Argentina

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Flag of Argentina Argentina
Information
Language: Spanish
Capital: Buenos Aires
Population: 40,482,000
Currency: Peso (ARS)
Hitchability: <rating country='ar' />
More info: Hitchbase
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots or BeWelcome
<map lat='-41' lng='-64' zoom='4' view='0' height='550' country='Argentina'/>

Argentina is a country in South America. The capital is Buenos Aires. It has borders to Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. It is the eighth-largest country in the world, so there's lots of distance to cover.

Hitchhiking culture

For hitchhikers Argentina can be divided into two parts. The North, which is pretty okay to hitchhike, and the South on which opinions vary a lot: it may be difficult to hitchhike if you get into the lonely dirt roads of the Patagonia, because population is scarce. But if you travel southward to the end of Argentina, rides may be a little bit hard, but they take you a long way along.

Argentina has a reputation for variable to long waiting times. Several hours isn't unusual overall.

It seems to be much safer, faster, and informative to ask drivers at roadside stops such as gas stations and truckstops. Standing on the road with a thumb out can last for hours, and is really a last resort. If you want to go far, go with the truckers. They will carry you sometimes over 1000 km, and leave you at a good place to continue. Just keep asking. When you're looking for a ride at truck stops, keep an eye out for Brazilian and Chilean plates. Truckers from these neighboring countries are usually much more willing to give you a ride than the Argies, who will bullshit you about the transport company having sensors in the seats and harsh fines for taking riders.

It's considered normal to ask the people working filling tanks at gas stations to ask people for you. If you're a foreigner, do mention it! A Dutch guy mentioned that it seems to be a lot easier to get rides.

Northern Argentina

Even if northern Argentina has recently seen several cases of crime for both the hitchhiker and the driver, it's still easy to hitch there (unlike in Bs As). In 2011 two french female around Salta, Argentina, raped and killed by a local. And personal experiences of Chilean Truck Drivers, being drugged by an old lady he picked up, whom invites him to a Mate Drink. Unfortunately, 900 dollars was robbed. Since these problems are from the last 2 years, local Argentine drivers are scared of picking up people. Travelling by 2 or more is even harder. But once you get rides, it will be one of your most smoothest rides. And people are very friendly. They like to invite you to (not drugged) mate´s and even some of there local foods, like the empanadas.

Jujuy: Great landscapes and full colored mountains, you might wait up to 2 hours but you can be sure somebody will pick you up. Don't bother about Gendarmes and checkpoints, I hitched right next to them. A friendly policeman even helped me find a ride at the Juyjuy/Salta border checkpoint -Dr.Keith Take the 34. The 52 takes you across to the Chilean border and is great hitching as it is a major truck route and they are very helpful as a rule.

Salta: Really easy to hitch here, I got picked up in about 30 minutes. Greener than Jujuy

Tucumán: Harder than Jujuy or Salta, besides out of all northern provinces is the most dangerous... If you're heading to Bs As TAKE THE 45 PESOS train to retiro, even if their incredibly bad designed website says tickets are sold out arrive a couple of minutes before departure and tell them you must get there. CARRY YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINKS and prepare for the heat and the really disgusting toilets hehehe...

Formosa: People are not used to tourist and will be asking really weird questions, cause they don't understand what are you doing there.. there's not a lot of traffic in the 81. But I never got stuck anywhere.. Beware of the extreme hot temperatures!!!!

narfette hitchhiking on ruta 3, Trelew, Argentina

Misiones: Platschi hitchhiked in a team of two through this area up from Uruguaiana to Iguazu and back and found its inhabitants extremely friendly and willingly to stop for hitchhikers. Except for night time and non-existing traffic at times, waiting times barely exceeded a few minutes. Be aware of the humidity and heat there, though, thus you need to drink a lot of water.

