Duration: 7 riding days
Level: Intermediate
Starting Point: San Martin de los Andes
Finnishing point: San Rafael, Mendoza
Description:
This exciting 7 day tour will take you northwards from our starting point in San Martin de los Andes in the verdant south in the province of Neuquen, to the arid northern province of Mendoza. Wherever possible we will take you on the road less travelled by and we can assure you, that in this remote region, you will find few fellow travellers, the challenges offered will be yours alone to savour and enjoy!
You have an opportunity to become acquainted with your bike when at the starting point of the tour at a small homestead on Lake Lolog, immediately to the north of San Martin de los Andes. From that moment on the adventure of the carefully planned mixed with the unexpected will provide you with an adventure you are unlikely to forget.
Through the rugged and unspoilt Pehuenia region ( named after the area’s unique Pehuen or monkey puzzle trees) we will guide you through unfailingly spectacular countryside, sometimes following bullock tracks, sometimes paths, at other times along the famous Ruta 40 graveled road. You will ford streams and ride along mountain tracks overlooking river ravines that can make your heart skip a beat. Mud flats extending as far as the eye can see, ending in mirages, set the scene for wheelies, figure eights and spraying one fellow travelers with mud! Up alongside the Domuyo volcano you will have the freedom to pick your own way over hard packed volcanic ash. Along the way you may pass an oil well, or remote small farms in the arid landscape reminiscent of the far west, picturing thin animals in old corrals, a gaucho out riding his horse. On another day the challenge is a roller coaster ride up and down a ski hill, shifting gears or putting on the breaks, experiencing the same high going down as you did going up.
Overnight accommodation is provided in basic but clean cabins where hot showers, good food and congenial company make up for any shortcomings in luxury, or at well organized campsites. Sitting around a campfire under the stars in the middle of nowhere, eating one of argentina’s famous “asados” (barbecues) is a memorable experience. One night is spent in a farm situated in a lovely irrigated valley in Neuquen where there is a swimming pool, strawberry fields and simple accommodation in a perfect setting. The last night of the tour takes you to the Atuel River Valley, a mecca for kayaking and rafting enthusiasts. As you arrive here you feel you have reached civilization, there are restaurants, hotels and you encounter people for the first time in days!
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