The Spirit of Rally Dakar is alive. On March 23th, 2010 the organizer ASO has announced that the third adventure would be held in Argentina and Chile.
On April 29th they announced the route for the 3rd edition. I have taken it and transformed it into a Google Map for my own planning and share it with you. Step by step I will actualize it to be prepared for January 1st at Buenos Aires Obelisk and than travelling with the rally through the North of Argentina and Chile.
There will be some new challenges for the drivers, as they (I suppose) will cross the Chilean border at Paso de Llama at nearly 5000 m (16400 ft) above sea level and later they will reach 5200 m (17000 ft) on a paved road or in a very sandy area. This is the highest place that I have ever reached with my old Toyota Hilux pickup. The landscape from Calama (Chile) to Arica is very, very dry. And if you plan to travel here, you must check your fuel, because there are only very few patrol stations. For the 560 km (350 mi) from San Salvador de Jujuy to Calama (Chile) you need some 60 liter (17 gal.) diesel. There is on patrol station on the way in Susques, but if we all will stop there???) From Calama the next petrol station is some 525 km (330 mi) ahead in Iquique and then in Arica, some 450 km (280 mi) more in the North. Travelling directly from Calama without looking the Rally is possible with only 60 liter (17 gal.) diesel. Arica is a beautiful city in the North of Chile at the border to Peru. Well, later I will write more details.
In total the Rally Dakar 2011 will run some 7500 km to 8000 km* (4700 mi to 5000 mi) and goes North.
* Estimation based on the using of roads and not going off-road. The fuel consumption based on my experience with a Toyota Hilux 4X4 Dob Cab pickup.
On January 2, 2009 the beautiful megacity Buenos Aires experienced one of two peaks of the Spirit of Rally Dakar 2009. At 16:00 o’clock the podium at Buenos Aires Obelisk was opened and all participants of the Rally drove the few kilometers from the Exposition Center “Rural” to the Obelisk at Av. 9 de Julio in Buenos Aires Downtown to be presented officially as participant. We felt that something special would happen, but we had no idea about what would happen.
First you must know that Argentine people are crazy for motorsport. This has its roots in Manuel Fangio, five times World Champion of Formula 1 and Carlos Reuteman, two times World Champion of Formula 1. The TV, the newspapers, all talk about Rally Dakar. But the vacations just started and many people were on vacations and so officials estimated that there will not come too much people.
To have a good place near the Podium I started just after lunch and arrived at 13:30 (1:30 pm) at Obelisk. There were a lot of people. But finally I had a optimal place to observe and film all what will be happen.
We had to wait two hours. Then it started. After presenting some official personalities from the Argentine and Chilean Government some greetings were made to all over the world. The Argentine Air force was greeting with a flyover of Mirage aircrafts and then the waiting was over.
The participants were presented in four groups.
Quads
First the quad driver with their different models were presented and interviewed. In total 27 participants from 11 nations. A young boy on the shoulders of his father behind me was asking with audible voice what many of us were thinking: “They will arrive with that?” Some were laughing but we wished them the best.
Motorbikes
Then the first motorbikes were presented. 225 participants with their motorbikes. Start number 1 to 235. The line was enormous and it seemed that it never would end.
Cars
But finally we saw the first cars. This was another big group of 185 cars.
Every car with pilot and co pilot. My favorites were:
On this top favorites we had to wait once more some time. But it was amazing to hear and see them. As Robby Gordon was sent out, he first drove some meters back and we were asking: “What is that? Robby please go ahead and not back!” And then he came. He was accelerating very strong and his Hummer jumped down the Podium. Thanks God it was strong enough to support a heavy Hummer jumping on it.
Trucks
As the trucks arrived at 22:30 hours the people were beside themselves with joy. The line was immense. Every truck was honking. The people were applauding and the battery of my digital camera was death. So I enjoyed the atmosphere. More than 400000 people came on the streets and to the Obelisk to celebrate the Podium of Rally Dakar 2009. And now the Spirit of Rally Dakar was not only upon this marvelous megacity, no with the quads, motorcycles, cars and trucks it was reaching the whole Nation.
