driver and guide, Half Day City tour, Hotel Coloso |
| 2 May | Uyuni | Across other worldly scenery to the town of Uyuni, on the edge of the salt flats. Hotel Luna Salada |
| 3 May | San Pedro de Quemez |
Uyuni to San Pedro de Quemez. Stone Hotel Hotel del Piedra. |
| 4 May | Soniquera | San Pedro de Quemez - Soniquera. Hotel del Desierto |
| 5 May | San Pedro de Atacama | Transfer to San Pedro de Atacama. Tierra Atacama |
| 6 May | San Pedro de Atacama | |
| 7 May | San Pedro de Atacama | Tierra Atacama . Pick up car for 13 days |
| 8 May | Salta | |
| 9 May | Salta | Legado Mitico |
| 10 May | Tafi de Valle | Posada Sonada |
| 11 May | Tafi de Valle | Posada Sonada |
| 12 May | Catamarca | Chanarmuyo Lodge |
| 13 May | Catamarca | Chanarmuyo Lodge |
| 14 May | Chilecito | Posada Sendero |
| 15 May | Chilecito | Posada Sendero |
| 16 May | Valle Fertil | |
| 17 May | Valle Fertil | |
| 18 May | Mendoza | |
| 19 May | Mendoza | |
| 20 May | Santiago de Chile | Holiday Inn at Airport and Return Car to Santiago Airport |
| 21 May | Santiago depart 11.20 arrive Madrid 06.20 following day on LA 5720 | |
| 22 May | Madrid (T4) depart 11.50 arrive Alicante 12.55 |
Argentina Road Distance calculator
Salta to Mendoza A direct route is about 800 miles our route was longer as we took a more touristic centred route
Day 10 San Pedro de Atacama – Salta (630 km / 392 mi). Cross the Chile and Argentina borders through Jama International pass. Then drop down to Salta. The bus takes about 10 hours, it took us about 7 hours
Day 11 Salta
Day 12 Salta to Tafi del Valle . 300 Km takes about 4.5 hours
Day 13 Tafi del Valle.
Day 14 Tafi del Valle to Chanarmuyo. 300 Km about 4.5 hours
Day 15 Chanarmuyo
Day 16 Chanarmuyo to Chilecito. 80 km
Day 17 Chilecito
Day 18 Chilecito to Valle Fertil: 275 km , about 3 hours
Day 19 Valle Fertil
These two contiguous parks (Talampaya & Ischigualasto), extending over 275,300 ha in the desert region on the western border of the Sierra Pampeanas of central Argentina, contain the most complete continental fossil record known from the Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago). Six geological formations in the parks contain fossils of a wide range of ancestors of mammals, dinosaurs and plants. No other place in the world has a fossil record comparable to that of Ischigualasto-Talampaya which reveals the evolution of vertebrate life and the nature of palaeoenvironments in the Triassic Period. Since year 2000, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Ischigualasto is known as “Valle de la Luna”, literary, “The Moon Valley”. The name is given because of the extremely arid landscape, slowly drawn by rain and wind over millions of years. The whim of nature created wonderful rock formations such as The Worm, The Sphinx, The Mushroom, The Submarine and The Bowling Court.
Talampaya Canyon is the main tourist attraction in Talampaya National Park, receiving over 60,000 visitors every year. The 150-metre high reddish walls and the various geomorphologies (the Monk, the Tower, etc) make it a one-of-kind natural show, as well as the astonishing rock engravings called petro glyphs.
You'll notice the Difunta Correa shrines along the way.
Day 20 Valle Fertil to Mendoza . 380 km, about 5 hours
Day 21 Mendoza
Day 22 Mendoza to Santiago. Driving distance: 360 km Duration: Six hours
Beginning along the sprawling vineyards that stretch west from Mendoza (746m above sea level), Argentina’s finest wine region, the road then gradually begins its ascent, first through a range of foothills before it begins to cut its way through the Andes. By the time you reach the border check point at the Los Libertadores Pass, the road has climbed to a peak height of 3,500m. Once you’re well into Los Libertadores, you’re surrounded on all sides by high peaks. You catch glimpses of Aconcagua, at 6,962m (22,837ft) the highest mountain on the planet outside of Asia. The Chilean side is very different, with a very steep and slow descent down hairpin bends carved into the mountainside. Once the road levels a bit, it follows the Aconcagua River and its eponymous valley. Both countries’ border formalities are taken care of in the same large building. First the Argentine exit stamp, then the Chilean entry, then customs. The latter requires bringing all of your luggage into the customs building, where, after a dog sniffs everything and everyone in the queue, your bags are sent through an x-ray machine.