Bad conditions on Ruta 40 | Warning

March 24th, 2019 by pagesrougesetnoires.wordress.com

It is true that this road is really bad, lots of gravel, holes, small rocks... we did it in 1h30 on a sunny day without 4x4 (we have a Chevrolet N300 Max), but we stopped to take pictures of pink flamingos around the lagunas just before the end of the road.

March 6th, 2019 by travelschool101

this doesn't need a warning. it's just a rough gravel road. Maybe if your road trip adventure is just starting & you've never driven off pavement then it might be a big deal for you.
wait till you get to central America!
took me 90mins in the rain on an overloaded motorbike with a bald rear tyre!

February 21st, 2019 by frasep

We got warned about the bad conditions on this part of the road... but we decided to have a look,because the detour over Esperanza is long.

Going not that fast (30-60 KM/H) depending on the conditions, the road is easily doable, also with a small car like a renault symbol!;) no need of a 4x4!
it took us less than 2 hours to do this part.

February 2nd, 2019 by Christine u Klaus

We drove that pebbleroad RP 7 with our own 8 tons truck to check the different comments about this really bad road. This road destroies cars ...and where is the service to help? ...with a Motorcycle up to 100 km/h ...real adventure ...for sure in most cases it works!!! ...Relax and take the paved road!!

January 19th, 2019 by david_hoogendoorn31

Let's say it's a thing that brings you from point A to point B. Conditions change from really bad to impossible bad. But still better then the detour on the pavement road (bicycle touring)

January 16th, 2019 by ldirstein

not the greatest road. choose your poison. about 20 min shorter in our campvan to take this road, however our van wasn't happy about it. very vehicle dependant road. we got a good dose of Argentinan roads our trip and this fell somewhere in the middle. watch the animal gates if you go.

January 14th, 2019 by halulom

The northern 28 km are not too bad for cycling. The southern half is more rough. the middle part is probably the most demanding. It goes slowly up and down. in combination with the wind and loose rocks on the road, it was slow going. the last 22 km were mostly flat with the tendency to go downhill slowly and the road surface was in different conditions. It's for sure doable on a touring bicycle and saves you time between Calafate and Chile. Plus, you can explore an old political station.

December 6th, 2018 by verictrips

The road is really bad, especially the 1st part when heading north. It used to be ruta 40 but has been renamed in RP7....

December 4th, 2018 by stephanie.drolet.13

The middle section is the worst with lots of big rocks and loose gravel that make it difficult to cycle on. Very few cars. Out of the 70km maybe 10 were bad. Would do it again.

November 24th, 2018 by hordago.fr

Gravel road to avoid Esperanza on the way from Calafate to Torres del Paine.
The dirt rod is correct, some washboard but really doable.
We spent a big hour to drive the 70 kilometers. We have a pick up camper.

November 2nd, 2018 by pierreetcharlinetdm

route très mauvaise. de grosses pavasses et de la tôle ondulée. la niveleuse n'a pas dû passer ici depuis des mois.on peine à atteindre les 30km/h. trajet très fatigant. si l'occasion se présentait nous préférerions faire le détour par Esperanza.

October 24th, 2018 by cycletropic.travelmap.net

we bicycled this road.
slow at times with loose rocks
the Western 2/3 is rough
the Eastern part (closer to Ruta 5) is better and we stuck to the side were it was smoother.
Went when it was dry and very little wind.

April 18th, 2018 by fidesnl

Coming from the south, the first 20km are hard, mainly big rocks which is difficult and slow by motorcycle. After you can easily reach 70-80km/h. The last 15km are a lot of mud, would not recommend it during rainy conditions.

April 12th, 2018 by amndegroot

It's a bit bumpy, but definitely doable on a loaded touring bike. If you call this 'very bad' you ain't seen nothing yet! Welcome to South America baby!
Can't imagine the detour over La Esperanza is faster. Your biggest enemy here is the wind, not the road surface.

March 15th, 2018 by jeanaipasencoreassezvu.wordpress.com

the road is not so bad (for a bicycle), at least the 42 first km when you come from north is ok. The last 23 is more difficult. The biggest difficulty is still the wind.

February 19th, 2018 by intrepidfor10minutes

I'll second the moto riders opinion, excellent road for a Landcruiser, we averaged 80 to 100k most of the way, let the tires down a little and float over the bumps at that speed, just watch the cattle grids. Spoke to some cyclists and they liked the fact that there is very little traffic.

February 3rd, 2018 by omsever

For motorcyclists this is a rather easy off-road track that can be done.in.its.entirety at relatively high speeds. There are basically no portions of this road with deep lose gravel, the only portions where there is gravel there are also wide tracks with firm ground. Note: Travelled.im dry conditions, but after heavy rains there might be small portions that might get muddy. Adventure motorcyclist should not avoid this track...

January 22nd, 2018 by betamodiano

Very bad conditions on ruta 40 between this intersection and Tapi Aike. The detour to Esperanza is a much safer and smoother option. Especially on bicycles.