Video
Finally we documented this marvelous afternoon and evening in a 10 minutes video.
When you travel by car from Chile to Argentina or reverse, you have to climb up on the pass. There you will feel the strong winds that always blow from Chile (west) to Argentina (east). And be prepared. It is always very cold there on that altitude of 4000 m (13120 ft) above sea level. You may have 30°C (86°C) in Mendoza, but on the pass it can below 0°C (32°F). But the wow comes on the Pass, the mountains look so beautiful that is it worth the effort to spent a time to make pictures, videos and listen to Fernando, who works there from January to April in the little hostel.
If you are coming from Chile or coming from Argentina you have to pass the tunnel and you must turn right (from Argentine left) some 500 m before the tunnel on Chilean territory and you have to leave the National Road 7 to pass below the old destroyed railway bridge and go ahead on that dirt road to climb up to the mountain pass Cristo Redentor. The valley has an altitude of 3200 m (11500 ft).
The pass is opened from beginnings of January until midst of April. Later the snow and strong winds makes it impassable.
Arriving on the pass we felt the coldness, but we saw the small hostel where we entered and ask for a hot drink. Fernando and Jorge offered us a cup of tea. As we asked Fernando, if he can explain us the beautiful panorama view on the mountains, Fernando went out with us and explained all:
Fernando explains us:
“Hello. My name is Fernando and I am from here, from Cristo Redentor.
I work here.
Well, now explain you what we can see here.
What you see here is the mountain Tolosa, also kwon as man with the short leg. You can see the glacier that looks like a man with a long and a short leg (5432 m / 17822 ft).
Here were we are standing is the pass.
That there is the Mountain Sta. Elena. This is the way that General San Martin came in 1817.
What you see there is the mountain Juncal in Chile (5865 m / 19243 ft). It has a glacier and is the highest mountain of Chile.
Well this is the pass Cristo Redentor.
That statue there is from Buenos Aires. In the year 1902 it was transported by train until Uspallata. From there 100 men were bringing it to this place Cristo Redentor.
We are here since year 2008. Here has been until 1965 the meteorological service.
Now we are here with a hostel and coffeehouse.
Here you can come for horseback rides, alpinism and mountain biking. Well, you can do all here.
Thank you, have a good trip and we hope to see you here again.”
Later we talked with Jorge. He presented himself as the owner of this hostel and he told us that he is a snow board champion and teaches snowboarding in winter during July, August and September. He also is a mountain guide that can guide you on the Aconcagua. Due to bad experiences made with some mountaineers, especially from Europe that thought that they know it better than the mountain guide, he only guides very special friends on the Aconcagua. One of the most important reasons for the accidents at the Aconcagua is that many mountaineers underestimate it.
On my question "Is it possible for me, I am 51 years old, that you guide me on the Aconcagua?" He answered: "Of course. You must be able to run a marathon and have to obey to me! Nothing more! When you are accustomed to the altitude of 3000 m (9843 ft) we need three days to climb up on the Aconcagua 6952 m (22841 ft). So if you are fit, call me and we go!"
Jorge made me thinking on that and not I was hungry to see the Aconcagua, this highest mountain of the Americas, that you cannot see from the pass, because it is behind the mountain "Man with the short leg."
Jorge told me: "Go to the Park Aconcagua, there you can see it".
I thank Fernando and Jorge and hope to see them again soon.
Many of the people that we have met in Buenos Aires asked this question answered: Oh, it is because of the good airs (Spanish: buenos aires) that we have, isn’t it?
Actually it’s not because of the good air we have. We will find the truth in the history of this city.
