A gravel road to Planchon Pass in the Andes

A gravel road to Planchon Pass in the Andes

Argentina, south-america

Length

196 km

Elevation

2,515 m

Difficulty

hard

Best Season

Year-round

Okay, adventure junkies, buckle up for Paso del Planchón, a seriously epic high-altitude pass straddling the Argentina-Chile border at a whopping 8,251 feet! We're talking rugged Andes Mountains scenery here.

This beast, also known as Paso Internacional Vergara, is a 121-mile dirt road stretching from Las Loicas, Argentina (Mendoza Province) to Curicó, Chile (Maule Region). Forget smooth pavement – this is raw, unadulterated travel, complete with sandy stretches that'll test your driving skills. On the Argentina side, it's Ruta Provincial 226, morphing into J-55 once you cross into Chile.

Now, a heads-up: this pass isn't always ready for visitors. It’s usually only open from November to April, when they fix it up for tourists and mining folks. The climate is super dry, with wild temperature swings. Think sun-baked days and freezing nights – summer highs around 59°F and winter lows plummeting to -13°F!

Where is it?

A gravel road to Planchon Pass in the Andes is located in Argentina (south-america). Coordinates: -35.7930, -69.5218

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Road Details

Country
Argentina
Continent
south-america
Length
196 km
Max Elevation
2,515 m
Difficulty
hard
Coordinates
-35.7930, -69.5218

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