Motion Sickness: Los Andes to Mendoza Drive
The Los Andes to Mendoza trip covers about 165 miles (265 km) and takes around 4.5 hours. The terrain is high Andes switchback crossing, which makes it a high motion sickness risk route.
On the Chilean side of the Paso Internacional Los Libertadores, Ruta 60 climbs the Los Caracoles wall, a stack of 29 switchbacks rising toward the Cristo Redentor tunnel at about 3,200 m. The Los Andes to Mendoza crossing is around 266 km, winding for much of the way through the mountains and the Uspallata valley. Trucks crawl up the switchbacks, so expect slow, stop and go cornering.
Key facts
- The Los Andes to Mendoza trip covers about 165 miles, which is 265 km.
- It takes about 4.5 hours.
- The terrain is high Andes switchback crossing, which puts the route in the high band for motion sickness.
- 3 sections are flagged as motion sickness pressure points, starting with Los Caracoles switchback wall.
- Steadiest place to sit: Front passenger seat, eyes up the valley rather than at the wall.
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Where Motion Sickness Hits Hardest
The sections most likely to trigger motion sickness are: Los Caracoles switchback wall (29 bends), Cristo Redentor tunnel approaches, RN7 curves through the Uspallata valley. Border formalities can add one to four hours, longest on weekends. In winter, chains can be mandatory and the pass closes for days after storms, so check crossing status before setting out. Fuel up in Los Andes or Uspallata; services are sparse at altitude.
Season and closures: Winter storms can close the crossing, sometimes for days; the Chilean border authority publishes crossing status and winter clearing plans. pasosfronterizos.gob.cl
Measured bends
We counted every bend on this route from OpenStreetMap data: 273.3 km, ranked 16 of 26 road trips for bends per km.
- Bends
- 157
- Bends per km
- 0.57
- Hairpins
- 28
- Busiest 10 km
- 39 bends
Route facts, checked at the source
Each fact below was checked against the linked official or operator page.
- Curves: The Los Caracoles sector is about 10 km with 29 curves on Ruta 60 CH. pasosfronterizos.gob.cl
- Border status: Paso Los Libertadores status and winter clearing plans are published by the Chilean border authority. pasosfronterizos.gob.cl
Best Seat for Motion Sickness on This Drive
Front passenger seat, eyes up the valley rather than at the wall.
Going on the Los Andes to Mendoza drive? Set it up first
Set it up before you pull out, not at the first lay-by. Dizzout is a drug-free app that plays precisely calibrated audio through any headphones you already own, wired or Bluetooth, with relief in about 90 seconds. Free to try.
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Prevention Tips for the Los Andes to Mendoza Drive
- Have Dizzout downloaded before you start, so it is ready the moment symptoms begin
- If you plan to take an over-the-counter tablet such as Bonine or Dramamine, those need 30 to 60 minutes before departure to do anything. Ask a pharmacist first
- Eat lightly before the drive; a heavy meal makes symptoms worse for most people
- Take breaks every 90 minutes minimum on long stretches
- Keep the car cool and well-ventilated
- Avoid reading or phone use in the back seat
Which of those actually hold up when they are tested is a separate question, and we keep the answers in one place: the remedy verdicts, ranked by evidence.
Frequently asked questions
How many curves does Los Caracoles have?
29 curves over about 10 km, per the Chilean border authority, stacked into the famous wall visible from the valley below. Twenty nine sounds tame next to alpine passes until you add the altitude, the trucks and the queues; taken together the wall earns its reputation.
Where do you check if the Chile Argentina pass is open?
The Chilean border authority publishes crossing status, and in winter that check is not optional: storms close the pass, sometimes for days, and the authority's clearing plans are the real schedule. Check the day before and the morning of; a closed pass means a very long detour.
Why does the climb feel stop and go?
Trucks. Heavy freight crawls up the switchback wall, and everything behind it either crawls too or overtakes in short bursts, so passengers get surging, braking and cornering in alternation. That rhythm is harder on stomachs than steady bends. Leave gaps, settle into truck pace, and the wall becomes much gentler.
How high is the crossing?
High Andes: the tunnel crossing sits far above the valley floors, high enough that altitude can add its own light headedness and nausea to the switchback effects. Take the climb unhurried, keep water going around the car, and read nausea that persists at a standstill as altitude rather than motion.
How long does the Los Andes to Mendoza drive take?
About 4.5 hours of driving, plus border formalities that commonly add one to four hours, longest on weekends and holidays. That border stop is also the recovery window: papers, food, horizon, stretch. Plan the day assuming the crossing takes what it takes, and nobody arrives in Mendoza frazzled.
What's the fastest way to stop car sickness mid-drive?
Once symptoms have started, pills won't work fast enough - they take 30+ minutes to kick in. The fastest options mid-drive are sound therapy via headphones (Dizzout states relief in about 90 seconds), pulling over for fresh air, and looking at the distant horizon.
Other drives we have looked at
Route facts last checked September 2026. Roads, rules and seasons change; the linked official pages are the live word.