In early January the wind on southern Ruta 40 can push a loaded bike half a lane sideways. In late March, on the same road, you eat lunch outside in a T-shirt. Pick your region and see all twelve months at a glance: daylight, temperatures, wind, crowds, and what opens and closes.
The longest window in Patagonia: workable from October to April, with a reliable core from mid-November through March. Cardenal Samoré is the most dependable crossing in the south. This is where our Andes Crossing rides.
Warmest and longest days, every pass open, every operator at capacity. Also Argentine and Chilean summer vacation: lodging around the lakes books months ahead, and the wind is the strongest of the year.
Same as January: reliable weather, long days, peak crowds and peak wind. Fine if your two weeks land here; book every night by October.
The sweet spot. The wind drops after the first week, crowds vanish after March 10 when schools restart, and lenga turns yellow and red from mid-month. Villa La Angostura and Huilo-Huilo at their best.
The first two weeks are often the best pure riding of the year: crisp, calm, empty, peak autumn colour. From April 15 the first snow hits the high passes, Samoré can close for a day at a time, and seasonal lodging shutters. Check the Semana Santa dates.
Passes close for snow, sometimes for days. Bariloche stays functional, but a full lakes loop is off. Short day rides for experienced winter riders only.
Winter. Cardenal Samoré clears quickly after storms but sees intermittent closures. The daily weather window is roughly 10 am to 3 pm and flips without warning.
Ski season at Cerro Catedral keeps Bariloche busy with hotels and food, and roads plowed. The rest of the region is a parked bike waiting for a storm to pass.
Still winter, still ski crowds in town. Samoré keeps closing intermittently through August.
Late winter. Lodging outside the ski towns is still shut and the passes are not dependable yet.
Early and risky, but almost empty. Most passes are clear by mid-month; Samoré can still get spring snow that closes it for 24 to 48 hours. Overnight frost is routine. Works for a shorter trip focused on the lakes, which is exactly our Andes Crossing loop.
The season wakes up. Lodging is back open by the first week, Samoré is clear full-time, and highs climb to 18 °C by month end. November 20 to December 18 is one of the best windows on the calendar.
It all comes together: by December 15 every route is open. About 15 hours of daylight at the solstice. Quiet until the last ten days, when the Argentine summer break starts.
A tighter window: late November to early April. The problem here is never rain but wind and distance, with fuel gaps of 200 km and no shelter on the steppe.
Warm and fully open, but the wind peaks: sustained 60 to 80 km/h on the steppe between Perito Moreno and El Calafate, gusts over 100. El Chaltén hostels book three to four months ahead; Torres del Paine campsites six months out.
Same as January. Reliable weather, exhausting wind, everything reserved months ahead. Riders who have done Patagonia twice rarely pick it.
The month most repeat riders choose. The wind drops after the first week, the crowds after March 10, and the lenga turns from mid-month with peak colour between March 25 and April 10.
The first half can be superb: calm, crisp, empty, full colour. Nights get cold fast and daylight is down to about 11 hours. From mid-month seasonal lodging and fuel stops start closing along Ruta 40.
Small towns along Ruta 40 close their hotels and restaurants. Fuel stations cut hours or close one day a week. The margin for error shrinks to nothing.
Winter. Not a serious option for a motorcycle trip.
Winter. Not a serious option for a motorcycle trip.
Winter. Not a serious option for a motorcycle trip.
Late winter; infrastructure still shut.
Too early. Highs in single digits, and around half the hostels, hotels and restaurants in the deep south stay closed until November.
Still cold, nights near freezing, and the Perito Moreno area can see late snow into mid-month. The south wakes up later than the lakes.
From December 15 the full loop works in reasonable conditions. Over 16 hours of daylight near the solstice. Torres del Paine and El Chaltén need reservations even in early December.
Temperate rainforest, fjords and glaciers. Rain is the constant variable even in high summer, long gravel sections south of Coyhaique turn slick when wet, and the ferries run on summer schedules that thin out fast once April arrives.