Currency

Don´t change your money at a bank or casa de cambio- they will give you the official rate set by the government, about 10pesos/USD. Better do it on the black market where the rate is about 15pesos/USD. You can see the exact unofficial rate at http://dolarblue.net/ so you don´t get ripped off. In Buenos Aires you can change your money by going up to anyone yelling "cambio" on the street La Florida. Check the money carefully to be sure you aren´t buying counterfeits! In other major cities, walk down the main pedestrian road in the center and maybe you will find an "arbolito" ("little tree") who will change it. Otherwise, ask your host or friends if they want to buy your dollars.

Update: as of December 2015 the new government removed the official USD rate control. The "blue dollar" is within 0.50 pesos of the official rate now. And the only way to get the "blue dollar" rate is with perfect condition $100 bills. As at early February 2016 the blue rate was 15.4 pesos, the official rate was 15.2 pesos, and the rate for an average condition US$20 bill was 13.5 pesos.

Toll Roads

There are quite some peajes (toll passages). In the South however, these are not so good and you will just be sent away after a while.

License Plates

License plates issued between 1995 and 2015 have a black background with a white frame, composed of three white letters and three white numbers with "Argentina" in blue at the top on a white background. As of 2016, the license plates have slightly different dimensions, a little wider and not as high. The plates have black letters on a white background in a "AA 000 AA" format with a blue band at the top that says "República Argentina".

Maps

A normal map is pretty expensive, but there is a road map containing many countries of South America for something like 10 pesos. Map24 (in Portuguese) has information about the whole of South America.

Public Transport

Buses are expensive but unbelievable nice. Fully reclining seat and food provided. If you take a bus, treat it as a hotel and save a night's hotel fees.

Trains are super cheap but only serve limited routes. They are an excellent way to see the countryside and come in contact with a different segment of the population than you'd encounter on a 1st class bus. Highly recommendable.

In cities, buses usually require the use of cards (tarjetas)- you cannot pay the driver directly. Some, like in Rosario, have vending machines on the bus, but only accept coins (save your peso coins!). But usually you can ask nicely to use someone else´s card, either waiting for the bus or once you get on. Offer them 5pesoes, though they will often flash you on without accepting your money.

Regions & Cities

Patagonia has a single very crowded road, which is the national ruta nº 3 that goes along the coast. It is your better bet when heading South. Although there are often many kilometers in between villages, it is a well travelled road.

There are also some East-West roads, some of them being dirt, some being pavement. It is easy to get a ride on the paved road but dirt roads, however, are much harder because of the lack of vehicles.

The national ruta nº 40 goes from San Carlos de Bariloche (South) is a road that gets frequently closed off because of the bad weather and is reputed to be hellish to hitch on - fewer cars, unpaved sections and some people have said they have gone days without seeing anyone. Winding, remote mountain roads and bad weather conditions in any season but summer make it less travelled by truckers and therefore is not recommended. Gas stations are generally your best bet, although roadside hitching is possible.

In my experience, Ruta 40 is a moderate/difficult but possible hitch during tourist season. You'd be insane to try any other time. Your best bet on Route 40 (at least the southern bit) would be Chilean truckers. From Perito Moreno to Punto Gallegos, the Chileans use the Argentine roads for lack of similar infrastructure in their own country. Also Chilean truckers are way nicer than their Argentine counterparts.

For us (father, mother and two kids) hitchhiking in the so-called "Linea Sur" was great. There is indeed a hitch culture in Junin de los Andes, San Martin de los Andes, Bariloche, El Bolson, and Esquel. Local people do it and expect drivers to pick them up. You don't need to look a London City businessman to catch private cars, tourists, workers, farmers, and truck drivers both from Argentina and Chile. Our last pitch was from El Bolson to Rio Villegas, and there to the border at Paso El Leon (a.k.a. Manso Inferior), from where we walked up to Cochamo, Chile.

Provinces with their Cities

Argentina is made up of 22 provinces (provincias) and one autonomous city, Buenos Aires.