In 1516 the Spanish seaman Juan Díaz de Solís discovered the Río de la Plata. In 1535 Pedro de Mendoza sailed on the Río de la Plata and landed on February 2, 1536 at the banks of the Río de la Plata in a district of Buenos Aires that today is called San Telmo. It is located near the Casa Rosada (Arg. President Palace) in Buenos Aires downtown. Here they were attacked by the natives and later they left. In 1541 they give up the settlement. Some sailed on the river and settled in Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, others including Mendoza sailed back to Spain, where he never arrived, because he died earlier.
On the journey in 1536 they had very fair winds and sailed very fast crossing the Atlantic Ocean. That motivated the catholic Mendoza to call the place, where they landed, Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre (literally "City of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds") to thank God for the good conditions they had during sailing. In 1580 arrived Juan de Garay from Asunción to settle the place a second time. He named the settlement “Santisima Trinidad" and gave the port de name "Puerto de Santa Maria de los Buenos Aires." (literally "Port of Our Lady Saint Mary of the Fair Winds").
Today’s official name of this city is: Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (literally “Autonomous City of Buenos Aires”).
We asked Mr. Dirk von Zitzewitz, the co-pilot of Giniel de Villiers in Car No. 305 on Jan. 1st, 2009 the following question on his blog:
Dear Mr. Zitzewitz. I champ as you at the bit for the Rally Dakar 2009. Yesterday we visited the arrival of the cars in the Exposition Center “Rural” in Buenos Aires. We have some short questions for you: How did you prepare yourself for the extreme altitude? You as person and the VW Touareg. I travelled personally various times in the Atacama Desert in an altitude up to 5200 m (17060 ft) above sea level (without oxygen mask). I was able to work 50 m (56 yards) away from my pickup. And this Toyota Diesel could run only in the second gear with 40 km/h (25 mph). We would appreciated your answer and we wish you the best for the Rally Dakar 2009 and we hope to see your Touareg tomorrow at the Obelisk or on Jan. 9th, 2009 at the Aconcagua in Mendoza, when you are heading to Chile.
Regards.
On Jan 2nd, 2009 Mr. Siems answered in the name of Mr. von Zitzewitz:
We have tested the conditions of the Andes in a combine climatic-/altitude-chamber where we simulated temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure together with the airflow of the car regarding different speeds on an integrated dynamometer. During the tests we observed an innovative component of the 2.5 turbo-diesel engine (TDI) over several days. Here we developed an engine map of the mode of operation of the bi-turbo in different altitudes, to prevent an over-rewing of the turbo that may occur because of the rare air. During the rally a sensor permanently is measuring the actual altitude and the electronics of the engine controls the maximum speed of the sophisticated turbo system. We have simulated altitudes up to 4000 m (13123 ft) and basing on these test data we recalculated the engine map for more extreme conditions. Beside testing the stability of the motor we also optimized the power of the engine. Because of the extreme conditions in the Andes the engineers of Volkswagen are estimating a loss of power of more than 20 percent. (Source: Volkswagen Motorsport).
Due to the rally and vacations we send a last greeting on Feb. 14, 2009:
First we thank you for your explanation and send our congratulations for winning the Dakar 2009. This result demonstrated clearly that the car and the team were perfectly prepared. We checked this personally on the road from Uspallata [Village in Mendoza] to Chile, as your Volkswagen Touareg No. 305 was passing us in an altitude of 3000 m (9843 ft) with a speed of 90 km/h (55 mph) while our Toyota 2.8 liter diesel engine (technology similar to the 1.6 liter engine in the Volkswagen Golf II (Rabbit II) couldn’t speed up to more than 50 km/h (30 mph). We were thrilled by the Rally Dakar, especially by Volkswagen. We hope that we have a chance to meet you personally in 2010.
Today we like to discover the enormous extensions of Argentina travelling from East to West by car. East to West means in this case from Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires on the banks of Río de la Plata to the capital of the province of Mendoza, the city Mendoza, just below the mountains of the Andes or Cordillera.
