Road travel in Argentina is perfectly feasible by private or rented car, motor home as well as by motorcycle. An abundance of nature, few people and little traffic make Argentina a paradise for independent travel as well as for splendid [bush] camping. Before setting off and getting lost in the vast wilderness of Argentina, be sure to have a proper road map.
Where to Buy Road Maps – Bookstores and ACA
In Buenos Aires and other major cities, country maps, as well as city maps and regional road maps are available at ACA offices [Argentine Automobile Association]. Besides at ACA offices, road maps are for sale at large bookstores and cost between 15 and 30 pesos a piece [US $5 - US $10]. Many of them are not very detailed [1:1.000.000 - 1:2500.000], and often the quality of the paper is poor. A good start when hunting for road maps, after having flown in at Buenos Aires, is to stroll down the pedestrian road "Florida" downtown, which has several large bookstores.
Firestone and Guía YPF Argentina Road Books
Atlas de Rutas is arguably the best buy when looking for a compact but complete road map of Argentina. It is a road book of Firestone that covers Argentina, south Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, south Bolivia and Uruguay. Atlas de Rutas is available at large bookstores in big cities and costs around 40 pesos [US $13]. It can also be bought on amazon.com. Firestone's Atlas de Rutas 2009-2010 includes 220 regional maps, 158 city maps, as well as information on campsites, hotels, petrol stations and toll booths.
YPF has a similar road book and choosing between them is a matter of personal preference, content-wise it is similar to Firestone’s, although more extensive. The road book is sold at major bookstores but rarely at YPF petrol stations. It costs 95 pesos [US $32].
Guía YPF Argentina 2009-2010 contains two sections: one includes regional maps, detailed maps on touristic areas and city maps; the second part includes extensive information on tourist attractions, estancias [ranches], hotels and restaurants. With the 2009-2010 edition comes a supplement on wineries and wines.
ACA doesn't have a road book [only road maps] but does sell a Guía Turística Argentina [in Spanish only, latest edition 2008-2009]. It covers historic, cultural and touristic information on Argentina per region. Guía Turística Argentina is for sale at ACA offices for 52 pesos [US $14].
Most Used Road Maps of Argentina – Reise Knowhow, Nelles Guides & Maps and Automapa
Reise Knowhow Maps are made of strong-quality paper; the maps don't tear and are water resistant. The scale of the Argentina map is 1:2.000.000 – excellent for an overview but not very detailed. A Reise Knowhow Map of Argentina can be purchased on Internet at € 8.90, excluding shipping costs, as well as in some of the better equipped camping stores in Europe. Apart from road maps on Argentina, Reise Knowhow also sells road maps of most other countries of South America, as well as of other continents.
Mapsworldwide offers road maps for Argentina on Internet, which range from US $7 to US $17. Apart from Nelles Guides & Maps and Automapa, they offer maps of ITMB Publishing Ltd, Borch and Freytag & Berndt. Most of them have a scale of about 1: 2.000.000.
Resources for Travel in Argentina
To be well prepared for road travel in Argentina you may also want to read:
- GPS Waypoints and digital maps for Argentina
- Traffic regulations in Argentina
- How to deal with trafiic police in Argentina
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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