BIKE CHALLENGE Over the Andes Mountains Chile & Argentina
Trails, Dirt Roads, Forests, Rivers and Lakes
Accross the Andes through Icalma border crossing
More info please write to:
Email: info@gradosur.cl +56 9 9380 5359
Email: pablo@gradosur.cl +56 9 4407 0503
I. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This our most important experiences of the year. It is not a simple trip to plan, but we like to keep it simple in other aspects: connected to nature and to the locals. This is a trip between an amazing part of the Andes Mountains between Chile and Argentinas. We ride through forest, cross rivers and swim in lakes of Araucania en Chile and Alumine in Argentina.
This is a personal challenge: The Andes Twice. To make it possible, we have to combine a couple of natural camp-grounds with cabins. Most lunches are on the way prepared by our support crew. We have support vehicles that help with logistics and the transportation of gear, food and our personal belongings. Your only concern is to RIDE.
Max of Participants: We belive that 30 people is a good MAX number to keep it simple. We start saving spots through the year with a simple downpayment of usd 100. The rest we expect to be paid few weeks before the trip.
Lodging & Camp-grounds:
We will travel through some remote areas where the open field by a river protected by nice forest will be our camp-ground.
Other days we will enjoy the comfort of a small hotel or cabins. So we expect people to bring apart from their bikes and gear, a sleeping bag, matress and tent or to arange the renting of these item from us.
Meals:
Most meal are included as explained in our day-by-day itinerary. Some meal – epecially dinners- are not inlcuded because we use some of the local restaurante of the small town we ride through. So everybody orders according to his/her choices.
The rest of the food is prepared by Grado Sur Support Crew. Breakfast lunches or dinners.optaron por opciones especiales:
MEALS not included:
– Dinner at Argetinean Restaurant in Villa Pehuenia Day 03
– Lunch in Norquehue Day 4
– Lunch in Moquehue Day 5
Money during the trip: There is not much need for a big amount of money during the trip. We will be in remote areas most of the time. However, we will ride into small town where cash will be very handy ranther than a credit card. Bring Argentinean pesos or us dollars in small bills. We also eat at restaurants few times so cash will be needed, and usualy riders like to stop where there is opportunity for a cold beer or something equaly refreshing.
Gear & Bikes Transport:
Grado Sur Expediciones tried to help as much as possible with personal logistics but just from Santiago we were are based at. Few days before the trip we travel with vehicles trailers and gear to Temuco where trip starts. We offer the option for people in Santiago to deliver their bikes and luggage to our office and we will take them to Htel in Cunco. Other people from other locations need to be in Cunco Hotel -Bello Horizonte – the day before the trip or morning of Saturday, early enough to prepare for departure at noon.
For any logistics other than ours please contact us.
III. Getting to Temuco:
The important part is that anybody taking part in this trip needs to be in Cunco Hotel – Bello Horizonte either Friday – which is the day before the trip – or the same Saturday the trip starts around 9am 10am the latest.
There are buses from Santiago direct to Cunco. Bus stops right outside hotel.
There are buses from others destinations to Temuco and we can pick people up.
There are flights also to Temuco and we can pick people in Temuco Downtown.
People who wants to drive there, they can leave the car at hotel parking no-charge until we return to hotel at the end of trip.
IV. While Riding: EWe want people who come on this trip to focuss on the riding leaving all the rest to us. We travel with support vehicles – usually 4×4 small truck carrying everything for the trip. There will be one of 2 guides on bikes with the group. We can also assist with mechanic issues with any of the bikes.
V. What is included:
– Free transportation of bikes and gear from Santiago to Cunco and back.
– Lodging and Food according to Itinerary.
– Local Ground Transportation in Temuco area (shuttles Temuco – Cunco)
– Support – 4×4 – vehicles during the trip.
– Guides and bike mechanics
– Make sure your bike come 100% ready for such a challenge.
– farewell dinner on our last night of trip back at Bello Horizonte hotel in Cunco.
