Getting Here & Around

Getting Here & Around

Air Travel. The best way to get to southern Patagonia is to fly from Buenos Aires. Most flights depart from Jorge Newberry airport, a short cab ride from downtown, but double-check ahead of time, because flights are sometimes relocated to Ezezia, the international airport, resulting in a frantic cab ride between airports.

Aerolíneas Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com.ar) flies (along with its subsidiary Austral) from Buenos Aires daily to El Calafate. LADE (Líneas Aéreas del Estado www.lade.com.ar), in small Fokker F-27 and F-28 and Twin Otter planes, connects Ushuaia and El Calafate on a sparse schedule. Note that although Aerolíneas Argentinas charges double for American nationals, LADE offers tickets at one flat price regardless of nationality.

Bus Travel. Intrepid travelers can get to southern Patagonia by bus but it is much more convenient and often cheaper to fly. More than anywhere else in Patagonia, buses are a major form of transportation within the south. They shuttle passengers across border crossings to Chile as well as between the major cities of Tierra del Fuego and southern Argentina. TAQSA (www.taqsa.com.ar) is the most reliable carrier.

Car Travel. It's possible to rent a car in the far south, but distances are vast, prices are high, and dirt roads are punishing, so it's often more convenient to travel between destinations by bus. If you do rent a car, check the contract carefully and remember that automatic transmissions are few and far between. Thanks to subsidies, gasoline is cheaper in Santa Cruz than in most parts of Argentina.