Los Caracoles
Los Caracoles
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
93 reviews
Excellent
57
Very good
29
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
0
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Sahunt
Rio de Janeiro, RJ43 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Beautiful road. Breathtaking landscapes, lots of trucks which slows down traffic. Chilean customs also has an unusual delay in service. It took us 4 hours and 28 minutes to complete the passage process.
Written September 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MitsukoShigeeda🌴👒🍽🍷☕🇧🇷
Jundiai, SP140,977 contributions
Oct 2019 • Couples
Vislumbrar a paisagem que corta a Cadeia dos Andes e que desemboca em Mendoza é uma experiência muito bacana! Não tinha gelo na pista e pouca neblina, o que proporcionou uma subida até Portillo muito agradável (deu um pouco de medo: as curvas são extraordinárias) e a paisagem é de tirar o fôlego! Me lembrei de um casal de amigos que me contou que viajou de moto nessa região dos Andes: deve ser muito, muito legal!! Adoramos! (To catch a glimpse of the landscape that crosses the Andes Chain and ends in Mendoza is very nice experience! There was no ice in the track and little fog, which made for a very pleasant climb up to Portillo (it was a bit of a fear: the curves are extraordinary) and the scenery is breathtaking! I remembered a couple of friends who told me that they traveled by motorcycle in this Andes region: it must be very, very cool!! We love it!)😍💖❄❄
Written October 27, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Montanatraveler312
Ballantine, MT86 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
Known as the snail by the locals the highway connects Chile to Argentina. The Highway is also known as the Liberators Highway. There is 27 Curves going up and traffic moves very slow as you have large Semi trucks going back and forth to Argentina. It is also the highway that takes you to the ski area and the Inca Lagoon.
Written March 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David M
London64 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
Almost on a whim, while we were in Chile, we decided to take the bus from Santiago through the Andes to Mendoza in Argentina. The journey, with stops to pick up passengers and at border control, takes around six and a half hours. Judging from the horror stories from travellers who have used hire cars and been held up at the border for ridiculous amounts of time, it's the only way to travel. Once you're out of Santiago Ruta 60 passes through some of the world's most spectacular scenery (very few towns) and we were never bored for a moment. The route is pretty much that of the Aconcagua river, almost dried up in many places. A single track railway first took the same route; it's now in mournful ruins along with its tunnels and telegraph poles. The road that replaced it, 365 kilometres in all, must have taken years to build. The grandeur of the Andes is breathtaking. The mountains are of various types and textures, some snowcapped, soaring above us. At one point a gorge gaped below us. The main destination for many travellers in the ski resort of Portillo, closed for the season when we were there. One of the most dramatic features, just before the border, is Los Caracoles, a zig-zag road up a mountain with around 30 curves. It's a splendid site to behold as you approach and see vehicles, looking like toys, slowly making their way up. San Francisco's Lombard Street, said to be the most crooked in the world, has only eight turns and is a fraction of the size. At the top a sign thanks you for visiting Chile and you pass into no man's land until the Argentinean frontier. The bus drove into a shed. Passport control was slow and it was now early evening and cold. Take jackets if you travel as we did in October. After the formalities you are expected to contribute to a whip-round for the staff. The first town in Argentina on route 7 is Uspallata. There are then more magnificent views of the Andes until the bus stops at Mendoza, our destination. We had time to walk to a restaurant and have dinner before getting back on the bus for the night-time trip back. The reclining seats helped. But of course we were woken for what turned out to be a much longer period - 2 hours - at the border. This included being lined up as though we were in an identity parade while every item of our luggage passed through security. I described it as Chilean torture. We arrived back in Santiago at 6.30am. I would strongly recommend spending at least one night in Mendoza and then travelling back during daytime. But despite the late night customs shenanigans, we still looked on this trip as one of the most enjoyable of our trip to Chile. Don't miss it.
Written December 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HotelierJohn
Ontario, Canada265 contributions
Feb 2017 • Couples
This is route unavoidable if you are driving to Mendoza, but if you are staying only in Chile, this is an ideal day trip from the Santiago area, with lunch at the beautiful Hotel Portillo -- which is open for meals year-round, while being the centrepiece of the continent's best alpine ski area. The scenery up and down is spectacular, and well worth paying Chile's road tolls.
Written February 12, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
janetiguana
Fairfax, VA21 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Visitors to Chile who plan to visit the ski resort at Portillo or travel through to Mendoza, Argentina, will likely take this route. The scenery alone is worth the trip: snow-capped peaks, sweeping valleys, hills dotted with cacti, flowers, etc.
While I highly recommend traveling this route, there are several things travelers should consider before hitting the road.
First, make sure your vehicle has good brakes. Most of the hairpin turns do not have guardrails. Also check the weather beforehand and take tire chains if necessary.
