Accommodations & Overland Camping in Argentina

We loved traveling and overland camping in Argentina.

It’s the 8th largest country in the world but has only 40 million inhabitants. There’s lots of space for camping, but we also enjoyed staying with local people and a couple of times we were guests of posadas.

We spent about 1,5 years in Argentina, spread out of more than a dozen stays. Because of its geography we crossed the border with Chile regularly. This way we saw the best parts of the Andes Mountains on both sides of the border.

Fortunately, there are numerous border crossings between the two countries and crossing them is generally easy (Chile can be complicated because you’re not allowed to bring in any fruits, vegetables and other fresh products, but that’s a story for another blog).

Read More: 9 Dramatic Mountain Passes in South America

Paid Campsites

Since Argentina is a country with lots of space there are abundant opportunities for rough camping. Not only that, Argentineans are campers themselves so there are many campsites, either paid or free of charge.

Campsites we great places to meet other overlanders. Among our favorites were:

• The Camping Municipal in Salta (although we have been told it’s too busy and noisy in Jan/Feb; the summer holiday for Argentineans, but we were there in Aug/Sep/Oct when it was cold but quiet).
• Punta Pardelas along Golfo, the only place in Península Valdés where you are allowed to camp (and can watch whales).
• Ushuaia, where we stayed for Christmas and New Year’s Eve and had a ball with friends we had made along the way.

Read More: 5 of our Favorite Campsites in Patagonia

Backcountry Camping in Argentina

Besides camping in our Land Cruiser, we spent quite a few nights in our tent. Some of Argentina’s National Parks are great for multiple day hikes, like at El Chaitén. Thanks, Marty, Yann & Geraldine for sharing this adventure with us.

Hospitality – Staying with Locals

We love staying with local people. Sometimes we are invited via our website, sometimes we are introduced to other people, sometimes we are literally picked up from the street (“Come to my house, share dinner and stay with me; I love to hear your stories; I want to show you the beautiful places of Argentina”). In Argentina we were lucky to have quite a few homestays.

Thanks, Patricia and Fernando, for having us for so many weeks while we were waiting for our container to arrive from Malaysia. It was a great introduction to the Argentinean way of life, especially where it came to food.

Thanks also to Agustine, Rama, Máximo and Chin to have us at your estancia in Ascochinga. We loved spending so much time with you, like watching the first Dakar in South America and the WRC together and we are grateful for the places you showed us in the surroundings. Without that we would have missed an incredibly beautiful part of Argentina.

Read More: The First Dakar Rally in South America

Unexpectedly we saw quite a bit of wildlife in north Argentina. While staying with Vodo, near Resistencia, we saw hurling monkeys, and in the Chaco we saw snakes when staying with  Catrien, a nurse who for the past 40 years has lived in one of Argentina’s remotest and poorest areas to help indigenous people.

We met Pablo and Alejandra through the Hospitality Club and were their guests for a weekend in Neuquen – a weekend giving us an opportunity to share a fantastic BBQ, of course.

Also great thanks to Octavio, who not only let us camp on his estancia but who also organized a professional exposition with Coen’s photos in Córdoba.

Read More: Tips on Campsites & Wild Camping in Argentina

GPS Waypoints of Campgrounds & Overland Camps in Argentina

Let there be no misunderstanding: no, you don’t have to go to these places. No, these are not by definition the best spots. After having traveled in South America for so long we realize that it’s no problem here to find your own beautiful spots for camping. We decided to continue the page anyway, for travelers who would like some tips about camping spots which we enjoyed or found practical. Please note that this is always our personal experience.

You can also check out iOverlander, where you can see where other overlanders spent the night.

Check it out: Top #1 Land Cruising Adventure T-shirt: The Classic Design

Fuel Up

Thank you to those who bought us a couple of liters of diesel to support our journey and/or website.

Would you like to do the same?

More on Accommodation & Overland Camping:

Wild Camping in Kyrgyzstan – Overlanders Share Their Favorite Wild Camping Sites (Overland Expertise Pool)

Overland Camping in Georgia

Wild Camping in Mongolia – Overlanders Share Their Favorite Campsites (Overland Expertise Pool)