Trekking Crossing the Andes (Piuquenes Pass)

Description

ITINERARY

DÍA 1: SANTIAGO / TERMAS DEL PLOMO
Cruzaremos Santiago para acceder por el Cajón del Maipo al embalse del Yeso. Bello Lago artificial que abastece de agua a Santiago. En el sector de San Gabriel la PDI nos dará el documento migratorio para ingresar a argentina. Posteriormente arribaremos a termas del Plomo en donde tendremos instalado nuestro campamento. Breve recorrido por los alrededores y Cena

DAY 3: TERMAS DEL PLOMO – PIUQUENES PASS – CALETON
We will have breakfast very early in the morning and begin our hike toward Piuquenes Pass. A zigzagging trail that quickly gains altitude will lead us to the Piuquenes Pass, located at an altitude of 4,200 meters. It is a challenging trail in some sections. The route descends along the eastern flank of the Andes mountain range along gentle paths that wind down the valley until we reach the Caletón area, our campsite. We rest and have dinner.

DÍA 3: TERMAS DEL PLOMO – PASO PIUQUENES- CALETON
Muy temprano por la mañana tendremos nuestro desayuno, para comenzar a caminar en dirección del paso Piuquenes. Un zigzagueante sendero que irá ganando rápidamente altura nos conducirá al paso Piuquenes ubicado a una altura de 4200 mts.Es un sendero exigente en algunos tramos. La ruta desciende por el flanco oriental de la cordillera de los Andes por suaves senderos que van ladereando valle abajo hasta alcanzar el sector del Caletón, nuestro campamento. Descanso y cena.

DÍA 4: CALETON – REAL DE LA CRUZ
Después de nuestro desayuno, continuaremos nuestro recorrido por el fondo del valle, muy cercano al río a veces. La cara sur este del cerro Marmolejo de 6.100 mts de altura nos impresionará por su belleza. Una rala vegetación de montaña dará más vida y alegrará nuestro recorrido. Seguiremos por el valle del Palomar hasta interceptar el río Tunuyan . Deberemos cruzar el Río montado a caballo. Arribo al refugio militar. Tarde de Descanso y cena.

DAY 6: REAL DE LA CRUZ – LA OLLA
After breakfast, we'll head slowly toward the La Olla area, aiming to shorten our journey for the next day. After 3 hours, we'll arrive at this point.

DÍA 6: REAL DE LA CRUZ – LA OLLA
Después de nuestro desayuno saldremos lentamente en dirección al sector de la Olla con la finalidad de acortar la jornada para el día siguiente. Después de 3 horas arribaremos a este punto

DÍA 7: LA OLLA – LAS YARETAS
Diana muy temprano por la mañana ya que este día será largo. Tenemos el desafío por delante de subir el paso llamado EL PORTILLO ARGENTINO, el cual se ubica a 4.350 mts de altitud. Un suave y serpenteante sendero nos llevara a la base del portillo para luego ascender el empinado tramo final. Una vez en la cima de este histórico paso comenzará nuestro descenso hacia el campamento las Yaretas. Cena y pernocte.

DAY 9: MANZANO – MENDOZA – FREE AFTERNOON
Breakfast. Onward to Mendoza. Free lunch to explore Mendoza. A visit to some vineyards is recommended. This is a privileged area, located at the foot of the Andes Mountains, famous for the excellence of its Cabernet Sauvignon and other varietals. It is a place of large and beautiful wineries. Farewell dinner.

DÍA 9: MANZANO – MENDOZA – TARDE LIBRE
Desayuno. En viaje camino a Mendoza. Almuerzo libre para recorrer Mendoza. Se recomienda visitar algunos viñedos. Este lugar es un sector privilegiado, ubicado al pie de la cordillera de Los Andes, famoso sector por la excelencia del Cabernet Souvignon y otros varietales. Es un lugar de grandes y hermosas Bodegas. Cena de despedida.

DÍA 10: MENDOZA – SANTIAGO
Por la mañana después del desayuno viajaremos en nuestro transfer de regreso a Chile por el paso Los Libertadores.

Servicios incluidos:

• Transfer from Manzano Histórico to Mendoza, the starting point of the trek.
• Transfer to Portinari and descent to the historic Manzano.
• Transfer from Santiago de Chile to Termas del Plomo.
• 1 night in a *** hotel in Mendoza in a double room.
• 1 night in Cabañas en el Manzano in a double room.
• 07 nights accommodation in a tent, double occupancy.
• Complete camping equipment (tableware, thermos, lamps) and double-base tents.
• Kitchen-dining tent.
• Satellite Phone, for emergency calls only.
• Radio Transmitters for internal coordination.
• First Aid Kit
• Muleteers.
• Pack mules, transport of personal equipment on mules (up to 15 kilos weight).
• Technical advice in the mountains
• Certified Guide.