And the landscapes you can experience are varying from the skyline of a megacity, pampas and steppes and vineries to mountains.
The distance is about 1080 km (675 mi) and starting not later than 8:00 am you can do this trip in one day to feel the enormous extension and observe the landscapes cruising through Argentina. Cruising by car in Argentina is always a big thing. It is inexpressible, you must experience this.
Well, for the trip Argentina offers two different alternatives:
Ruta 8 – Leaving Buenos Aires by following the Pan-American Highway for a short way and then heading west passing several villages and small cities of Pilar, Arrecifes, Pergamino, Venado Tuerto and Rio Cuarto and to Villa Mercedes in the Province of San Luis.
Ruta 7 – Leaving Buenos Aires by following the Highway “Acceso Oesto” passing the villages and cities of Lujan, Junin, Rufino, Laboulaye, Vicuña Mackenna to Villa Mercedes.
Both routes join in Villa Mercedes and form the Ruta 8 passing the capital of the Province of San Luis, the city San Luis, to Mendoza
Both roads are in good conditions. I personally prefer the second alternative (Ruta 7). It is faster because you never enter into the cities/villages and it is less used.
The Start
A classic start of such a trip has to begin in Buenos Aires down town driving a round around the 57 m (187 feet) high Obelisk at the junction of Av. 9 de Julio and Av. Corrientes. For me it is a must to feel one more time the pulse of this vibrant megacity before cruising through the wide land. The traffic, the people, the sound of the cars, busses, motorcycles, all this gives Buenos Aires its unique charm.
Photo: Toyota Hilux with Obelisk:
Heading south on the worlds broadest Avenue, the Av. 9 de Julio, we enter into the Autopista 25 de Mayo that leads us west out of Buenos Aires. A last view on downtown and we drive on the Autopista through the city. Later we turn right on Acceso Oeste and pass the toll station. Now the buildings are lower and on the right side we see the Soccer Stadium of Velez Sarsfield in the district of Liniers. Here we cross the Highway General Paz. This highway forms the limit between Capital Federal and Province of Buenos Aires.
Traffic rules
Keep in mind that new traffic rules have to be respected. This is until today something special in Argentina. Every province has it’s own traffic rules. And Argentina has a federal law for traffic. Maybe, one day they will change this.
Province of Buenos Aires
In the province of Buenos Aires the buildings are just lower as in Capital Federal but initially the traffic is the same and the highway has more lanes than in Capital Federal. After some kilometers/miles we pass another toll station and now the traffic becomes less. You will see more and more trucks. Trucks are the only transport system in Argentina that works and you can see modern and old trucks, for example the old Mercedes 1114 (Built from 1959 to end of the 1990) that is still running on the roads of Argentina.
After passing a second toll station we note a change of the landscape. The buildings disappear and the real Argentina, the Pampa, begins.
Then, after one hour the signs of Lujan are coming up. Lujan is the first city and we take the opportunity to visit the biggest Cathedral from Argentina. It is only 5 minutes away from the highway.
Photo: Cathedral Lujan, Argentina:
After coming back on the highway it changed into a road and cruising through the enormous extension to the west of Argentina begins. Until the limit of the Provinces Buenos Aires and Santa Fe we see flat land and fields with different grains and cattle or cattle and grains (It depends of what you want to see first).
Argentina is an important exporter of soy beans, wheat and vegetable oil products, as well as meat. The steaks are marvelous. A tip: Eat a lomo al punto (medium cooked) with fries and a simple mixed salad and if you are not the driver, with a good red wine from Mendoza. That would one of the best meals you ever eat.
Driving, sorry cruising, you’ll note that the land is very, very flat and the road goes straight, straight ahead for kilometers/miles. We will tell you a small secret. We entered into a region were the creeks and rivers have no access to the ocean. That means, the precipitations only can evaporate or trickle away into the soil where they built up during many thousands of years a very big reservoir of ground water. It is one of the biggest reservoirs of the world. All the lakes and lagoons you see are a product of the precipitations.
