Plan on about 9 h 12 min of driving for the 450-mile (725 km) trip from Neuquén to Esquel, before any stops.
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 | 450 mi (725 km) |
|---|---|
| Time at the wheel, no stops | 9 h 12 min |
| Main roads, in order | RN22 → RN237 → RN40 → RN259 |
| Provinces on the route | Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 18.0 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 9 |
The Neuquén–Esquel drive in a few lines
RN237 (224 mi) and RN40 (183 mi) carry about 90% of the 450 miles. It runs through 3 provinces: Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut. Of the 9 stops listed below, 2 are within a mile of the road.
The route from Neuquén to Esquel, road by road
| 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 | 260–443 | 183 | Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut |
| RN259 | 443–450 | 7 | Chubut |
- 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)
- Mile 352 of this route: Río Negro → Chubut (province line)
Places worth a stop between Neuquén and Esquel
- 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 Río Azul - Lago Escondido (mile 328), Reserva El Guadal (mile 341), Lago Puelo National Park (mile 355)
- Museums and history: Ernesto Bachmann Paleontological Museum (mile 52), Cathedral of Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi (mile 273), Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia (mile 273), Museo Leleque (mile 398)
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.
Cathedral of Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi
Close to Nahuel Huapi Lake, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Nahuel Huapi is the main Catholic cathedral of San Carlos de Bariloche, set amid gardens on a large plot.
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 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.
Lago Puelo National Park
Covering 276.74 square kilometers in northwestern Chubut, Lago Puelo National Park is an Argentine national park in Patagonia.
Museo Leleque
Near kilometer 1440 of Ruta Nacional 40 in Leleque, Chubut, this history museum opened in 1998 in the steppe at the foot of the Andes, about 100 m from the tracks of La Trochita.
More drives to Esquel
- Rawson to Esquel
- Puerto Madryn to Esquel
- Temuco to Esquel, Argentina
- Puerto Montt to Esquel, Argentina
- Valdivia to Esquel, Argentina
- Puerto Varas to Esquel, Argentina
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 does it take to drive from Neuquén to Esquel?
About 9 h 12 min of driving without stops, over 450 miles.
How far is Esquel from Neuquén by car?
About 450 miles (725 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.
What does the U.S. travel advisory say about the Neuquén to Esquel drive?
The U.S. State Department rates Argentina Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions. Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Neuquén to Esquel use?
In order: RN22, RN237, RN40 and RN259. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles for each one.
Where can you stop on the way from Neuquén to Esquel?
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.