ITINERARY Day by Da
Saturday Day 01: Arrival – Trip Starts – China Muerta Reserve Ride.
The trip starts on Saturday noon, so we expect people to arrive the night before or early in the morning on the same Saturday by 10am. (See how to get to Cunco above)
There will be a late breakfast for everybody at hotel. After that, we will start getting ready to start the trip. Check luggage, check bicycle, and all itemn suggested below in our packing list. People will be able to leave stuff that are not needed at hotel until we get back at the end of trip.
We check our bikes, make last minute adjustments.
At noon, we expect everybody at the front of hotel for the first group picture of the trip. After that, we load everything in the trailer or support vehicles and start the cycling.
The first stretch goes for 30 kmts (24 miles) on pavement which works great as a warm-up. We arrive in Melipeuco and make a stop for lunch .
Later, we start the ride inside Chica Muerta Reserve all the way to our camp-ground, a natural sport by a small river where we will set up our tents and support team will make sure that dionner is ready by 8pm.
Dinner prepraed by Grado Sur Staff.
Night at Camp-ground.
Sunday Day 02: China Muerta Reserve and Galletue Lake – Cabins at Icalma Border Crossing
Groupo wakes up in the mountain. Time to undo tents and work on packing some of the gear we used during the night. At 8:30am we expect everybody to show upo for breakfast at our dining tent.
At around 9:30 people need to bring luggage and tents to cars and prepare bikes to start the ride for the day. Today first destination is Galletué Lake, headwaters of the BioBio river. Here, group will make a stop to enjoy the beautifukl waters of the lake and river, go for a swim, and enjoy a picnic lunch also prepared by Grado Sur Staff.
By 3pm group starts riding towards the town of Icalma. Here we stay at cabins by the Icalma Lake, just by the border with Argentina.
Dinner at Local Restaurant.
Night at cabins.
Monday Day 03: Crossing into Argentina – Climb Batea Mahuida Volcano – Single Track
Our third day is hard to predict because we have the border crossing and customs paper work to do before we continue with our trip. Sometimes we get there and are the first in line, but sometimes we might have to wate sometime for our turn. the good thing is that Icalma border crossing is not to popular so waiting should never be hours.
Once in Argentina, we are free to go and the plan is to meet at the entrance of Batea Mahuida Volcano Park, pay our fee and start riding to the crater of the volcano: 6.000 above sea level. A hard climb but worth the effort.
Batea Mahuida offers a 360 degree view of Chile and Argentina. Lunch happens here with plenty of time for pictures of an unique place in the whole trip.
The inside of the volcano is a lagoon that makes the view even more impressive.
After lunch, we get what most people deserve a 20 minutes descend from the top of the volcano all the way to the Town of Villa Pehuenia. Just fun on a trail through Araucaria Tree forest. This is what we have named SENDERO LOCO – Crazy Trail – nothing too techical just turn after turn of soft terrain.
If someone doesn’t feel like this is the way to descend the volcanoe that they want, the main dirt road is still fun and leads to te same place where we meet in town: The VAGON Restaurant. An old train car in the main street in town. Impossible to miss.
At around 4pm we should be entering Lagrimitas camp Ground where we have the big wood shelter reserved for the group. A two story building with beds on the second floor and a big space on the first floor for gear bikes and nice dinning area for our meals.
Options before dinner is a shower or a nice swim in the lake just few steps away.
Dinner in town at a Parrilla Restaurant – Not Included.
Night at Mountain Shelter in Villa Pehuenia.
Tuesday Day 04: Ride along Alumine River to Norquinco – Kimey Mapu Camp-Ground
Breakfast in our Mountain Shelter at 9am.
Then, like every morning, we pack our staff load our vehicles and try to hit the road by 10am. Today, the morning section is a dirt road from town to a nice spot by the river Aluminé, just where the road crosses over the river. Underneath that bridge, you should see vehicles and Grado Sur people getting our lunch ready.
After lunch, the day’s challenge continues as we leave the paved road, and take the dirt road towards Norquinco – Check the signs. Guides will also give directions before you leave lunch spot.
