Tour South America In This Baller Mercedes School Bus

Offering a vastly superior alternative to road tripping across Argentina than attempting a Top Gear challenge, La Chanchita South American Tours just finished entirely renovating an old Mercedes school bus into something that's equal parts Airstream and hostel. Designed primarily for extreme sports enthusiasts and photographers who want to go deep into the Andes Mountains, it's got wood paneling, a full kitchen and a...wood burning stove? Yep, a wood burning stove. And it's ready to show you South America the right way. 

There's that stove. If you've ever seen Alive, you'll know how important heat can be in the Andes.

The vehicle itself was originally a 1966 Mercedes-Benz school bus, and on the outside it looks exactly like you'd expect a 47-year-old bus to look.

From a mechanical standpoint it's been thoroughly re-worked, so this hood-up view (hopefully) is a sight you'll only see when looking at how they built it.

The crew took on most of the renovations, cutting metal, stripping lead paint and making way for tons (literally, probably) of wood.

Really. It takes a lot of wood to line a vehicle that'll comfortably sleep five grown humans! This is old-school carpentry, too, not a thin veneer like you get on a luxury car.

The owners haven't said anything about the safety of using a gas burning stove around so much wood, but hey, it's probably fine, right?

The middle is equal parts sleeping quarters and lounge, and even boasts a removable table for mealtime. Which of course you can make on that gas burning stove, which makes the 500 liters of fresh water on board a little reassuring in case of emergencies.

For scheduling, there aren't any set times. Simply tell them where you want to go, and they'll pick you up at the airport, and make it happen.

Aaron Miller is the Rides editor for Supercompressor, and can be found on Twitter. He doesn't understand why you'd drive somewhere just to walk up a mountain.