Six-day road trip across The Pampas to the high Andes and the West deserts.
Approximate driving distance: 660 km
Optional: Cross the Andes mountain range to Chile and the Pacific Ocean.
7 day/8 nights | Argentina (optional extension to Chile)
At a glance
Our guided expedition through the Pampas is one of the most interesting routes to full explore in Argentina.
The vast and endless sea of green and cereals plantations is an evocation of the mythical world of the gaucho, lost more than a century ago, but whose tradition still lives on in the men of today.
Rich in folklore, history, and tradition, these truly flat plains are dotted with historic estancias,
Compare the easy routines with those stressing at the big Cites.
If you choose to face this almost infinite plain, you should know that the landscape of the Pampa is not an incredible place in itself, its uniformity and extension usually produce a feeling of monotony and boredom after a while, but after some times, this land exerts a fascination and a charm that will amaze you.
That immense endless loneliness has a magic and an absorbing charm.
It has always amazed us, it is difficult to explain, could be the excess, the immensity, the emptiness or the absence of limits.
This trip is spectacular all year round.
BUENOS AIRES - SAN ANTONIO DE ARECO
A short walk away, one of the oldest and most traditional towns in the Pampas, "the gaucho city" of San Antonio de Areco.
The gaucho spirit of the 18th century has been preserved in the narrow colonial streets, churches, bars and museums of the town.
Share a moment of relaxation in an authentic 200-year-old Gaucho bar known as a "pulpería".
Discover Argentine traditions; admire the work of master silversmiths and the skills of leather artisans.
You will be received and we will share dinner with a typical Argentine family (included in the price).
Suggested accommodation in a nice boutique hotel
Driving distance: 150 Km.
STAY AT A TRADITIONAL ESTANCIA
Learn about daily life in the heart of the Pampas.
Gauchos riding their horses are part of the usual landscape on the way.
Get to know the so-called “Estancias”, establishments on which the Argentine agro-export complex was built. These fields are the true agricultural engine of Argentina, probably the most productive in the world.
We recommend accommodation in a ranch that belongs to a traditional family, they produce livestock and grow sunflower, corn and soybeans.
Here they will be received as friends and will enjoy charming comfort, personalized attention and delicious homemade food, highlighting the traditional “asado”, barbecue. Enjoy riding with gauchos, riding in carriages and walking through the countryside at sunset.
Driving distance: 450 Km.
THE END OF THE PAMPAS
Around noon, you will reach the border of the Pampas and the beginning of the transition region to the Sierras (low-lying mountains).
"Desert" was called this land of ancient caciques, Indians and gauchos; it was the primitive frontier of civilization in European use, until the end of the 18th century. An ancient town that was the center of the search for gold during the Spanish conquest will be the place for lunch. The Indians, European settlers, and gauchos contested dominance of this region just 150 years ago.
Towards sunset, the expedition will progress through a different landscape, beautiful and serene mountain ranges with indigenous heritage sites of various original cultures.
Driving distance: 400 Km.
TO THE ANDES
After breakfast, the tour will continue towards the Andes.
Along the way, the impressive landscape of a mountain range known as Sierra de las Quijadas will transport you back millions of years in the history of the Earth.
A vast and beautiful space. A red background formed by cliffs and altars of different heights, make up this mini canyon comparable to the Grand Canyon of the USA, but without tourists.
Condors and other wild animals are very common in this National Park.
In the afternoon, arrive at Mendoza City, enjoy a glass of Malbec wine in one of the world's wine capitals.
Accommodation in a boutique Posada with a rustic yet elegant atmosphere, in the heart of a valley surrounded by vineyards. Here you will receive a careful personalized attention provided by their owners, taking care of every detail.
Driving distance: 400 Km.
MENDOZA
Let yourself be seduced and amazed by the highest peaks at the Continent in the Andes’s heart.
Mountains are painted with the color on the iron oxide, it is just beautiful!. There is an easy walk that loops to the lookout point of Cerro Aconcagua, touching 7,000 meters above sea level, the sight will be wowed you, simply beautiful!!!.
Be surprised by the geological formation “Puente del Inca”. (The Inca’s bridge) This area was occupied since pre-Columbian times. If you are a good wines lover, you can enjoy an experience that invites you to taste exquisite classics or varietals. Prepare to be greeted by a glass of Malbec wine at the wineries you visit.
Driving distance: 400 Km.
MENDOZA
Transfer to the airport.
The price includes:
Two drivers during the entire trip, all their expenses such as accommodation, food, beverages, etc, gasoline up to 1800 km and all car or van expenses.
Maximum 5 people.
It is not included
Meals during the expedition (except indicated).
Accommodation.
National Park entrance fee.
Other personal expenses.
Cross the Andes mountain range to Chile
One-day road trip from Mendoza city to La Serena port through Agua Negra Intl. Pass.
Specifies the complete crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean by a winding road through the Andes Mountains.
If possible (it can be used between November and April) we highly recommend the "Agua Negra" international pass, an incredible experience to cross the Andes at almost 4,800 meters.
The road is gravel, very rugged, winding and it demands the whole day to reach the Pacific Ocean but it is wide, safe and it is absolutely impressive. Not to be miss.
The landscapes are incredible; mountains of colors, as you go up you will be able to touch glaciers and suddenly, an emerald green lagoon. All the way you will not cease to be surprised.
Note: Possible extension to Talampaya National Park and Moon Valley
Driving distance: 660 Km.
Route of the Red Stones Deserts
Two-day road trip from Mendoza to Talampaya National Park and the Moon Valley, ending in San Juan city.
Total driving distance: 800 Km.
Get to know two national parks, a world heritage site and emblematic Route 40
Visit settings that look like something out of a science fiction movie.
Be amazed by the most imposing and curious forms that nature can take.
At the Talampaya Canyon, the imposing walls reach 150 meters in height and have sharp and clean cuts, the result of erosion caused by wind and rain.
Enjoy a unique landscape in the world, a gray desert landscape crossed by unreal rock formations called "Valley of the Moon", the lands of the largest dinosaurs found on the planet.
Note: It is possible to combine with the cross to The Andes to the Pacific Ocean through to “Agua Negra” Inernational pass (total driving distance Mendoza – La Serena: 1.100 km)
Cross the threshold into a lost world in “La Payunia” Volcanic Park.
Two-day road trip from Mendoza driving south to the Volcanic Natural Reserve
Driving distance: 960 Km.
Imagine entering a world in extinction or at its birth, or perhaps Earth in its infancy.
A strange desert landscape, where the force of the volcanoes flooded the territory with immense basalt mantles forming an extraterrestrial landscape.
More than 800 volcanic cones make up the area with the highest concentration of cones in the world.
Admire a landscape worthy of the Precambrian or some other planet with black sands, hills of iron origin and rivers of lava.
Be amazed by a sandy area whose blackness shines under the sun, but when the sky becomes cloudy it generates a daytime night.
A great variety of wild animals take refuge and constantly renew their life cycle in this protected natural area, among other guanacos, choiques, armadillos and Andean vizcachas.
