Welcome to Argentina! This detailed motorcycle travel guide is packed with info covering everything you need to know about motorcycle travel in Argentina including paperwork, routes, safety, top tips and more. If you’re planning an overland motorcycle adventure in Argentina – start here.
This Argentina motorcycle travel guide is based on our ride through Argentina during our round the world trip. The guides on this website are constantly updated with info to keep them up-to-date.
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Motorcycle Travel Guide Argentina
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad: Round the World Motorcycle Traveller
Welcome to Argentina. This motorcycle travel guide aims to provide information for overlanders and motorcycle travellers riding through Argentina whether it’s part of a bigger Pan Americas trip or a standalone ride. Please feel free to comment and share your experiences and tips in the comments section as we continuously update and improve our guides.
READ MORE: All Argentina Guides
Our motorcycle ride through Argentina
We (Andy and Alissa from Mad or Nomad) are on a round the world motorcycle trip and entered Argentina in February 2024 and exited in May. This guide is based on our experiences and what we learnt. For more info on our ride through the country and what we got up to, have a read of our Patagonia Blog.
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Paperwork
For motorcycle travellers entering Argentina, you will need your passport, motorcycle registration document and driver’s licence. The paperwork required to ride in Argentina is as follows:
Immigration
Argentina offers a visa-free 90-day visa on arrival to citizens from a number of countries. Citizens from other countries must apply for a visa before travelling. To see which category your citizenship falls under check the visa policy of Argentina page.
If you are visa free, then you simply need to turn up at the border to get your passport stamped in. You will typically be given 90 days. You can exit Argentina to neighbouring countries and when you return to Argentina you will be given another 90 days at an immigration office.
Temporary Import Permit (TIP)
You will require a temporary import to take your foreign registered motorcycle into Argentina. To get your TIP you will need your vehicle registration document and driver’s licence. .
The duration of TIP you receive is dependent on your nationality (as of January 2025). There’s confusion over this as many travellers report either getting a 90-day TIP or an 8-month TIP. We were issued an 8-month TIP without asking each of the six times we crossed into Argentina. Smaller and more remote borders may try and issue you a 90-day one though, in which case you can pull up the official info on the Aduana website and scroll down to section 483066.
- Chilean citizens get 180 days.
- Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay get TIPs that match their visas.
- All other nationalities get 8-months (European, UK, American, Australian, Canadian etc).
Motorcycle insurance
You need motorcycle insurance to ride a foreign registered motorcycle in Argentina. This can be via a Mercosur policy. We recommend using the WhatsApp group for South America to find the best current providers. You can contact a provider via WhatsApp and they’ll arrange everything via the app and send you through your policy. It’s very easy to sort and usually covers multiple countries in South America.
Do not ride without it. We have been stopped in Argentina by the police who wanted to see proof of insurance.
More on paperwork
If you’re planning a motorcycle trip and aren’t used to the different types of paperwork requirements, or are just trying to get your head around motorcycle paperwork in general, have a read of our packed paperwork for motorcycle travellers guide too.
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Getting into and out of Argentina with a motorcycle
Argentina shares land borders with Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil and Uruguay.
Border crossings into and out of Argentina are usually straight forward and easy.
However, border situations are always changing, so we recommend using the iOverlander app to find a border that suits your route and reading the current and up-to-date info left by other travellers to pick your border.
Shipping a motorcycle to or from Argentina
Argentina is a popular country to ship motorcycles to or from for motorcycle travellers traversing the Americas.
Buenos Aires is where Dakar Motos are located, Javier and Sandra are well known in the overlanding world and have been shipping motorcycles and vehicles for years. We used their services to ship our motorcycles to South Africa in 2025 and they were excellent.
Note, Argentinian customs are strict on what can be sent with your motorcycle – you can’t send any foods, liquids, batteries of any kind, soap etc. So take that into account when booking your onward flights.
Wherever in the world you want to ship to, have a look at our Shipping Companies Finder and click the country to find an agent there.
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When to ride in Argentina
If you’re a motorcycle traveller and heading to Argentina, chances are you’re heading south. The best time to ride Patagonia and Ruta 40 is October to April. By early April you want to be out of Ushuaia and making your way north – fast as that’s when the snow is coming in.
We arrived in Ushuaia in March and left in April. There was snow in April and it was cold, but nowhere near as cold as I expected it to be. However, each year can bring in different weather patterns, so if you can by March to be safe.
Money and costs
Currently, Argentina is incredibly expensive due to inflation, currency instability and government reforms. Expect high prices for everything – especially food and drink.
Getting cash out of ATMs is very costly and difficult – and in some places impossible. Your best bet is to withdraw money in Chile and exchange it for USD as you can pay in dollars in Argentina. Carry enough cash with you to use at remote petrol stations etc and use your card to pay for things everywhere else. If you get really stuck, consider using Western Union.
While all prices have soared in Argentina, petrol is actually still reasonably priced and widely available.