Driest spells of the year but still regular rain. Ferries need reservations days in advance and Santiago heads south: nothing can be improvised.
Same as January: the most usable weather, with every ferry and bed reserved weeks ahead.
Calmer, quieter, and the valleys around Futaleufú turn with the lenga from mid-month. Ferries still run summer frequencies through most of the month.
Ferries drop to off-season frequency: you can wait a full day for a boat that runs several times a day in January. Smaller passes get cut off after mid-month.
North of Coyhaique the road is technically open but often reduced to one-lane ice and mud, with ferries on skeleton schedules. South of Coyhaique, large sections become impassable.
Winter. Persistent rain, ice and skeleton ferry schedules.
Winter. Persistent rain, ice and skeleton ferry schedules.
Winter. Persistent rain, ice and skeleton ferry schedules.
Late winter; ferries and lodging not back yet.
Too early for the Austral: the infrastructure is not there yet.
The season starts; the overlap with the Argentine side begins in the last week. Plan it as the northern half only.
Open end to end from mid-month. Quiet until the Chilean summer break starts in the last ten days.
The calendar runs the other way round. High, arid and subtropical: dry, clear and cold at night from April to October, sporadic summer bursts from December to February that make dirt roads slippery. Highs below are for the Salta valley; on the Puna, above 3,500 m, expect 10 to 15 °C less. This is where our Andean Highlands rides.
Summer bursts: short, heavy rains that rejuvenate the salt flats and high plateaus and turn dirt roads slippery. Hot in the valleys. Argentine summer holidays bring crowds to the Quebrada.
Still the rainy season, and Carnival fills the Quebrada de Humahuaca. Ride with margin for washed-out stretches.
The rains taper off and the landscape is at its greenest. Transitional month, with reduced temperature swings.
Temperate days, clear skies, dry roads and a landscape still green from the summer rains. Check Semana Santa: Salta is a domestic travel peak that week.
Dry, clear and comfortable, with cool nights. One of the two best windows of the year for the Highlands loop.
Winter in the Northwest means crisp days, clear air and nights well below zero on the Puna. Thermal layers and hydration matter more than rain gear.
Same crisp, dry winter weather, but the Argentine winter school break makes Salta and the Quebrada the busiest they get. Book ahead.
Dry and clear, days warming up, nights still cold at altitude. Wind picks up on the Puna in the afternoons.
Spring: warm days, dry roads, the end of the cold nights. With April and May, the best riding of the year here.
Warm and still dry; the last reliable month before the summer rains. Afternoon wind on the Puna.
Hot in the valleys and the first storms can arrive late in the month. Early November is still fine.
The summer rains start. Dirt roads turn slippery after a burst; plan the high sections for the morning.
The tightest window of all: mid-December through March for stable conditions. The further south you go, the shorter the season.
The most stable weather of the year at 55°S, which still means wind and sudden showers. Over 17 hours of daylight. Ushuaia is at capacity with cruise and summer traffic.
Same as January: the best this latitude offers, and the busiest.
Cooler and quieter, with the lenga turning from mid-month. Still stable enough for the loop.
Early April can work; after mid-month the first snow reaches the passes and the season is over.
Winter. Ushuaia stays open thanks to Cerro Castor, but the roads are not a motorcycle proposition.
Winter. Fewer than 8 hours of daylight.
Winter. Fewer than 8 hours of daylight.
Winter.
Late winter; snow still on the passes.
Too early: cold, unstable, lodging and services still on winter footing.
Spring at 55°S is cold and windy. Possible for a short visit from the north; not yet a stable window.
From mid-December the season is on. Daylight near the solstice is the longest in Argentina.
Our Andes Crossing runs the northern Lakes District loop and the Andean Highlands rides the Northwest in its dry season. Ask us which 2027 departure fits the month you can travel.
