Driving to Cordoba, Argentina (plane, best, routes, flight)

[quiqueee]

Hello, in a month we will be moving to Cordoba, Argentina from Lima, Peru. We are considering driving there in our family car, so we would have a car when we get there. I have been looking for driving routes but I have not been very succesful. Google Maps does not work very well in Peru since it takes you through the mountains when there is a great highway through the coast line that takes you to Tacna and then goes through Chile via Arica. From that point I would like to find somebody that has crossed from Chile to Argentina so maybe they can recommend what is the best route to get to Cordoba and let me know if the weather is too bad during August to drive safely. I would apprecciate any help. Thanks!

[jtur88]

There is always a possibility that the Andean passes between Chile and Argentina will remain snowblocked and closed through the whole winter down at Santiago/Mendoza. However, they are probably usually open in the far north. The route from Arequipa to LaPaz past Lake Titicaca is pretty driveable, and snow is not much of a problem there. But I never drove it, but have been through there on a bus a few times. From LaPaz south to Argentina is probably still mostly gravel, but there are plenty of buses that go down there. Once you cross into Argentina at Villazon, the roads are excellent.

You can hunt for clues on YouTube, to find in-car travel videos of some roads, like this one, for the crossing Northern Chile to Argentina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D5e9_c02uk

Looks like the road up there is paved, at least on the Chilean side.

I once tried to get from Paragay back to Santiago for a flight to Miami in August, and the pass was closed, I had to take a bus from Mendoza to LaPaz and pick up my flight from there. Flying back down in October, a woman on the plane told me it was still closed.

[quiqueee]

Thanks for the information. I watched some videos on You Tube and we are having second thoughts about driving through this winter weather since I do not have any experience with snow driving. We might take the bus because the scenery is beautiful but is tempting to just get there in 3 hours on a plane!