Accommodation
We recommend using iOverlander and Booking.com to find cheaper accommodation options in Argentina. AirBnB is also surprisingly good too.
Camping is possible in Argentina, but as always, use your common sense and don’t camp just anywhere. Speak to locals and make sure you have a good understanding of the area you’re planning on staying first.
For more info on camping, have a look at our camping guides.
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Mechanics, tyres and repairs
We didn’t use any mechanics in Argentina or buy tyres or spare parts due to the high costs of everything. If you’re riding down through South America, consider buying your tyres and everything you need in Chile instead. Or better yet, while you’re further north in Peru. For example, the same official Honda parts are nearly half the price in Peru compared to Chile – and Argentina is twice as expensive as Chile.
Safety and security for motorcycle travellers in Argentina
Argentina is a relatively safe country for motorcycle travellers.
For safety advice specific to Argentina, we recommend having a look at the UK Gov website.
As with everywhere in the world, use your common sense, don’t travel to the dangerous parts of towns and cities, talk to locals, don’t ride at night and consider where you’re staying.
It’s always a good idea to find accommodation that has secure parking. And if it doesn’t, then pay to put your bike in a secure carpark with security for the night.
If you’re booking via booking.com then it’ll say whether or not it has parking and you can set a filter. If you’re on iOverlander, then again it will most likely say in the description. And if it’s via Google Maps, you can either look through the pictures or call and ask (one of the reasons we recommend buying a local SIM card so you can make calls).
We tend to put our bikes in safe parking areas belonging to the hotel or more commonly inside a hotel’s courtyard. On occasion, when a hotel doesn’t have that, they just let us bring our bikes inside. We have even brought the bikes into our rooms before.
And on occasion, we simply leave them outside. It’s dependent on the area and what the hotel staff say about safety.
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Patagonian winds
The winds in Patagonia are no joke. They can be seriously fierce and have you riding at 45 degrees. Many, many overlanders have been caught out and suffered serious injuries and worse due to the winds. So take it seriously and if you have to stay at your accommodation another night because the wind is bad, then so be it. Safety first.
We highly suggest downloading the Windy app on your phone and planning your ride according to when the winds pick up. Yellow will be tough, anywhere near orange and don’t go. Use this app every day as you travel in Argentina.
How to motorcycle the Los Malditos 73 (Damned 73)
There is one particular stretch on the Ruta 40 you need to be extra careful with and that’s the Los Malditos 73 (The Damned 73). It’s 73km of egg-shaped gravel coupled with nasty crosswinds and an accident hotspot.
Here’s the route explained, because it’s tricky to figure out where and what it is exactly. The 73 is on Ruta 40.
In Gobernador Gregores town, there is a very cool little motorcycle bunk house (affordable and easy to book via WhatsApp on +542966414227). It’s called Hospedaje Motoposada 73 and has been pinned on the map below.
If you are north and heading south, I recommend staying here the night, keeping an eye on the Windy App and then leaving bright and early the next morning to miss the wind (dependent on what the app says of course).
The map below shows the end as Tres Lagos. This is a little town with more accommodation and a decent coffee shop on the main street. I’m classing these two towns as the start and end of this section.
The map also shows the entire route between the two towns as 170km. Don’t worry, the off-road bit is only 73km, but once you’ve done this entire 170 you are through the worst of the winds.
I’ve pinned 73 Norte and 73 Sur on the map – the distance between these two points is the off-road section.
Transport – note that right next to the Hospedaje is a transport service called Los 73 Malditos and this is a transport company that can help you take your bike across this section. It may even be owned by the bunk house owner. This is an option if you’re strapped for time or the winds are really bad.
You can read about our experience on the Damned 73 on our Patagonia Blog. And have a watch of this quick video to get an idea of the terrain.
Health and safety
Vaccines: When travelling abroad, it’s important to read up on the vaccine recommendations and requirements of the countries you are travelling through.
The best website we have found, that clearly explains what is needed and required is travelhealthpro.org.uk. Simply click on each country you plan on travelling through and read through the vaccine recommendations.
Yellow Fever: There is a risk of yellow fever transmission throughout parts of Central and South America. And some countries in the Americas will require you to show a yellow fever vaccination certificate. So, we recommend getting the vaccine before travelling. You can find info on the travelhealthpro website, and the fitfortravel.nhs.uk website has additional info with a map of areas at risk of yellow fever.
READ MORE: How to Stay Healthy on the Road
Travel insurance and emergencies
We highly recommend getting decent personal travel insurance before you leave on your trip. It’s incredibly important that you’re covered in case of an accident and your medical bills will be taken care off.
If you are planning on heading into very remote regions and off-roading, then we also recommend carrying an emergency satellite GPS device so you can call for help if you have a medical emergency.
Alissa had a serious crash in Nepal years ago and we wish we had an SOS device back then. Luckily we had excellent travel insurance though, which took care of the £20,000 hospital bill. Do not risk it, make sure you are covered.
