Location: The starting point is Malargüe, at the Argentinean province of Mendoza- in the heart of the Andes and the destination point is Curicó where we arrive crossing through Vergara Paso ( 2460 metres over the sea) the Andes mountains.
Duration: 9 days. The trip can be done only in January and February, due to the weather
and path conditions. From March to December this dirt road is closed to transit.
Set Departure Dates: January 17th to 26th & February 13TH to 23RD
Wednesday: Arrive Bue Meet & Greet and transfer (SIB) to your Hotel.
Thursday: ½ Day City Tour (SIB)
Friday: We leave Buenos Aires on friday afternoon, at 2p.m. on our van (Fiat Iveco carrying the mtbs with a bike trailler) Our meeting point is our office in Belgrano neighbourhood in Buenos Aires. If the client decides to fly, we’ll meet him at Mendoza´s or at San Rafael´s airport in Mendoza province (airplane fare not included). From Buenos Aires to Malargüe we have 1200km land transportation
Saturday: We arrive during the morning at Atuel´s river Canyon, where we do a 20km ride in the Pre-Andes region. We lunch close to the river and we leave towards Malargüe to arrive late afternoon. At night we enjoy the typical Argentinean barbecue. We stay at the local camping.
Sunday: First stage biking, we leave the last city (Malargüe) slowly heading south, over the famous road 40 that goes from Jujuy at the north of the country to Usuhahia in the very the south of the country with over 5000km. With the Andes Range on our right, we go over a paved road to the Chihuído Slope up hilling 550 metres in the first 30km until we arrive to enjoy lunch. Our support team prepares lunch every day and receives us in the middle of the Andes at midday and does the same for our night’s dinners and camps. Then we finish our stage at our camp by the Rio Grande at Bardas Blancas. Here we’ll spend our last civilized
night at this Border place. From now we won’t have more paved roads until the end of the trip.
Temperature will be around 30° during the day and it can be 0° at night.
 Sector: Malargüe - Bardas Blancas 66 km - 550 metres uphill
Monday: From the camp we take a detour to meet a spectacular cave located in the middle of the mountains, named "Witches Cave" where legend says that two women hided from local Indians two centuries ago. Up hilling takes 11km and 420 metres and when we arrive we switch our cycling helmets for exploring ones, we take flash lights and a jacket due to the lower temperatures we’ll find inside the cave and we go for a one hour excursion, where local guides will explain us all about the cave, mineral, legends etc. Down hilling from the cave it´s a lot of fun and then in the afternoon we bike from Bardas Blancas to Las Loicas, the last Argentinean border control. The path is wide and always having a wonderful blue and cold river aside. Customer can choose between cycling ahead just looking for a sportive performance or doing it in the rear, just more relaxed. We usually use two support vehicles: the big minibus will escort us with our equipment and the other will go ahead to prepare the meals and the camp. We spend the night at a local "Puesto".
Sector: Bardas blancas - Caverna de las Brujas - Las Loicas 58km - 620 metres uphill
Tuesday: After passing local argentinian border control, we cross the Chico river, and we start to bike on the Grande river´s left, that runs by the Grande Valley. Surrounded by incredible awesome landscapes, amazing views, strange rock shapes we find how the river becomes more clear as soon as we bike towards the Andes. We´ll cross big sand fields, bike long straight paths and may be if we are lucky we´ll watch a condor flying by the mountains near theirs nests. The breathtaking landscape at this moment is arid and lonely, peaks are still covered by snow and we´ll camp by the Montañes river. That night temperature can reach 0° degrees.
Sector: Las Loicas - Río Montañes 53km - 250 metres uphill
Wednesday: We start early this short but strong stage that will take us to the incredible sulphur hot baths leaning under the Peteroa Volcano, that was alive during the '90s. This stage will face bikers to the strong wind, hard uphills, melting tinny rivers and no shade during the whole day, but at the same time will allow them to get into the heart and the spirit of the mountains. Our die hard cycling spirit will keep us cycling! We´ll find volcanic black stones and volcanic ashes by the road and while getting closer to the camp, we´ll see the remaining snowed peaks from the winter. Under a glacier and by the hot baths our support team will receive us with the already set camp, to enable us to enjoy the Andes gift and have a hot bath!!
Sector : Río Montañes - Termas del Azufre 47km - 570 metres uphill
Thursday: We can define this day with emotion and excitation due to finish the uphilling and leave Argentina, to finally cross the border, get into Chile and start the amazing downhill. After 14km we´ll find the border military control and the maximum height at 2465 metres over the sea level. Then prepare yourself for one of the most exciting downhill you´ll ever do on a mountain bike! The zig-zag curved downhill path will allow us to see an spectacular view and we´ll arrive at the camp placed by the Teno river, that is usually used for Olympic canoeing training teams for its great conditions.
Sector: Termas del Azufre - Río Teno 41km - 65 metres uphill - 1185 metres downhill
Friday: Last stage of the Andes Challenge that keep us biking downhill, though it´s a hard day too, due to rocks over the path. We start early to be able to enjoy the swimming pool at the hotel where we´ll be lodged. Landscape is completely changed, we already left the dry and no vegetation mountain landscape to arrive this humid, green forests, white water rivers one. After crossing Los Queñes town we reach the paved road with some happiness, to cycle the last 14km until arrive the City. Our support team will be waiting us at the local Centre Square to have lunch & celebrate with champagne for our trip! After that we load the bikes on the trailer and we head to the hotel to have some relax and a hot shower. Free afternoon, swimming pool and diner at the same hotel.
Sector: Río Teno - Curicó 74km - 1020 metres downhill
Saturday: We leave Curicó on our Minibus towards Santiago de Chile (187km). We arrive at midday and we´ll have free day for visiting, shopping or relaxing at the 5 stars hotel. We dinner at a local restaurant.
Sunday: The ones returning to Argentina must have to wake up very early to leave towards the Las Cuevas Paso (see Mount Aconcagua, the highest in America with 6959metres) and do a whitewater rafting excursion in the afternoon. In the evening we depart towards Buenos Aires. The ones staying in Santiago will be take to the local airport to take the flight home.
Arrive Buneos Aires Check in selected hotel B&B.
Monday: Bue at leisure or optional tour
Tuesday: Bue at leisure or optional tour
Wednesday: Transfer to airport for flight to RSA
NB: Tour can be shorter if clients leaves on Sunday by plane to Bue (The extra cost of Air ticket is not taken into account), The client can fly into Bue and leave on a Sunday to RSA instead of Wednesday. If plane is not required, land transportation is about 18 hours
Please Note:
 Land transportation in exclusive Minibus 15pax (w/tv & video)
Mountain bike transportation
All meals (includes hotel and restaurant ones, we exclude the ones on transit)
Medical insurance
Camp, tents, cooking equipment and dishes
Mechanical assistance
Support vehicle during the trip
Bilingual guide with communication equipment
Two nights in 4 & 5 * hotel (Curicó and Santiago de Chile)
Rafting in Mendoza's river with Betancourt Rafting for passengers returning to Argentina via road
Extra bike
NB:
The group will be minimum 6 passengers and maximum 12 passengers
Subject to Special conditions apply!
|
