ARGENTINA ADVENTURES: CUYO

It is a demanding ride, due mainly to the itinerary drops. Anyhow, it is not necessary to be an expert rider since the local horses we use are expert enough in this type of riding. It requires very good health condition (see altitude sickness). This is the region where the Andes get its highest attitude in America. Several peaks surpass 6.000 meters and among them stands out the impressive figure of Mount Aconcagua the highest one in the Continent.

In Mapuche language, Cuyo means "sandy country" name that comes from the extreme aridity of the oriental ranges and semi plains extending to the west. The region is also known as the land of the sun and the good wine., due to the remarkable transparency of a sky that almost never has a cloud, and because of its reputed vineyards and wine cellars.

SAN JUAN & MENDOZA - We access this region through Mendoza and San Juan, both modern cities with an excellent tourist services infrastructure. They are only 169 kilometers apart, so to enter the region through a city an to exit it through the other one is a good choice, particularly when the itinerary includes activities in both zones, as we propose in our basic programs. There are also easy connections with Santiago de Chile, the capital of the neighbor country that stands a bit southern than Mendoza on the other flank of the Andes. From Mendoza westward we get into the mountain range. Puente del Inca, is located 170 km. far from Mendoza just at the foothills of the Aconcagua.

HIGH MOUNTAIN - None of the programs must be considered technical climbing since we are neither going to hang from a rope nor cross a complicated glacier. There are two matters to be carefully considered before deciding to take part in either of these trekking or ascension expeditions: first, the altitude we will attain is far greater than the altitude at which negative effects on human beings usually begin to be experienced. Those negative effects vary from constant headaches and difficulty breathing to serious metabolism disorders with risk of death. Therefore, in addition to the prerequisite of personal experience and/or preparation of the participants for high altitude, we take our time to accomplish each level of the ascensions and we include in the ascension programs several "acclimatization" days. The second fact to consider, particularly related to the Aconcagua ascension, is the unpredictable and quite often harsh climate associated with a high mountain environment. It means that participants must be physically and psychologically prepared to encounter extreme weather conditions that could force us to spend entire days within a tent or to even cancel our program.

TALAMPAYA & VALLE DE LA LUNA - At the boundaries of this region, 330 km. northeast of the city of San Juan, there are two well‑known tourist attractions that deserve a visit and are a classic complement to our trekking adventure; they are Valle della Luna and Talampaya. Both are considered very important paleontological and geological reserves due to the great amount of fossils found there and to the peculiar geographical formations that make up the landscape.

ACONCAGUA - The most renowned attractive of the region is undoubtedly Cerro Aconcagua. This mountain rises up to 6.969 meters. It is one of the most important mountains in the world and the highest one in the Western Hemisphere. Aconcagua means stony sentry. It is a mythical mountain for climbers all around the world. From 1883, when Paul Gustfeld, a German explorer reached at 6200 meters and spread notice of the real altitude of this mountain, uncountable expeditions try to conquer its summit till in 1897 the Swiss Mathias Zubringgen became the first climber to put a foot on it. Since them, several routes had been opened. Most of them are still technically demanding, but one route was found to be quite accessible for amateur climbers or mountain trekkers. 

MERCEDARIO - Cerro Mercedario, 6770 high, is 60 kilometers north from Mt.Aconcagua. It is the main scenery of our trekking and horse-riding programs and we offer also an ascent to its summit, comparable to that of Aconcagua. Besides the beauty of the scenery, several reasons induce us to choose this area for our programs: its excellent climate, with the best average number of clear days in the country, the remarkable unspoiled environment since it is quite inaccessible and outside the massive tourist circuit. To access the area we drive from San Juan 180 km. along a secondary road to El Barreal. This town is located close to a valley with a very peculiar morphology and colours. One or two times a year it rains, and the accumulated dust forms a vast mud field that when it gets dry becomes an amazing perfect plain.