Incorporation of sections of other highways into RN40, along with paving, is part of an Argentine government initiative to promote national tourism by drawing upon the legendary and some say mythical attraction attached to the route. The attraction is international in scope, and many websites around the world advertise the private and commercial adventures associated with travel on this roadway. There are a number of internationally important sites along this route.
Cueva de las Manos contains cave art dating back some 13,000 years.
Los Glaciares National Park, the second largest national park in Argentina, and the
Calchaquí Valleys also are near the route.
North . RN40 begins at the Bolivian border at La Quiaca. From there it goes west to San Juan de Oro, then turns south, parallel to the Andes, by
San Antonio de los Cobres and
Cachi and through the Calchaquí Valleys to
Cafayate, then via
Belén,
Villa Unión to
San Juan. From San Juan, RN40 is a busy highway to
Mendoza.
South ,
Río Negro. seen from Argentina's RN40 in
Santa Cruz. From Mendoza, RN40 continues south to Pareditas,
Malargüe,
Chos Malal, and
Zapala. After Zapala the rout goes to Junin de los Andes, and from there to San Martin de los Andes. Trough "La ruta de los siete lagos" goes to Villa la Angostura and then to Bariloche. It takes a route to the east of
Bariloche to
El Maitén and a junction with RN258 at Leleque. It then passes near
Esquel and continues by
Tecka,
José de San Martín, and
Alto Río Senguer to a junction with the RN43 at the town of
Perito Moreno. The road then enters the most remote part of its route. south of Perito Moreno is the junction with a side road to Cueva de las Manos, and farther is the tiny settlement of
Bajo Caracoles (population 100). After a further , there is a junction with the road to
Perito Moreno National Park, but there is no habitation apart from a police station and later an estancia until the small town of
Tres Lagos, some further south. From Tres Lagos, the road is paved to a junction east of
El Calafate and another junction at El Cerrito, where RN40 leaves the main highway to Rio Gallegos. The route then takes a roundabout route to Rio Gallegos through the town of
28 de Noviembre, where it turns east to follow the valley of the
Gallegos River. It reaches the Atlantic coast at Punta Loyola, at the mouth of the Gallegos River from Rio Gallegos. ==History==