The destination for the day is Lake Norquinco and more specific Kimey Mapu Camp-Ground, a beautifully kept camp-ground by ther lake, with nice infrastructure and very nice people who run it.
Getting here might be a bit harder than the morning ride, because of a normal headwind and the openess of the area – flat fields.
The total distance of the day is 85 kmts but it will feel like a little bit more.
Dinner at Camp Restaurant.
Night at camp – Tents.
Wednesday Day 05: Ride Mapuche Land – Moquehue – Back to Chile Icalma
Desayuno en nuestro Campamento a las 9am con todo el equipo de camping y equipaje preparado para cargar y comenzar nuestro viaje.
Hoy es un día largo no por los kmts necesariamente, sino por la normal incertidumbre del paso fronterizo de regreso a Chile. Aduana Argentina – Aduana Chilena.
Desde nuestro camping la ruta nos lleva primero al pintoresco pueblo de Moquehue, y luego de regreso al camino que da al Paso Icalma, al cruce de frontera y al pueblo del mismo nombre donde ya pasamos una noche días antes.
Una vez en Chile, el recorrido que haremos a nuestro destino por el día es diferente al de inicio del viaje. Esta vez tomamos el camino directo que asciende un poco hasta el limite provincial, para después dejarse caer por unos 35 kmts hasta el sector Carilafquen Bajo y a nuestro refugio de montaña “Paso Lodge”.
Este es un lugar muy hermoso con cabañas escondidas en el bosque y un salón para compartir y disfrutar nuestra cena y desayuno.
Asado cena en el quincho.
Noche en refugio.
Thursday Day 06: Down to Carilafquen and Back to Bello Horizonte Hotel in Cunco.
Hoy es un día especial. Lo tomamos con mucha calam pues es el último día de la travesía y queremos que cada persona tenga tiempo para disfrutar las últimas horas en la montaña y con los nuevos amigos.
El desayuno es a las 8:30am. Luego tiempo libre hasta las 10am para preparar equipaje y preparar las biciletas y relajarnos un rato antes de iniciar el pedaleo. Esto se describe como 12 kmts de bajada no técnica y muy rápidos hasta las cercanías de Melipeuco.
Almuerzo en un restaurante en Melipeuco, para luego continuar los últimos 30 kmts de regreso al hostal Bello Horizonte donde termina nuestro viaje.
Tiempo para decanzar y compartir y nuestra última cena de despedida.
Nopche en Hostal de Cunco Bello Horizonte.
Friday Day 07: Departure. Group Members Leave – Transfer to Temuco Airport
Desayuno en Hostal Bello Horizonte… mañana libre para organizar transporte a Temuco según horarios de viaje a sus lugares de origen.
SUGERENCIA IMPORTANTE: Todos estos viajes tienen un grado de “aventura” y no se puede garantizar el 100% de los itinerarios, por lo que sugerimos no organizar vuelos ni viajes antes de medio día.
WHAT TO BRING IN THIS EXPEDITION:
We need a lot for a trip like this, but we still encourage people to PLEASE pack light. We have limited space during the trip. However, you can repark at hotel in Cunco and leave items you don’t think will be necessary during the trip at hotel.
– Camping gear. Sleeping bag, tent matress. (temp may drop to 0 degress 32 f at night)
– Your regular riding gear. Helmets are mandatory.
– Rain gear. Though it is summer, it is the mountains and it could rain any minute.
– Warm layers for riding and for night at camp-grounds.
– Small set of bike tools, small pump, minimum 2 inner tubes even if bike is Tubeless.
– One set of warm clothes for the nights. One pair of warm shoes. No need for heavy mountain trekking shoes.
– Small bagpak for daily rides.
– Bottles or camelbak for at leat 1 liter of water.
– Energy bars gel or any other kind of your favorite energy food.
Note 01: Please, dont bring electronic articles during the trip other than your phone. It could get damaged.
Note 02: Anything especial someone might need for this trip before or after, please let us know in advanvce, We will be happy to help as much as we can.