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Planning your motorcycle route through Argentina
Here’s a run down of places to visit and routes to consider if you’re motorcycling through Argentina.
Ruta 40
Ruta 40 is Argentina’s premiere motorcycle route. At over 5,000kms it stretches the length of the country from Bolivia all the way down to the edge of Patagonia – also making it one of the longest roads in the world.
This is the adventurous route for motorcycle travellers heading south to Ushuaia and the end of the South American continent.
It’s a mix of gravel and tarmac and traverses 11 national parks covering everything from deserts to glaciers.
Be careful of the fast crosswinds, animals running across the road and calculate your petrol stops and where you’ll stay and eat each night.
Ushuaia
The end of the road. This is the end point for most motorcycle travellers traversing the Pan Americas. Reaching Ushuaia is your reward for riding the Americas. It’s a pretty little town at the southern tip of South America on Tierra del Fuego.
Antarctica
If you’ve made it all the way to Ushuaia and are interested in visiting Antarctica – this is the place to do it from. Ushuaia is the launchpad for Antarctica expeditions to the 7th Continent, and as you’re already there, you can try and get a last minute ticket aboard a vessel. These deals can mean up to 60% off.
If you’re considering it, have a look at our Antarctica guides as they explain everything you need to know. It was easily one of the best things we’ve ever done in our lives.
READ MORE: Antarctica Guides
Ruta 3
While Ushuaia might mean the end of the road, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of your trip. There is no way to ship your motorcycle from Ushuaia – unless you pay for very expensive road transport.
Motorcycle shipping in Argentina goes from Buenos Aires (or you can cross back to Chile and have your bike transported or ride to Santiago – or head to Uruguay and ship from there).
So, that means you’ve got to get to Buenos Aires. And unless you want to ride the Ruta 40 back the same way, you’ve got one straight slog on the Ruta 3.
It’s just over 3,000kms. We allowed 7 days to ride this route on two Honda CRF300Ls with balding tyres and stretched chains. It can be done much quicker.
El Calafate and the Perito Moreno Glacier
The Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate is one of the few advancing glaciers in the world. Most glaciers are retreating, but this bad boy is moving forward at an average rate of two metres per day. It’s the closest thing we’ve got to White Walkers on Earth (Game of Thrones reference just in case). Massive chunks of ice collapsed into the lake as we watched and the whole thing is ginormous. It’s over 70 metres high and bigger than Buenos Aires. Winter is coming.
El Chalten and Mount Fitz Roy
El Chalten is a cool (but expensive) mountain town and home to the picturesque Mount Fitz Roy. If you like hiking, it’s worth the ride here and worth a few days rest.
Riding gear
We always recommend choosing a lightweight, breathable and well vented adventure riding suit – and one that is not waterproof. Pack a light set of throwover waterproofs for rain and a compressible down jacket to wear underneath if you get cold.
The aim of the game here is a layering system. It can get hot and cold in Argentina and so you want to be in well vented kit with easy access to waterproofs and a warmer layer if needed. Keep in mind that if you’re heading all the way to the south, the weather can change in an instant and it can be freezing cold, so warm gloves or bar muffs and a heated jacket are a good idea – especially if you’re heading to Ushuaia.
For more info and guides on adventure riding gear have a look at the below guides.
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Top tips
WhatsApp – We recommend joining the Argentina WhatsApp group for overland motorcycle travellers.
Language – Learning the language goes a long way in any country you visit. And luckily, Spanish is a relatively easy language to learn for English speakers. We recommend at least learning the basics (hello, thank you, please etc) to be polite and make an effort. Anything else you learn goes a long way in improving your experience interacting and engaging with locals. But don’t worry, it’s easy and fun to communicate even if you really struggle with languages and you can get by without it. Communicating When You Don’t Speak the Language
Apps – Download the Google Translate app onto your phone, and then download Spanish onto it. This will work offline and you can easily communicate with locals using this app.
iOverlander – It’s a fantastic tool for overland travellers and is free. Download it and contribute wherever you can.
Maps.Me – A free offline map and navigation app. Simply download the maps and use it offline. The Best Free Apps for Motorcycle Travellers
SIM card – We recommend a SIM card for your travels. It will make life easier when travelling and you can make phone calls to book hotels.
However, you may want more data or not want to have to deal with swapping your SIM out. We personally use Holafly eSIMs. This way, you can get mobile data on your phone ready for when you cross into South America and you can get packages that cover the entire region. It’s the easiest and quickest way to have unlimited data on your phone.
Read more on motorcycle travel in Argentina
Thanks for checking out the Motorcycle Travel Guide: Argentina. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on motorcycle travel in Argentina and South America that we recommend you read next.
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Are you planning a motorcycle trip in Argentina? Do you have any questions, tips or suggestions? Let us know in the comments below.