The vast steppe

The road across the steppe

• 90 kmfrom Route 40 to town
• Pavedall the way
• On arrivalor departure

When you arrive in El Chaltén and when you leave, you will drive Provincial Route 41, which crosses the steppe at right angles to the Andes and skirts the huge Lake Viedma. The horizon is vast on this arid plain: 360-degree views that, from some high points, reach 100 km or more.

As you approach the mountains, to the west, you start to make out the glaciers and granite peaks that made this corner of the Andes the icon of Patagonia. Coming from El Calafate, Mount Chaltén (Fitz Roy) can already be seen at the start of National Route 40, some 140 km away as the crow flies. And if the weather was not on your side when you arrived, you will get a second chance when you leave.

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Kilometre by kilometre

These are the points of interest along the last 45 km, approaching town:

1. 42.6 km26.5 miEstancia Santa Margarita. Like a small oasis on the steppe, its lagoons and streams are home to many bird species: upland geese, several kinds of ducks, black-necked swans and two-banded plovers, among others.
2. 41 km25.5 miEstancia San Lorenzo. A seepage lagoon forms by the road (it disappears in winter), where you can see Chilean flamingos and other migratory birds that feed on the lake and wetlands.
3. 15 km9.3 miViedma Glacier viewpoint. The glacier has retreated so much that today you can only just make it out in the distance, much smaller than only a decade ago, but the viewpoint keeps its name. From here to National Route 40 the road runs almost straight, with several viewpoints over the lake and the range, where Mount Fitz Roy stands out.
4. 14.1 km8.8 miBridge over the Barrancas river.
5. 12.7 km7.9 miBridge over the De las Vueltas river. From here to town the road leaves the straight stretch and winds along the valley, with rises and dips that often hide the road ahead: drive carefully.
6. 11.7 km7.3 miEntrance to Los Glaciares National Park. From here on, the roadside viewpoints.

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Flora and fauna along the road

What sets this stretch apart is the wildlife, which is much easier to see on the open steppe than in the forest. These are just some of the plants and animals you may come across.

The steppe

• Coirón grasses: the tough tussock grasses that give the steppe its golden colour.
• Mata negra and neneo: low, stunted shrubs, adapted to wind and drought.
• Calafate: the thorny shrub with yellow flowers and purple berries that gives its name to the neighbouring town.
• Flowers: in spring, flowers such as the desert amancay or the evening primrose (Don Diego de la noche), which opens its flowers at dusk, peek out among the shrubs.

The animals

• In the open country: guanacos, lesser rheas (choiques), grey foxes, skunks and pichi armadillos.
• In the lagoons and wetlands: ducks, flamingos, swans and upland geese.
• In the air: condors and raptors such as caracaras, black-chested buzzard-eagles, American kestrels and hawks.
• On the estancias along the road: flocks of sheep, cattle and horses.