We continued our journey through the Andes. We departed from a stunningly picturesque spot where we had spent the night, a well-known destination for mountain tourism. Heading further north, we set our sights on the locale of San Antonio de los Cobres. Although this segment was relatively short — about 353 km — the journey led us through winding gravel paths with only small portions paved. The majority of our route followed Ruta 40, reaching a peak altitude of 4,869 meters.
Just 16 km short of reaching the town of Molinos, one of our vehicles suffered a flat tyre — a common occurrence on these rugged roads. Marcel, demonstrating his exceptional mechanical skills, managed to change the tyre within a matter of minutes. However, our adventures did not end there. The starter failed on the vehicle with the replaced tyre. According to our most seasoned traveller, Vasily Elagin, the car was simply “exhausted.” Thankfully, in just over half an hour, Marcel managed to disassemble half the pickup to retrieve a spare starter and install it in place of the faulty one. We reached Molinos around 6 PM, only to find out that Ruta 40 was under construction and a detour was necessary. By the end of the day, we had travelled a total of 353 km.
On the following day we re-entered Chile after our long run in Argentina on the East side of the Andes. The road to the border once again took us through the mountains, where we encountered numerous herds of llamas and a few solitary ostriches. Along the way, we unexpectedly came across a unique feat of engineering—a mountain bridge spanning a ravine, constructed during the mining boom of the early 1920s. We successfully crossed the border. The road to our first overnight stop, San Pedro de Atacama, took us over a pass that was nearly 5,000 meters high. We were delighted by a light dusting of snow from a passing cloud. By the end of the day, we had covered 395 km.Our journey from Mendoza to Villa Union in the province of La Rioja took us through a series of fascinating passes and canyons, which we discovered by slightly deviating from the Ruta 40 highway.
On the following day our ur final destination was the city of Los Ralos in the province of Tucumán, with a route that passed through the Talampaya National Park. Along the way, we visited the capital of the province of La Rioja — a city of the same name with a population of about 300,000. It is nestled at the foot of the Sierra de Velasco range. The region is renowned as the oldest wine-producing area. We explored the city, with the main attraction being the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in the central square.The first week of the South American stage ended. All day, we drove along Ruta 40 in the foothills of the Andes. We saw several volcanoes and vineyards in the province of Mendoza.
On the following day, our team split up: one group stayed in Mendoza to explore the city’s attractions, while the other headed to the province of La Rioja to take in the natural sights. Mendoza surprised us with its lush greenery, old trees, lively traffic, and captivating landmarks. In La Rioja, we encountered a delightful surprise: our guide bumped into an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in 30 years.
Just 16 km short of reaching the town of Molinos, one of our vehicles suffered a flat tyre — a common occurrence on these rugged roads. Marcel, demonstrating his exceptional mechanical skills, managed to change the tyre within a matter of minutes. However, our adventures did not end there. The starter failed on the vehicle with the replaced tyre. According to our most seasoned traveller, Vasily Elagin, the car was simply “exhausted.” Thankfully, in just over half an hour, Marcel managed to disassemble half the pickup to retrieve a spare starter and install it in place of the faulty one. We reached Molinos around 6 PM, only to find out that Ruta 40 was under construction and a detour was necessary. By the end of the day, we had travelled a total of 353 km.
On the following day we re-entered Chile after our long run in Argentina on the East side of the Andes. The road to the border once again took us through the mountains, where we encountered numerous herds of llamas and a few solitary ostriches. Along the way, we unexpectedly came across a unique feat of engineering—a mountain bridge spanning a ravine, constructed during the mining boom of the early 1920s. We successfully crossed the border. The road to our first overnight stop, San Pedro de Atacama, took us over a pass that was nearly 5,000 meters high. We were delighted by a light dusting of snow from a passing cloud. By the end of the day, we had covered 395 km.Our journey from Mendoza to Villa Union in the province of La Rioja took us through a series of fascinating passes and canyons, which we discovered by slightly deviating from the Ruta 40 highway.
On the following day our ur final destination was the city of Los Ralos in the province of Tucumán, with a route that passed through the Talampaya National Park. Along the way, we visited the capital of the province of La Rioja — a city of the same name with a population of about 300,000. It is nestled at the foot of the Sierra de Velasco range. The region is renowned as the oldest wine-producing area. We explored the city, with the main attraction being the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas in the central square.The first week of the South American stage ended. All day, we drove along Ruta 40 in the foothills of the Andes. We saw several volcanoes and vineyards in the province of Mendoza.
On the following day, our team split up: one group stayed in Mendoza to explore the city’s attractions, while the other headed to the province of La Rioja to take in the natural sights. Mendoza surprised us with its lush greenery, old trees, lively traffic, and captivating landmarks. In La Rioja, we encountered a delightful surprise: our guide bumped into an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in 30 years.
