Tell The Truth Travel - Argentina to Chile

Argentina to Chile - The Great Bus Swap

Photo of passengers swapping buses near the Argentina-Chile border

The Great Bus Swap Approaching the Argentina-Chile Border

Getting back to our departure city of Punta Arenas, Chile from El Chalten, Argetina took three days! We started by taking the 1:00 p.m. bus from El Chalten to El Calafate, where we spent the night.

The next morning we boarded another bus for the four hour ride to Puerto Natales, Chile. Our departure was delayed, however, because a) our driver's Chile license had expired the previous day, and b) our bus's odometer was broken, either of which would have prevented our bus from entering Chile. What to do?

After much heated discussion, the authorities at the bus station sent us on our way with a police escort on board. Just short of the Chile border, we met the reqularly scheduled Chile to Arentina bus, which had been waiting for us for over an hour, and performed the Great Bus Swap. All the southbound passengers and luggage swapped buses with the northbound passengers, and we were on our way!

We were initally a little concerned when we saw all the bus legs on our itinerary, but - the Great Bus Swap not withstanding - the buses were all clean tourist buses in good condition, and taking them was not a problem. I should mention that all of our tickets were booked and purchased via local tour operators as part of our Go South package.