Not Included:

• Farewell dinner on day 9.
• Equipo personal o indumentaria.
• Rescue and Evacuation Helicopter expenses if required.
• Personal expenses such as phone calls, tips, laundry, etc.
• Medical Expenses.
• Personal accident insurance.
• Sleeping bags, mattress.
• Opción Single: U$ 350.-
  (Carpa single durante la expedición y habitación en Hotel) Sujeto a disponibilidad
• Tips

THE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD LIVE THIS ADVENTURE

1.  The only globally significant trek rescued from history in 1992 by Andes Trek Adventure. We are pioneers in bringing this trek to the world of adventure tourism.
2.  The Great “CHALLENGE” of crossing the Andes, the second highest mountain range in the world after the Himalayas.
3. The remarkable experience of crossing from one country to another, Argentina to Chile.
4. Share the experience and culture of our mountain muleteers.
5. The extraordinary story behind this journey, which will be told to you. It was the first step toward liberating Chile from the Spanish Monarchy. We will follow the paths of the Army of the Andes and some of the 3,000 men who crossed with them to fight in the Battle of Chacabuco.
6. Route used by merchants, ranchers, Incas and Charles Darwin in 1835 during his visit to Mendoza.
7. The flora and fauna we'll encounter along our journey. Guanacos, trout, condors, and, with luck, a puma or the footprints it leaves behind. 

LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY

 Namely:  The trek you'll undertake will be with a small backpack on your back, weighing no more than 3 kilos, in which you'll carry your daily snack, windbreaker, and the isotonic drinks we'll provide. Both your main luggage and the rest of the expedition's logistical equipment will be carried on our support mules by our muleteers. This will allow you to truly enjoy the trip and concentrate on the experience of experiencing the landscape and reliving this historic journey.

 –  It is necessary to work and train normally 4 months prior to departure, (endurance and aerobic capacity) for the daily distances to be covered. If you are going to do a long-distance trek then you should train “by trekking”. The gym program is very helpful, but it is complementary. However, a taste for the outdoors is essential to fully enjoy the expedition. Group members should be aware that the weather in summer is very stable and does not pose major risks, but at the same time, it is also changeable, with occasional brief storms and small snowfalls sometimes in the afternoons, which are quite common in the high mountains due to the micro climate that the mountain range presents in summer.

– The average hike is 15 to 18 kilometers per day. Some days we hike less to make the journey more bearable and appreciate the beauty of the place we're traveling through. During the hike, we climb two mountain ranges. One is approximately 4,000 meters high, and the other is 4,300 meters high.

-However, and despite the difficulty, the pace of the trekking led by the guide allows us to take enough breaks to enjoy the surroundings, take photographs and marvel at the beauty of our central Andes mountain range.

– If you train and prepare properly, you'll enjoy this unique journey, rescued from history, much more.

VERY IMPORTANT……

 WHAT IS ASKED OF PARTICIPANTS?

Active collaboration and participation in tasks (Group work)

• Good health and physical condition.
• Be willing to enjoy the unexpected and face many difficulties.
• Empathy and emotional intelligence to quickly adapt to the group.
• Being the main actor, in achieving the proposed goal and objective, is the great personal and group satisfaction.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ADVENTURER 

Anyone who decides to opt for an adventure tourism trip with these characteristics must be prepared to: 

• Experience a dose of discomfort.
• Some controlled risk
• Unforeseen weather conditions and schedule delays may occasionally occur. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS

ANDES TREK ADVENTURE reserves the right to cancel or postpone any trip prior to departure if any situation arises beyond its control. 

ASK ABOUT TRAINING OUTINGS

 ANDES TREK ADVENTURE plans and advises you on your training trips. These are intended to help you adapt as quickly as possible to the mountains, where you can confirm the physical conditioning you have achieved in the gym. These field trips will be your specific training. You will learn to adapt: ​​your pace to the terrain, breathing at altitude, how to navigate in an unfamiliar environment and, in general, the walking techniques that will successfully lead you to achieve your goal. On each field trip, you will have the opportunity to learn new mountain techniques that will be very useful when you undertake the trek.