SAn hitchhiking in Argentina

Ciudad de Buenos Aires (Distrito Federal)

Buenos Aires

Catamarca Province

Chaco

Chubut

Cordoba Province

Corrientes Province

Entre Rios

Formosa Province

Jujuy Province

La Pampa

La Rioja Province

Mendoza

Misiones

Neuquen

Rio Negro

Salta

San Juan Province

San Luis

Santa Cruz

Santa Fe Province

Santiago del Estero Province

Tierra del Fuego

Tucuman

Safety

One word of advice is that although traffic is much heavier in the north, the routes do cross major cities, and hitchhiking is much more dangerous near urban centers. It would be advisable, if possible, to get off at the nearest pueblo and take a bus into cities such as Cordoba, Santa Fe, Rosario, etc. The same can be said for leaving. In the south there are really no big cities, and the highways all have gas stations, and the people are much more helpful. No danger there.

Border Crossings

Argentina has open land/sea borders with its surrounding nations clockwise: Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay. Some of the borders might not have their immigration (immigracion) at the border itself, but in the nearest town before the official line. Therefore, the no man's land might be walkable or not, depending on the location. Check on a map where you need to stamp in/out before you go to avoid backtracking.

Argentinian border crossings are pretty laid back. guaka crossed 4 times in 2006 and doesn't have clear memories about it (meaning it's not that a big deal). You better avoid changing money at the border crossings though. See the currency section above.

United States citizens must pay a $160 recipricocity fee to enter the country from any border. They are quite strict about this. Pay it here: http://www.migraciones.gov.ar/accesible/ Canadian citizens need to pay a US$92 reciprocity fee as well. Can be paid on the same website as US citizens.

Chile

To exit to Chile there is a first stop where they give the driver a piece of paper saying how many people are in the vehicule. If you are not going to go all the way with the same driver don't forget to ask for a specific piece that say you are crossing on foot or something. Also drivers can be reluctant to pick you up all the way through the border so a sign sayin' Frontera or Aduana might help (then you can speak with them in the car).

If you are going to Chile: it is forbidden to enter with any kind of organic stuff such as fruits, veggies, beans, seeds, cheese, etc you can try to pass them in your pockets. Just be sure to declare that you are passing with some organic stuff (rice, mate, polenta) so they can't charge you for lying and play dumb if you get caught. Worked for me with one bag of pine nuts (piñones) and one bag of seeds.

You can also only bring 2 packs of cigarettes, since they are much more expensive in Chile, or smuggle more.

In the north, most of the trucks will not pick you up because are afraid that Gendarmes can complains, eazy took a lift from a local truck and asked the driver to stop a Paraguayan truck for him.

Chilean Border Crossings North to South

The following is a list of all the major border crossings between Argentina and Chile, sorted out by Mind of a Hitchhiker and ordered from north to south. Not all of these have been hitchhiked by HitchWiki contributors. As most of them cross the Andes mountain range, not all of them stay open year round. Some might be hitchable in summer during the tourist season, but not outside that. Do your research before you cross! This was the disclaimer.

Paso Jama is the northernmost pass across the andes from San Pedro, CL to Juyjuy, AR. Coming from Chile, Keith had to have his pack x-rayed. There are lots of Paraguayan trucks passing through here and few civillians. Keith waited 1.5 hours in San Pedro and 2 hours at the border. The border is at 4200m and can be extremely windy and cold, especially at night - be prepared! The immigration building on the Argentinian side is at the end of town. Crossing from Jujuy province into Region II de Antofagasta.

Paso Sico on the Argentinian Ruta 51, nearest Argentinian hamlet is named Catua. From Jujuy province into Region II de Antofagasta. Let us know if you hitchhiked this.

Paso Socompa on the Argentinian Ruta 163. From Salta province to Region II de Antofagasta, next to an active volcano. Let us know if you hitchhiked this.

Paso San Francisco is between Copiapo, Chile and San Miguel, Argentina. There is little traffic along this route and you could wait for days at 3800m. Not recommended. Located on the Ruta 60. Crosses from Catamarca province into Region III de Atacama.