Next, watch your speed! I've been known to lead-foot it, but Los Caracoles is no place for speed demons. Also, water trickling down from the mountains can and does freeze on the roadway when the sun goes down, so watch out for black ice.
These few precautions will help keep you save to enjoy one of the most awe-inspiring drives I've ever experienced.
While I highly recommend traveling this route, there are several things travelers should consider before hitting the road.
First, make sure your vehicle has good brakes. Most of the hairpin turns do not have guardrails. Also check the weather beforehand and take tire chains if necessary.
Next, watch your speed! I've been known to lead-foot it, but Los Caracoles is no place for speed demons. Also, water trickling down from the mountains can and does freeze on the roadway when the sun goes down, so watch out for black ice.
These few precautions will help keep you save to enjoy one of the most awe-inspiring drives I've ever experienced.
Written September 16, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
avenabo
Granada172 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
We drove up to the Argeninian border on this road twice. The first time we did it in a snowstorm and the second in brilliant sunshine. The views are just breathtaking, but even in the snow it was an experience. Dont miss the lake behind the big hotel at Portillo, its exquisite.
Written September 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mncrbest
Stroud, UK591 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
One of the 'world roads' if ever there was.We hit the frontier early on a Sunday morning under a crystal blue sky and were the only ones in the shed/warehouse that is the formal entry into Argentina. Almost waved through by the sleepy border officials.
At the top of the Snail do make the effort to stop and have a good look at the 27 hairpins.This is the only pass for crossing between the two countries for some 250 miles either way north or south.At busy times it can take up to three hours to get through the border check point. Great fun soaking up the atmosphere and the pure mountain air.
At the top of the Snail do make the effort to stop and have a good look at the 27 hairpins.This is the only pass for crossing between the two countries for some 250 miles either way north or south.At busy times it can take up to three hours to get through the border check point. Great fun soaking up the atmosphere and the pure mountain air.
Written April 9, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Trypp Adams
Minneapolis, MN9,503 contributions
Feb 2019 • Solo
I took an overnight bus from Mendoza to Santiago and we wound down this after crossing the border. I had the front seat up top and even though you couldn't see far off in the distance you could feel yourself winding around the corners for a long time. Would be great in the daytime and heading west would offer the best views i think as you are going downhill that way.
Written March 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KimiK48
198 contributions
Dec 2017
Went here with bus from Santiago to Mendoza some years ago. It was a wonderful experience to watch the curves unfold and then to see the colors of the Andean mountains shift as you drove into Argentina. Unfortunately the bus broke down soon after passing the Argentinian border which was a bit of an adventure. However our excellent guide managed to get our small tour group a lift to the nearest village with another bus passing by. Felt really sorry for our bus driver who told us he had to stay in the bus overnight until spare parts could be delivered... But I guess incidents like this are not uncommon here.
I definitely recommend this route if you travel from Chile to Mendoza but wouldn't advise to drive yourself unless you are somewhat used to this type of roads and have a very good vehicle (plus the phone number to a reliable car support service)!
I definitely recommend this route if you travel from Chile to Mendoza but wouldn't advise to drive yourself unless you are somewhat used to this type of roads and have a very good vehicle (plus the phone number to a reliable car support service)!
Written November 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Olá, gostaria de saber se é necessário um carro com tração ou se um carro popular consegue fazer a travessia dos Andes. A estrada é ingrime?
Written November 23, 2018
soriasg
San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina
Hola Soy de Tucuman, Argentina y planeo hacer el cruce desde Uspallata a Los Andes en bicicleta, mi consulta es si en Los Andes cuentan con algún servicio de trasporte para regresar con las bicicletas a Uspallata??
Written January 25, 2018
Disculpa, pero desconozco si existe ese servicio en Los Andes, yo solo he ido de paso a esa ciudad, deberías ingresar a la página de la municipalidad, allí debería haber mas información.-
Written January 26, 2018
me gustaría saber si la ruta esta cortada por reparaciones en algún lugar
Written January 1, 2018
Normalmente en la ruta realizan reparaciones menores que no afectan mucho la circulación de los vehículos, en invierno es bueno consultar alguna página sobre el estado del tiempo, ya que cuando se producen nevazones cierran el paso Los Libertadores, en esa época es necesario llevar cadenas y elementos de emergencia.
Written September 6, 2018
Ruta llena de curvas, la mayoria de las veces la compartiras con grandes camiones. Bien señalizada. No encontraras un almacen ni restaurant hasta muchos kms mas adelante por el lado chileno, y hacia Argentina, solo unos pocos kms hasta llegar a aduana chilena. Vale la pena parar en centro de ski Portillo a admirar la laguna del Inca, maravillosa, mas aun en invierno. Cuidado al pasar los caracoles (curvas), se genera escarcha en el pavimento despues de haber viento blanco. El paisaje vale unas cuantas fotos.
Written March 15, 2016
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