Photo: Laguna de Gomez:
Now the road has no turn and heads straight ahead. It seems that it is going directly to heaven.
Province of Santa Fe
Some kilometers/miles ahead we reach “Laguna La Picasa” on a new road. The old road was destroyed by flooding caused by enormous precipitations in 2002/2003, when the level of the laguna was elevated for some 3 meters/yards. Today we can observe many birds beside the road. Between many other birds we saw a flamboyance of flamingos.
Video Laguna La Picasa:
Province of Cordoba
Photo: Sign at border between the provinces of Santa Fe and Córdoba:
Then we enter into the Province of Cordoba and we just have travelled half of the way from Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Here, at the border we stopped for another coffee break. This time beside the road. This is not too dangerous because on the road is not so much traffic and
the green beside the road is up to 50 m/yards broad.
Province of San Luis
Back on the road we head to the Province of San Luis. This province is a province of Argentina, but its Governor called it “another country”. The road changed and is now a highway. During the night it is illuminated with 17 lights every kilometer. In the city of Mercedes you see a lot of industry. This is the product of a different style of politics. The governors are all from the family Rodriguez Saa and they said, transform this province into a tax paradise and the industry will come. That happened many years ago and today the industry is there and the people have jobs. This province right now offers Wi-Fi for free in all cities and villages to all people that like to use is.
A tip: Don’t forget refueling in Mercedes. On the long way to Mendoza Mercedes is the last city with a petrol station beside the highway. If you don’t do that, you have to leave the highway in the city of San Luis or if you are sure about the fuel you have, you can go ahead until the village La Paz in Mendoza, some 120 km (72 miles) from the city of San Luis.
On the way to the city of San Luis you can see the wonderful thunderstorms of the Argentine Pampas. They were not very big, but they had deep black clouds and formed a lot of rainbows.
Photo: Thunderstorm with rainbow in the pampas of San Luis:
After the first thunderstorm once again we headed west, passing the Sierras of San Luis and the Capital of the Province of San Luis, the City San Luis.
Photo: Las Sierras of San Luis:
After passing the City of San Luis came up more thunderstorms that escorted us until Mendoza.
Province of Mendoza
At the border to the Province of Mendoza the highway changed back into a road and a border control awaits you.
A tip: Eat all the fruit that you transport. The limit between the provinces of San Luis and Mendoza is a fito sanitary barrier and it is not allowed to pass fresh fruits, etc. to Mendoza. They control all: Every suitcase, bag, cooling box. Everything! The reason is, that the Province of Mendoza is declared as free of the fruit fly and the Government protects its province. After some 22 kilometers (14 miles) we pass the village of La Paz. Here we find a petrol station to refuel, if you didn’t in Villa Mercedes or the city of San Luis. Right now the road changes back into a highway that leads us until the city of Mendoza.
It is very easy to find. Straight ahead from the end of the highway four blocks, a right turn into Avenida San Martin, three more blocks and another right turn into Amigorena Street and you see the Hotel “Cervantes” on the right hand beside the big YPF-Petrol station. The hotel has an own parking area and it is very comfortable, silent and offers a very good restaurant. And it is one stone’s throw away from “Paseo Sarmiento” (Pedestrian area), where you can go to shopping and you’ll encounter many restaurants with different cuisine to enjoy the city of Mendoza.
On May 30, 2009 the Rally Dakar 2009 came back to Buenos Aires. Indeed, not the cars, not the trucks, not the motorbikes and not the quads. At movie, showing this marvelous event, that has churned the two countries Argentina and Chile in January 2009 was presented.