Paso Pircas Negras on the Ruta 76. From La Rioja province to Region III de Atacama. Let us know if you hitchhiked this.

Paso del Agua Negra on the Ruta 150. The customs office is in Las Flores 90km away. Crosses from San Juan province into Region IV de Coquimbo. Let us know if you hitchhiked this.

Paso Internacional Los Libertadores between Mendoza and Santiago is probably the best option with lots of truck and civilian traffic. You will also pass Mt. Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Southern and Western hemispheres. There's a tunnel between the two countries. Goes between Mendoza province and Region V de Valparaiso.

Paso Vergara on the Ruta 226. Crosses from Mendoza province to Region VII del Maule. Argentinian customs is 8km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this.

Paso Pehuenche on the Ruta 145. Crosses from Mendoza province to Region VII del Maule. Migration is in Las Loicas, 40 km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this.

Paso Pichachen on the Ruta 6. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region VIII del Bio Bio. Let us know if you hitched this.

Paso Pino Hachado on the Ruta 242. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region IX de la Araucania. Argentinian immigration is 2,5km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this.

Paso Icalma on the Ruta 13. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region IX de la Araucania. Argentinian immigration is 6km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this border.

Paso Mamuil Malal on the Ruta 60. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region IX de la Araucania. Argentinian immigration is 1,5km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this border.

Paso Carirriñe on the Ruta 62. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region XIV los Rios. Argentinian immigration is 47km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched here.

Paso Hua Hum on the Ruta 48. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region XIV los Rios. Argentinian customs is 3km from the actual border. The Chilean one is on the actual border. In Chile you need to take a ferry to get connected to the other roads. Let us know if you hitched here.

"Paso Fronterizo Cardenal Antonio Samoré"' on the Ruta 231. Crosses from Neuquen province to Region X de Los Lagos. The Argentinian customs is 17km from the actual border. Let us know if you hitched this one.

Paso Pérez Rosales on a Ruta with no number, from Puerto Frías in Argentina in Rio Negro province. Nearest Argentinian town of size is called Llao Llao, near Bariloche. You'll have to take several seasonal ferries in both Argentina and Chile to get here. The nearest town of size on the Chilean side is called Peulla in Region X de Los Lagos. This border is not visible on Google Maps, only on Open Street Maps. Please let us know if you accomplished this masterpiece.

Paso Futaleufú on the Ruta 259. Crosses from Chubut province to Region X de Los Lagos. The distance between the two immigration offices is less than 1km. This is a major tourist hot spot, so if the border isn't closed, it should be fairly hitchable. Please verify the hitchability once you've crossed here.

Paso Rio Encuentro on the Ruta 44. Crosses from Chubut province to Region X de Los Lagos. The Argentinian side has a town named Carrenleufú and the Chilean has one named Alto Palena. Let us know if you crossed here.

Paso Coyhaique/Coiaique on the Ruta 74. Crosses from Chubut province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The Argentinian customs is 2km from the border and the nearest Argentinian town is named Aldea Beleiro. Let us know if you crossed here.

Paso Huemules on the Ruta 260. Crosses from Chubut province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The Argentinian immigration office is less than 300m from the actual border and the nearest village is Lago Blanco. On the Chilean side it is 5km till the first town named Balmaceda. Let us know if you crossed this border.

Paso Palavicini on the Ruta 72 (Ruta 45 on Google Maps). Crosses from Santa Cruz province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The Argentinian customs office is 2km from the actual border. The Chilean customs is on the limit of Puerto Ingeniero Ibáñez town as spotted by [[User:MOAH|Mind of a Hitchhiker. She took the next border. Let us know if you crossed this border.

Paso de Chile Chico on the Ruta 43. Crosses from Santa Cruz province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The Argentinian customs office is in Los Antiguos and the Chilean one in Chile Chico. This border is perfectly hitchable, as recorded by [[User:MOAH|Mind of a Hitchhiker in a vlog. No man's land is about 8km long.

