Argentine: TrenPatagonico

[Train jaune]

Just back from Argentina and Chile and took the overnight train across Patagonia from Viedma to San Carlos de Bariloche. What an experience. Starting with the dry almost desert conditions near the atlantic coast and waking up in the morning to hilly scrubland with views of the snow capped Andes getting ever closer. The train is made up of various european carriages from what I think must be the 1970s. I have a two berth sleeper and getting rocked to sleep as you crossed the Pampas was great. Visited the dining car for more 1970s steak experiences. Was a great trip and i'd recommend any visitors to Argentina to get on board. Has anyone else made the trip?

 

[theageofthetra]

How did you find the Chile/Argie land border crossing? - from what I have read so far it sounds a pain.

 

[duesselmartin]

Only seen it in TV, but in my to-do list

 

[dutchflyer]

Many years ago I went bys bus from AR to CH-Cordoba to Santiago, part of the whole Buenos Airs to Santiago overland trip. Ticket duly purchased that morning, good coach (as most 1st cl. ARG coaches are), and some time before the actual border checks the driver (or maybe there was a cobrador=conductor too, its long ago) came around to collect ''to speed up the border process''- as a easy to identify foreign weird gringo tourist, I was however not asked for it. I do not recall any special problems, but must have crossed 100s of similar borders since. But procedures or national pride or envy can flare up easily in minute.
One of my very worst entries was actually at the then Sheerness (OLau line ferry from Vlissingen/NL) check-most likely a trainee for your border police (or whatever HM wished to name it that year) distrusting any continental human being. Though I am also quite sure offering some T-money ''to speed up this humiliating process'' would not go down very well.

 

[Train jaune]

Took the bus over the border from Bariloche to Puerto Varas. That was a 7 hour Andes adventure and involved 30 minutes at the Argentine crossing and an hour at the Chilean side. That involved unloading all our baggage for the dogs to sniff and inspect etc. Top tip the Chilean guys give you a PDI print out but don't tell you what it is or what it's for. I did think about chucking it away but luckily I didn't as it turned out to be an important document when I left via Santiago airport 10 days later

 

[Train jaune]

Finally downloaded the pictures. That's fridge freezer getting loaded up