And I was remembered to this event that started on December 31, 2008 with the technical inspection and the welcome of the participants in the Exhibition Center “Rural” in Buenos Aires. Just on the way to the “Rural” I met the first cars on the highway and streets. The feeling and the spirit in this marvelous mega city Buenos Aires was changes. Something was in the air. But nobody had an idea about what will happen: the press, the TV and the people, really nobody. As I arrived at 10:00 in the subterranean parking area of the “Rural” there were only few cars. I discovered the great area of the Rural Exhibition Center and there were few people and no rally cars in sight. As I said, nobody had an idea about what will happen. I asked some people of the security and Dakar staff and they told me that there are some cars on the Avenue Sarmiento. That was the signal: I went to Av. Sarmiento to see this few cars.
And the Rally Dakar 2009 began: Few cars, now motorbikes, no quads, no trucks and only few people. But then came on the Rally Dakar Spirit and breathed his air into Buenos Aires and I prepared my digital camera to film the first arriving cars.
My main concerns
As I asked some drivers from the Netherlands they only said: “No movie please. No movie!” and then we started a conservation talking about my main concerns were:
1. How did you prepare yourself for the extreme altitudes were your will drive?
If you are not accustomed to the extreme altitude of 4000 m (13124 ft) and more you may be able to walk slowly some 100 m / yards and then you need to stop because of the oxygen deficit. The mountain sickness can come over you.
2. How did you prepare the motor of your car for the extreme altitude?
A fact is, that the rally will reach an altitude of round about 4700 m (15420 ft) above sea level and I made various times the experience to drive with my pickup, a Toyota Hilux Diesel 4×4 in extreme altitudes up to 5200 m (17061 ft) above sea level when I cruised the Atacama Desertin the region of Calama in Northern Chile near the Paso de Llama. The Toyota motor was prepared up to an altitude of 4800 m (15749 ft), but above it was impossible to drive faster than 40 km/h ( mph) in the second gear.
As I asked that to the drivers they told me that the races are limited up to 3800 m (12468 ft). In the higher stages they only drive connections. And we have some oxygen masks, so don’t worry we are prepared.
And the motor? Well, we have been in a climate and altitude simulation (Blog of Dirk von Zitzewitz, copilot of Giniel de Villiers in car 305 – The Winners of Rally Dakar 2009 – Sorry this answer is in German), and our motor only will lose 10 % of his power. Others confirmed that. To have more power a team from the Netherlands changed the computer for the motor. But all the people I asked didn’t had the concerns that I had.
Okay, my main concerns had found an answer.
The Spirit started moving
Now I started to discover the Rural Expo Center and at 11:00 they came all, one after the other. Trucks, cars, motorbikes, quads. The noise, the dust, the fumes. The Dakar Spirit arrived at Rural. At 14:00 the rechargeable battery of my digital camera was dead as I finish the last clip. That was the signal to prepare a movie for YouTube to share the Rural-Dakar-2009-Spirit with the world.
When I left the Rural Expo Center they all arrived: cars, trucks, motorbikes, quads and the people. The people were happy to see this. The TV was reporting on all channels. And the Dakar Spirit touched the megacity of Buenos Aires.
Looking the video you can enjoy and relive it. This video is a new version of my first one with a higher resolution than the original that I uploaded on Dec. 31, 2008.
With its 2.780.403 km² (1,068,300 sq mi) Argentina is the 8 biggest country on the world. A state like Texas enters 4 times and a country like Germany enters 7.8 times into Argentina. In this big country live some 40 million habitants. Some 14 million of them are living in the region of Gran Buenos Aires and form a vibrant megacity at the shores of the Rio de la Plata.
Outside of Buenos Aires you feel the enormous dimensions of this country. Travelling is possible by air, by bus and car and in some cases by train.
Discover Argentina means you need time
If you really want to feel the dimensions of Argentina you have to discover this great nation by car, not in a hurry like in the Megacities of the world. No, take your time, soon you will learn cruising and enjoy the landscapes, the Pampa with the cows or the grain fields. In the western part before reaching the Andes the landscape changes into steppes and sometimes into desserts. In the north eastern part you will find the province of Misiones with its famous Falls of Iguacu and hundreds of other small waterfalls. In the south, in Patagonia, are the steppes. You drive kilometers and kilometers (miles and miles) and meet nobody. But it is beautiful to feel this cruising on the roads of Argentina.