Paso Roballos on the Ruta SN near the Ruta 41. Crosses from Santa Cruz province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. The Argentinian customs office is 300 m from the actual border. The nearest village with facilities is Bajo Caracoles and oh boy, you don't want to get stuck here. Perhaps it's crossable in summer, but definitely not in winter. The nearest town in Chile is Cochrane. Let us know if you hitched this border.

Villa O'Higgins/El Chalten Foot border crossings

This area is sort of the hiking capital of the continent. There's many multi-day hikes advertized in both towns. Villa O'Higgins is the last town reachable by road from the "mainland" of Chile, via the Carretera Austral/Ruta 7. You could hitchhike all the way from Arica to Santiago to Villa O'Higgins without leaving Chile - that's 4.300km. South of Villa O'Higgins, Chile splits up in a million fjords, this is where Region XII de Magallanes (y la Antarctica Chilena) begins. Chile and Argentina have disputes over what land is owned by which country. If you want to visit the southernmost region of Chile without crossing to Argentina, there's a cruise from Puerto Montt all the way to Puerto Natales and even Punta Arenas, but this won't come cheap. In El Chalten or Tres Lagos in Argentina, there's buses taking you to and from these hiking trails. One is named Paso Fronterizo Entrada Mayer on the Ruta 81. Crosses from Santa Cruz province to Region XI Aisén del General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo. Border check points are as the bird flies 12km. Rides may only be hitched from each respective main road. Permits may be needed to hike in this reserve. If you've done any border crossing in this region, please add more information.

At Paso Austral, you can possibly expect a needlessly complicated and long process once you arrive to Argentine customs if their X-Ray machine is broken (which it often is).They must do a manual search of your bags and tend to find silly, irrelevant things like tin foil that are apparently a matter of National Security. themodernnomad was once delayed leaving Argentina at the Paso Austral to Chile for several hours because of a 'suspicion' that turned out to be baseless. Fortunately, the Gendarmeria have poorly trained attack dogs who care more about playing with towels than sniffing for contraband.

Eating & Drinking

As a vegan you're down to fruits and veggies from the markets. No restaurant will serve anything vegan. As a vegetarian you're down to pizzas.

Accommodation & Sleeping

guaka slept next to a gas station once, without a tent, without being bothered by anything but mosquitos.

In 2010 themodernnomad squatted in an empty shipping container behind a gas station in Ushuaia for 45 days. He also has squatted up service stations from Bariloche all the way to Salta, with just a ratty sleeping bag and body odor. He would sometimes get free sandwiches from staff/passerby, and the occasional shower when he started to be mistaken for garbage.

Note that hitchhiking is usually much faster when keeping clean and when you mind your personal hygiene. YPF service stations in Argentina oftentimes have very cheap, or even free, shower facilities. A few of them even have low-price laundry services that are an excellent resource for any type of traveller.

In 2013 sebastienhh was host in the churches of San Martin de los Andes and Bariloche (a small franciscan church close to the entrance) and also found a family to host him asking for a place to sleep at the church of Zapala after their reunion.

Some villages have free municipal camping (sometimes with swimming pool)

Personal Experiences

I find that hitching on the road less traveled means quicker rides with the one or two cars that pass within the hour. YPF gas stations are great. Camped all over without any hassles. Hitching in the north should be done via gas stations. Yeah, it's less interesting, but that's how you're going to get the rides you want. - Chael

Hitchhiking at the Ruta 81 that crosses the entire Formosa Province, is hell. The heat is incredible, and people dont really know why they have to pick you up. Me and Patrick almost got shot from a local farmer, as we tried to get aid on water. A Truck intentionally tried to kill us at night while we walked. But out of that people are just lovely. Formosan chicks are really beautiful. Id recommend getting your rides at YPF gas stations. - fyrexia

Here is a short anlyses of hitchhiking in Argentina by Korn on - warmroads.

Other Useful Info

Vaccinations

In many hospitals around the country anyone can get FREE vaccinations such as ones for yellow fever, etc.



wikipedia:Argentina trash:Argentina nomad:Argentina