{"id":243300,"date":"2026-04-08T19:42:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:42:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/?p=243300"},"modified":"2026-04-08T19:42:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T17:42:50","slug":"between-chile-and-argentina-paso-pehuenche-opens-up-to-new-tourism-routes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/between-chile-and-argentina-paso-pehuenche-opens-up-to-new-tourism-routes\/","title":{"rendered":"Between Chile and Argentina, Paso Pehuenche opens up to new tourism routes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Long considered a secondary crossing in the Andes between <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/p\/chile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Chile<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/p\/argentina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Argentina<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>, <strong>Paso Pehuenche<\/strong> is gradually establishing itself as a tourist route. <strong>Between the Maule region<\/strong> and <strong>Malarg\u00fce<\/strong>, both countries are now working to develop shared itineraries, building on complementary experiences on either side of the mountain range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agreement signed between <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sernatur.cl\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Sernatur<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> <strong>Maule <\/strong>and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.malargue.gov.ar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">municipality of Malarg\u00fce<\/mark><\/a><\/strong>, during the 62nd Binational Meeting of Paso Pehuenche, formalizes efforts that have been underway for several years. The goal is to transform this corridor\u2014still largely used as a seasonal crossing point\u2014into a true tourism route. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Growing traffic<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Between January and October 2025, nearly 190,000 people and 47,500 vehicles crossed <strong>Paso Pehuenche<\/strong>. This increase confirms the evolving role of the crossing, now recognized as an increasingly important entry point for overland tourism in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d80367.23274258216!2d-70.45628263456709!3d-35.97559076310545!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x96701f913862b461%3A0xf2ad86477ad16bdb!2sPaso%20Pehuenche!5e0!3m2!1sfr!2sco!4v1775660443945!5m2!1sfr!2sco\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" style=\"border:0;\" allowfullscreen=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>To support this trend, authorities have begun joint efforts to market the destination. The three-year agreement includes the creation of jointly designed itineraries, coordinated participation in trade fairs, and information sharing to refine commercial strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crossings such as <strong>the Planch\u00f3n-Vergara<\/strong> pass complement this network, with the aim of offering routes that combine landscapes, mountains, and activities on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Experiences on both sides of the Andes<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The corridor operates on a clear complementarity between the two territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Maule (Chile), <strong>Talca <\/strong>serves as a hub, offering 3- to 5-star hotels as well as rural accommodations in <strong>Curic\u00f3 <\/strong>and <strong>Linares<\/strong>. Connectivity via <strong>Route 5<\/strong> to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/santiago-de-chile-the-capital-of-a-thousand-faces\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Santiago<\/a><\/strong>, supported by a secondary road network, provides easy access to wine valleys and pre-Andean areas. Visitors can enjoy <strong>vineyard tours and tastings<\/strong>, relax in the <strong>thermal baths<\/strong> of <strong>Panim\u00e1vida <\/strong>and <strong>Quinam\u00e1vida<\/strong>, or engage in <strong>water activities<\/strong> on the lakes <strong>Colb\u00fan and Vichuqu\u00e9n<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the Argentine side, <strong>Malarg\u00fce <\/strong>focuses more on <strong>nature and adventure experiences<\/strong>. The <strong>resorts of <a href=\"https:\/\/laslenas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Las Le\u00f1as<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.realdelpehuenche.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Real del Pehuenche<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> offer infrastructure for winter sports, including ski schools and equipment rentals. Visitors can go <strong>trekking <\/strong>on the <strong>Malacara volcano<\/strong>,<strong>horseback riding<\/strong>, or<strong>sport fishing<\/strong> in the <strong>Llancanelo lagoon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.auger.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Pierre Auger Observatory<\/mark><\/a><\/strong> offers guided tours accessible to all ages, while local gastronomy\u2014centered on goat, trout, and artisanal cheeses\u2014is integrated into the itineraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"primavera 2025\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aFPjnF0uY8k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:60px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A smoother border, a practical lever<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Border crossing remains a key factor in the overall experience. The integration of solutions such as biometrics, pre-authorization systems, and secure data exchange is already helping reduce waiting times and simplify procedures. These developments enable smoother and more predictable travel, both for visitors and operators.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:70px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A model set to expand<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond traffic volumes, the Maule\u2013Malarg\u00fce case shows how a little-used route can gradually become part of tourism itineraries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This type of initiative could be replicated at other borders across Latin America, where complementarities already exist but remain underutilized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The objective is simple: transform a crossing point into a travel experience, and encourage visitors to extend their journey on both sides of the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><em>Photo: Sernatur <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paso Pehuenche is gaining importance between Chile and Argentina, with the development of shared itineraries between Maule and Malarg\u00fce.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":243287,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16783],"tags":[38058,38049,18121,38051,38057,38014,38045,38052,32289,38011,38054,38053,38017,38047,38048,38016,38056,38046,38055,38050],"class_list":["post-243300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-andes-destinations-chile-argentina-2","tag-andes-tourism-2","tag-andes-travel","tag-argentina-nature-tourism-2","tag-binational-tourism-south-america-2","tag-chile-argentina-itineraries","tag-chile-argentina-tourism-2","tag-chile-thermal-baths-2","tag-chile-wine-tourism","tag-cross-border-tourism","tag-la-payunia-reserve-3","tag-las-lenas-ski-2","tag-malargue-argentina-tourism","tag-maule-chile-tourism-2","tag-maule-malargue-2","tag-mountain-tourism-latin-america","tag-nature-and-mountain-travel-latin-america-2","tag-paso-pehuenche-tourism-2","tag-pierre-auger-observatory-tourism-2","tag-trans-andean-route-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243300"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243307,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243300\/revisions\/243307"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visit-latin-america.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}