As we know nearly all parts of this fantastic country of Tango, Soccer and Steaks, we started to prepare a series of articles to present you Argentina and the Patagonia.
The extensions of Argentina are enormous. From north to south 4300 km (2700 mi) and from east to west 1300 km (800 mi).
To travel from north to south, from La Quiaca at the border to Bolivia to the most southern city of the World, Ushuaia, Argentina offers three alternatives:
The comfortable way brings you from La Quiaca passing Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and is 4877 km (3048 mi) long. The roads are all paved and easy to drive. The duration of this trip will be in a hurry one week or seven days – and you haven’t seen nothing.
The shortest way leads you from La Quiaca to Cordoba, Santa Rosa to Ushuaia and is 4343 km (2714 mi) long. The roads are paved.
The road of adventure is the fabulous route as near as possible to the Cordillera or Andes passing Mendoza, Bariloche and one of the most beautiful landscapes of the world. This Route is 4981 km (3113 mi) long and offers real adventures, not only on the famous Ruta 40. You drive more than 60% on dirt roads that sometimes have a status of nearly off-road.
From east to west the distance from Buenos Aires to Mendoza is some 1080 km (674 mi), then you have to drive some 160 km (100 mi) more to the Chilean border. For this trip Argentina offers two alternatives:
Ruta 8 from Buenos Aires following the Pan-American Highway for a short way and then heading west passing several villages and cities as Pilar, Arrecifes, Pergamino, Venado Tuerto and Rio Cuarto and then passing Villa Mercedes, San Luis on Ruta 7/8 to Mendoza
Ruta 7 from Buenos Aires passing for Lujan, Junin, Rufino, Laboulaye, Vicuña Mackenna and then passing Villa Mercedes, San Luis on Ruta 7/8 to Mendoza
Travelling from Buenos Aires to the Falls of Iguacu means leaving Buenos Aires and heading north east. There are no alternatives:
You only follow the “Ruta del Mercosur” some 1287 km (804 mi) on Ruta 9 to Zarate turning right on Ruta 12 and later on Ruta 14 passing the cities of Gualeguaychú, Concordia, Paso de los Libres and Posadas. Here you follow once more Ruta 12 to Port of Iguacu.
In the next article we will lead you first from Buenos Aires to Mendoza and then we head south into the northern part of Patagonia to show you some beautiful places.
Leaving the city of Mendoza heading south is possible in two ways. The fast one is on the Ruta 40 and the beautiful one on the small streets passing the vineyards to Ugarteche. From Ugarteche you head south on Ruta 40 until arriving in the small village Pareditas. The fast alternative is a trip of one and a half hour and is 123 km/77 mi long. The other one depends of the different vines you to taste.
From Pareditas you have three different alternatives to drive to El Sosneado. They depend of the car that you are using:
The comfortable way is along Ruta 143 to San Rafael and later on Ruta 144 to Ruta 40. This route is fully paved and you can drive it with any car.
The classic route is along Ruta 40 to the junction with Ruta 144. For this route I recommend the use of a 4×4 SUV/Pickup. But you can still drive this 114 km / 71 mi with a car not exciding a speed of 40 km/h / 25 mi/h. (Duration about 3 to 4 hours).
For the adventure route a 4×4 SUV/Pickup is necessary. The distance of this trip is about 155 km / 95 mi. (Duration about 5 to 6 hours).
I have preferred the adventure to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Andes mountains. But you must be prepared. In Pareditas you should refuel because there you’ll find the last petrol station until El Sosneado and check the oil gauge, etc.
