If you drive from Río Gallegos along provincial route 253 and then turn to route 40, after 220 km. you arrive at Río Turbio. Along your way you will see a typical landscape from Patagonia Argentina, formed by a plateau crossed by transversal shallow water courses running in a west-east direction.

While you drive along this route you will cross the historical railway called Tren de la Trochita (narrow gauge train), famous for its services in the local mining activities. Finally you arrive at Rio Turbio, a village in the first slopes of the cordillera, known as Coal National Capital, with a population of some 8000 inhabitants, composed mainly by coal workers and employees.

The city is 9 km. from the Chilean frontier and 30 km. from Puerto Natales, traditional gateway to Torres del Paine, in Chile. Río Turbio area has a cold Andean weather, with stronger snow precipitations in winter that reach up to fifty centimetres.