Alive Tour
A fantastic and memorable hiking tour that goes through the history of the Uruguayan rugbiers in the immensity of the Andes mountain range.
The incredible story of the Uruguayan plane that was carrying 45 young rugby players to Chile. The accident that meant 72 days of living extreme situations in a hostile climate.
Known as the Miracle of the Andes, the accident of October 13, 1972 left the Old Christians rugby team stranded in the Mendoza mountain range while heading to compete in Chile. Twelve of them died in the crash and the rest began an unrelenting fight against hunger and cold. On the tenth day of the accident, they hear through a small radio receiver that the search for the plane had finally been suspended, giving them up for dead. It is there that the leadership of Fernando Parrado, Roberto Canessa and Antonio Vizintin appears... after walking for 10 days heading west towards Chile, find the muleteer Sergio Catalán, who finally went out to seek the assistance that managed to recover those who had survived.
There were 72 days where decision-making changed over the days, prioritizing life, despite the harsh adverse conditions. Our ALIVE hiking tour takes us to where the accident occurred, traveling along rivers and valleys of surprising beauty, in the heart of the central Andes.
Day 1: Mendoza: Pick up in your hotel at 7am. We´ll head south to ¨Puesto Araya¨ at Laguna El Sosneado. The mythical National Highway 40 allows us to see on our way an infinite number of vineyards, wineries, mountains and valleys. The trip from the capital city to our destination will take us around 5 hours. In that place we will make the preparations for the following day, where we will start the trek itself.
The Andes mountains in Mendoza have always had an enormous impact on the imagination of those who have seen them. The words with which the characteristics of the Andes were expressed correspond exactly to the categories of the sublime: verticality, grandeur, monumentality, essential purity, the intensity of colors, astonishment, mystical asceticism and transcendence.
After midday we prepare our campsite and there will be a required orientation to present the activities and guides that will accompany us, finishing the preparations for the next day. Dinner. Overnight. (altitude 2200 m.a.s.l).
Day 2: We wake up very early to enjoy our breakfast. We get ready to start our day of walking to El Barroso base camp. It will be a stunning hiking day where we will walk about 7 hours, we will cross the Atuel River to later arrive at our camping site. Dinner. Overnight. (2550 m.a.s.l).
• Estimated walking time: 7 hours.
• Meters uphill: 350 mts in total ascent (500 mts in ascent / 150 mts in descent)
• Starting height: 2200 meters above sea level
• Height of the camp: 2550 masl
Day 3: It will be our longest day of hiking starting with an early breakfast. Once we are ready we will leave with the aim of reaching the Glacier of the Valle de las Lagrimas. The day's journey will be very entertaining, our march has a great goal on the horizon and is to arrive at the place where the fuselage of the fallen plane is located. Once there, our guide will tell us some stories of the last visits of the survivors to the place. We will observe numerous offerings, flags, epitaphs next to the Cross of Memory. A moment of silence will be given in homage of the victims, and we will take a short tour of the area afterwards.
Lunch will be followed by a break and we will descend once more to our campsite at El Barroso. Dinner and rest.
• Estimated walking time: 7 hours one way, 5 hours back. Total = 12 hours.
• Meters uphill: 1050 meters in ascent and 1050 meters in descent.
• Starting height: 2550 masl
• Maximum height: 3600 masl
• Height of the camp: 2550 masl.
Day 4: Breakfast and breakdown of the campsite. On our last day we will walk about four hours returning to ¨El Puesto Araya¨. Time for lunch and we continue our journey to Mendoza grateful for having shared an experience that will surely stay alive forever. Drop off at your hotel. End of services.
• Estimated walking time: 6 hours.
• Meters uphill: 350 meters in total descent (500 meters in descent / 150 meters in ascent)
• Starting height: 2550 meters above sea level
Height of the camp: 2200 masl. *Este es el mismo campamento al que llegan el dia 1, a 2200 msnm.
- Private transportation to and from your hotel (downtown)
- 3 nights of camping
- All meals during the expedition.
- Guides and specialized baqueanos.
- Mules for transporting loads.
- First aid kit.
- Personal accident insurance.
- Satellite phone for emergencies
- Entry permit to the Valley of Tears.
- Taxes
- Personal equipment.
- Sleeping and insulating bag.
- Tent.
- Expenses caused by the abandonment of the program.
- Extras: tips-laundry-phone calls, etc.
- All services not detailed as INCLUDED.
- Upcoming Departures (Open dates available from December to March for groups over 5 pax):
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2020: December 5 to 9 & December 26 to 31
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2021: January 27 to 31
- This tour can be done on a horseback ride, with the same itinerary.
- Consult for accommodation in Mendoza, additional tours (Alta Montaña, Villavicencio, Gourmet Tour), restaurant reservations, etc.
- In case of not having tents, sleeping bags, clothing, etc. We offer the rental option, contact us.
- Maximum height reached: 3,600 masl.
- Minimum Age: 18 years. Minors accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- The wineries, tours and restaurants specified in the program may vary, according to the availability of the program at the time of booking. In any case, we always ensure the same level of excellence in each of our services.
- If you need a personalized program, contact us using our form below or via e-mail / whatsapp, so that way we can provide a special proposal, according to your interests and needs.
- It is recommended to make reservations in advance.
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