By road, Neuquén and El Bolsón are about 349 miles (561 km) apart, or roughly 7 h 15 min of driving.
Full advisory: Argentina. Advisory issued: Argentina July 10, 2026; checked October 10, 2026.
On the roads, the State Department says:
- Argentina: “Gas stations are often far apart and not always easily identified from the main roadway.”
| Distance by road | 349 mi (561 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 7 h 15 min |
| Main roads, in order | RN22 → RN237 → RN40 |
| Provinces on the route | Neuquén, Río Negro |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 13.9 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Driving Neuquén to El Bolsón: the shape of the trip
RN237 (224 mi) and RN40 (89 mi) carry about 90% of the 349 miles. It runs through 2 provinces: Neuquén, Río Negro. Of the 8 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
Which roads connect Neuquén and El Bolsón
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | Province |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–3 | 3 | Neuquén |
| RN22 | 3–36 | 33 | Neuquén |
| RN237 | 36–260 | 224 | Neuquén, Río Negro |
| RN40 | 260–349 | 89 | Neuquén, Río Negro |
- Mile 227 of this route: Neuquén → Río Negro (province line)
- Mile 231 of this route: Río Negro → Neuquén (province line)
- Mile 235 of this route: Neuquén → Río Negro (province line)
- Mile 240 of this route: Río Negro → Neuquén (province line)
- Mile 261 of this route: Neuquén → Río Negro (province line)
What to see on the way from Neuquén to El Bolsón
- Right off the route (under 1 mile): Cañadón Escondido (mile 55), Lago Guillelmo (mile 297)
- Nature and outdoors: Cañadón Escondido (mile 55), Lago Guillelmo (mile 297), Área natural protegida Cipresal de las Guaitecas (mile 325), Área natural protegida Río Azul - Lago Escondido (mile 328), Reserva El Guadal (mile 341)
- Museums and history: Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum (mile 52), Bariloche Paleontological Association (mile 273), Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia (mile 273)
Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum
A municipal museum in Villa El Chocón, the Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum covers the paleontology, archaeology and history of the town and its surroundings.
Cañadón Escondido
Cañadón Escondido is a small canyon in Villa El Chocón, in Argentina's Neuquén Province.
Bariloche Paleontological Association
Founded in 1977, the museum of the Bariloche Paleontological Association is a nonprofit that preserves and shares local and provincial fossil heritage in San Carlos de Bariloche.
Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia
Set in the Civic Center of Bariloche, the Francisco P. Moreno Museum of Patagonia covers natural history and cultural anthropology.
Lago Guillelmo
Inside Nahuel Huapi National Park in Río Negro's Bariloche department, Lago Guillelmo is a glacial lake ringed by Andean Patagonian forest that drains into Lake Mascardi.
Área natural protegida Cipresal de las Guaitecas
About 30 km north of El Bolsón, east of Route 40, the Cipresal de las Guaitecas protected area lies within Patagonia's Andean forest ecoregion in the Bariloche department.
Área natural protegida Río Azul - Lago Escondido
Near El Bolsón, in the Bariloche department of Patagonia, the Río Azul - Lago Escondido protected natural area covers Andean Patagonian forest.
Reserva El Guadal
Near Mallín Ahogado and El Bolsón, Reserva El Guadal is a protected forest reserve created to preserve native woodland and support research on sustainable resource management.
When you get to El Bolsón
Parque Serrano
Parque Serrano is a municipal protected natural area in El Bolsón, in Argentine Patagonia, covered by the Andean Patagonian forest ecoregion.
More drives to El Bolsón
- San Carlos de Bariloche to El Bolsón
- San Martín de los Andes to El Bolsón
- Comodoro Rivadavia to El Bolsón
- Trelew to El Bolsón
- Rawson to El Bolsón
- Puerto Madryn to El Bolsón
From Neuquén to other places in Argentina
- Neuquén to San Antonio Oeste
- Neuquén to Santa Rosa
- Neuquén to Balneario El Cóndor
- Neuquén to Sierra de La Ventana
- Neuquén to Puerto Madryn
- Neuquén to Rawson
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Neuquén to El Bolsón?
About 7 h 15 min of driving without stops, over 349 miles.
How far is El Bolsón from Neuquén by car?
About 349 miles (561 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Is it safe to drive from Neuquén to El Bolsón?
The U.S. State Department rates Argentina Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. Read the full advisory before you go.
Which highways go from Neuquén to El Bolsón?
In order: RN22, RN237 and RN40. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
What are good stops between Neuquén and El Bolsón?
Closest to the road: Cañadón Escondido (canyon, mile 55, 0.3 mi from the route); Lago Guillelmo (lake, mile 297, 0.4 mi from the route); Reserva El Guadal (park, mile 341, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route: at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on October 10, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.