Mendoza launches Mendoza VanLife program for motorhome tourists

In Argentina, illegal entry of 4x4 convoys into the Batea Mahuida Natural Protected Area has been reported. Local authorities say groups of SUVs, including tourists from Brazil, access restricted zones such as El Arco and Laguna Corazón, causing environmental damage. Lorenzo Lorente, president of the Villa Pehuenia Volunteer Firefighters Association, stated that caravans of up to 20 vehicles operate and avoid official rescue services to evade detection. This year, no access control has been implemented at the site, worsening the problem.

Camila, a former office worker from Neuquén, converted an old Traffic van into a motorhome and lives in Patagonia on a budget of under 200,000 pesos per month. Her main expenses include fuel (60,000–80,000 pesos), food (45,000–55,000 pesos), and gas and maintenance (20,000–30,000 pesos). She earns income through photography, writing trail guides, and bartering services for accommodation, while using free campsites and municipal showers.

The municipality of Puerto Madryn has stepped up inspections of motorhomes and travel trailers on Hansen Street following resident complaints. Local regulations permit parking from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. but prohibit overnight stays. Traffic director Gustavo Fernández said night patrols enforce the ordinance. Authorities are also working to remove a motorhome occupied by a homeless person, coordinating with community and social services.

Pozi (or Poze), a dog known as a 'gas station attendant' in Campinas, died while traveling by trailer/motorhome in Patagonia, Argentina. She went missing on July 12 near El Bolsón; search was called off on July 18.

Gustavo Fuentes, a resident of Esquel, was found dead in his motorhome in downtown San Martín de los Andes. An autopsy determined the cause of death as a heart attack. Inside the vehicle, his six-year-old golden retriever was found, having stayed by his side. The dog had gone without food or water for about three days before being placed with a new family.

A family of three — an Argentine from Córdoba, his Chilean wife, and their daughter born in Argentina who spent part of her childhood in Brazil — travels in a motorhome purchased in Brazil. They have toured several provinces of Argentina and Chile, and lived in Brazil for four years. The daughter studies remotely at a school in Santo Pipó and occasionally attends in person.