Expeditions

2021 EXPEDITION ATACAMA \ ARGENTINA

Read the blog posts and/or watch all the videos of the expedition on our youtube channel

2021 EXPEDITION ATACAMA \ ARGENTINA TO THE PROVINCES OF CATAMARCA AND SALTA

October 9, 2021 – We are now about a week away from the beginning of our expedition to the north of Argentina. Soon we will be leaving Mendoza to Fiambala, Catamarca, and the route of the six thousands. This area is the second highest in the world after the Himalayas. There are several summits over 6000 meters of altitude (close to 20,000 feet), hence the name of this area. We will explore remote tracks in the Andes that will take us to just under 5000 meters (16,400′), to lagunas with flamingos, towering volcanos and breathtaking landscapes. We will be on the road for over a month, off-highway for the most part. We will be living almost 100% in the truck, cooking, eating and sleeping, in improvised camp spots. We might stop in a campground occasionally to shower and wash our clothes but no hotels nor restaurants. We will be traveling alone, no other vehicle, no one else to rely on if something happens. This is a very remote and challenging region because of the harshness of the terrain and of the climate. It is more than likely that we will be spending nights out in minus 15 degrees Celcius (5 degrees Farenheit). Our itinarary will take us further north through the mountains to Tolar Grande and San Antonio De Los Cobres, before heading south and lower altitudes, and warmer temperatures. I will film 4 episodes for the youtube channel, maybe more. Over the last weeks I renewed my Argentine driver’s licence, serviced the truck and had the mandatory technical inspection done. All the planning is done, the GPSs are programed, the digital maps downloaded. We only have to take care of the last minutes chores and checks, load the truck with clothes and food, and start. Such an expedition is always an adventure but even more so when traveling alone. We already tested the truck and ourselves on the expedition to Peru and Bolivia two years ago, so we know what to expect. This trip is very similar in challenges, same altitudes, same remoteness, same terrain and climate. Fingers crossed, all will go well and we will come back with a lifetime of memories (all good of course) and some amazing footage to share with you!

====    2019    ===

We came back from our big expedition, which took us to the Atacama desert of Chile, to Bolivia, Cusco (Peru) and back through northern Argentina. We covered 9200 km, drove up to 4930 m of altitude, and were on the road for 7 weeks. Unfortunately due to civil unrest in Bolivia while we were traveling, we had to cancel the Salar de Uyuni. Instead of driving through Bolivia we retraced our steps through Peru and the north of Chile. Unfortunately Chile was also having some serious issues and we had a few rough days not knowing how much distance we were going to be able to cover each day, if any. We came upon road closures, protests, burnt tires, and the military guarding previously looted supermarkets, gas stations, and rest areas. It was stressful but we made it through without really much change to our itinerary route-wise and time-wise. We went looking for an adventure and we found some in some unpredicted way. The trip was a success since we had no trouble at all, mechanical nor health related. We enjoyed very much every place we visited, the breathtaking landscapes, the delicious Peruvian cuisine, and the friendly people we met on the way. Make sure to visit the youtube channel to see the videos under the title “Atacama Expedition“. Also subscribe to this blog and the youtube channel to get the updates. Thank you for visiting the blog!

====    2018    ===

At the beginning of 2018 we drove to Ushuaia, down at the tip of Argentina, starting from Mendoza, along the famous Ruta 40, crossed into Chile a few times, all the way down to the southernmost city in the world. Then we drove back to Mendoza, following the Atlantic coast of Argentina – a total of 12,000 kilometres over 48 days. We didn’t spend a single night in a hotel but always stayed in the truck, and we rarely went to restaurants but always cooked in the truck. We are now planning to explore more of our surroundings, since Argentina and Chile have so much to offer. I will post upcoming expeditions and trip reports on these pages. Stay tuned! And if you want to learn more please read the blog posts in the “Trips” category.