About 30 kilometers east of El Calafate, northbound RN 40 covers 596 kilometers of rugged gravel road—scheduled to be completely paved within four years or so—in the Andes’ arid eastern foothills, before arriving at the cowtown of Perito Moreno near Lago Buenos Aires, the oasis of Los Antiguos, and the Chilean border town of Chile Chico.

For Patagonia travelers, arrow-straight RN 3 is the quickest ticket south, but visitors with their own wheels — whether two or four — should explore coastal Chubut’s dusty backroads.

The road may be paved and fuel much easier to come by than in the early days of peninsular travel, but Baja California remains a classic route for travelers who enjoy the thrill of a long road trip. All you need is ample time, a reliable vehicle, and an ability to cope with unpredictable situations.

Visitors with sturdy, high-clearance vehicles may be able traverse the Sierra de la Laguna in dry weather via a road that leaves Mexico 1 about 16 kilometers (10 mi) south of Miraflores (about 8 km/5 mi north of Santa Anita) near Km 55. Among gringo road hogs this route is often called the “Naranjas road”; the correct name is Ramal Los Naranjos (naranjo means “orange tree,” a probable reference to the many small citrus farms in the area).

Because parts of it may suffer from washouts, this is not a road to tackle during the rainy season (July–Sept.), and you should make inquiries at any time of year to determine whether the road is clear all the way.

Above Alajuela, the scenic drive up Poás Volcano takes you through quintessential coffee country, with rows of shiny dark-green bushes creating artistic patterns on the sensuous slopes. Farther up, coffee gives way to fern gardens and fields of strawberries grown under black shade netting, then dairy pastures separated by forests of cedar and pine.

There are three routes to Poás Volcano National Park. All lead via Poasito, the uppermost village on the mountain and a popular way station for hungry sightseers.

South of San José lies a little-touristed region of hidden valleys perfect for a full-day drive along the scenic “Route of the Saints,” so-called because most of the villages, which are hidden off the main road, are named after saints. These saintly villages can also be accessed by driving south from Cartago along the Pan-American Highway (Highway 2) and turning west at Enpalme or Cañon.

A day trip on the road between Bucerías and Punta Mita takes you past white-sand beaches, fishing villages, and waterfront palapa restaurants. A few miles north of Bucerías the Punta Mita highway splits left (west) and passes over Highway 200. Drivers, mark your mileage (or reset your odometer).

Within a mile (2 km), look downhill on the left and you’ll see the formerly drowsy, now developing, little town of Cruz de Huanacaxtle above a small fishing harbor. Although the town has stores, a good café, a few lodgings, and a protected boat and yacht anchorage, it lacks a decent beach.

If you’re driving to Barra de Navidad, note your odometer mileage (or reset your tripometer to 0) as you pass the Pemex gas station at Km 214 on Highway 200 at the south edge of Puerto Vallarta. In the open southern country, mileage and roadside kilometer markers are a useful way to remember where your little paradise is hidden.

The trip to Barra de Navidad can take as little as three hours if you drive straight through on Highway 200, or as long as you wish depending on the stops and side trips you choose to make. Either way, it's a scenic road trip.

There is a lot to see and do around Mérida: Maya ruins, colonial churches, cenotes, caves, bird-watching, mountain biking, snorkeling, and repelling, and more. Guided tours are a practical way—and in a few cases, the only way—to see and do it all. But don’t feel bound by set trips—small tour companies often customize outings to fit travelers’ particular interests and stamina.

If you are driving to Bermudian Landing or points north from downtown Belize City, leave on Freetown Road. You’ll pass through the intersection with Central American Boulevard (to the left) and Princess Margaret Drive (to the right). Continue straight out of town. As you cross this major intersection, the road becomes the Northern Highway; set your trip odometer just a couple of hundred yards farther, where the road begins a gentle bend to the right.