As we left the village Pareditas on Ruta 40 we didn’t find the Ruta 101. We knew that the dirt road Ruta 40 heads straight ahead and the paved road Ruta 143 turns a little bit left and is paved. But we didn’t find Ruta 101. So we turned back to the police station and asked.
The first question back was: “Do you have a good car?” and as I showed the policeman our Toyota Hilux pickup 4X4 he said “Ok, with this car you can drive along the Ruta 101! Drive some 200 m/yards on the Ruta 40 and turn right and at the next corner turn left. That is Ruta 101 and leads you to El Sosneado. You will need between 5 to 6 hours to arrive!”
After turning on Ruta 101 we had a very long straight part in front of us. There was a lot of dust, not only in front of us, also behind of us and the pickup blewed it all up. We entered into the southern part of the Province of Mendoza. But this dirt road was in very good conditions and allowed to speed up to 60 km/h (38 mph). First it seemed to become boring because the landscape was flat, no mountain, no Andes, only flat land. After some 20 km (14 mi) we made the first stop on a hill to enjoy the landscape. In front of us the road, at the right a marvelous panorama view of the Andes and behind us the dust. This was the first impressive panorama view we had of the Andes in southern Mendoza.
Later we saw in front of us a small village with trees. It was Los Alamitos with its Alamos trees.
Then after another long straight road we met some horses in a creek beside the road. The Andes in the background gave us another great view. From now the road had more curves and a different landscape.
A tip: There are no traffic signs, no houses, and no cell phone worked and we had no GPS and one problem was coming up: How to find the right way? The easy way is to follow always the broadest or the most used road. You can identify that like the Indians in the Westerns, only look for the tracks.
Another difficulty is that you have to be careful. It is always possible that an animal is crossing the road, maybe goats, cows, horses or even lamas.
You will meet nice places for a coffee break beside a creek with water so clean, that you can drink it.
Sometimes the road is so narrow that you have to honk before a curve. That is law! But nobody is controlling it. On that trip of 154 km (96 mi) we didn’t meet any other car on the road.
We crossed Arroyo Hondo (Hondo Creek) and the extinct Volcano Cerro Diamante came in sight. The road became more narrow and poor. Sometimes we had to speed down to walking speed, but the landscapes and Río Diamante near the village La Jaula recouped us therefore.
Now the landscape changed a little bit. Instead of a desert we saw more green grass. We arrived in the center of the Pampa Diamante. The precipitations from the Andes reachs this zone. More in the north Mendoza is different.
You also can observe some impressing geological formations beside the road. Suddenly a very small and steep way down to a creek and once more up on a hill and we saw a symbol of the modern times. An oil pump driven by a diesel motor was nodding and pumping up crude oil out of the earth. Some 5/3 more kilometers/miles and we were back to civilization and this beautiful, different trip of 5 hours on the nearest road to the Andes ended in El Sosneado.
We were back on Ruta 40 and headed some 48 km (30 mi) to Los Molles near Las Leñas were a great dinner cooked by our friend Adolfo was waiting for us. We spent the night in a Cabaña in the Los Molles Complejo Turístico.
I always enjoy driving on the Pan American Highway in Buenos Aires. It is a very broad highway with four to six lanes and offers a nice view on the neighborhoods in the “Zona Norte” of Buenos Aires like Don Torcuato, San Isidro and Florida.
This seven minutes clip shows you the Pan American Highway to Buenos Aires over a distance of 14.4 kilometers (9 miles) from Don Torcuato to exit ramp Calle Pelliza, Florida, in the province of Buenos Aires. Until the Obelisk in Buenos Aires you have to drive some 19 kilometers / 12 miles more.
May 1, 2010
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Posted by Senior
Categories: Argentina, Chile, Events, Rally Dakar
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Tags: argentina, chile, dakar, rally
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83 Comments
On the way to the city of San Luis you can see the wonderful thunderstorms of the Argentine Pampas. They were not very big, but they had deep black clouds and formed a lot of rainbows.
