Overview
- Terrain: 20% gravel roads
- Bike: rental bike
- Mileage: 3200 kilometers / 1988 miles
- Daily rides: 291 kilometers / 181 miles
- Meals: breakfasts and all dinners
You will be picked up at the airport in Salta and be brought to a hotel from where your motorbike tour starts next day. You'll leave Salta southwards through the fertile Lerma Valley, which narrows into the canyon of the Quebrada de Cafayate. This beautiful canyon is striking for its red sandstone formations, weathered by wind and water to form bizarre shapes. Through the sandy planes of the Calchaquí Valleys, you'll ride your motorbike to the town of Cafayate, the wine capital of Salta. You'll visit the impressive pre-Inca ruins of Quilmes, and on the legendary Ruta 40, you'll keep heading south to tarmac and gravel roads through the sparsely populated planes of Catamarca.
After crossing the rocky pass Cuesta de Miranda to stay in the village of Villa Unión, you’ll visit the Talampaya National Park which will impress you with its spectacular canyon and diverse fauna and flora. You’ll carry on to reach the Ischigualasto Provincial Park (Valley of the Moon) with its naturally carved bizarre rock formations which can be visited on the motorbike. On tarmac road through bushland and wine plantations, you'll pass San Juan and ride your motorbike into Mendoza city, the wine capital of Argentina.
On your way south to the Ruta 40 along the Andes, you’ll pass fruit plantations, lakes, and the volcano Diamante. By crossing the Diamond River, you'll get into northern Patagonia and visit the first highlight of Patagonia, the Atuel Canyon. You’ll carry on through basaltic dessert areas into Neuquén and follow a valley high above the river to reach the volcanic landscapes of Copahue, Caviahue, and Pehuenia, with their snow-capped volcanoes and shining lakes seamed by unearthly Araucaria forests.
On the Pehuenia Circle, you´ll enjoy an endless amount of Araucaria trees and lakes as well as rivers on your way to San Martín de los Andes on the shores of Lácar Lake. Finally, you’ll enter the lake district of Bariloche on Road of the Seven Lakes, where a stunningly beautiful motorbike ride will take you to Bariloche, the capital of northern Patagonia.
Note: Horizonte Tours reserve to make changes or adjustments to the itinerary at any time.
Intermediate
- Can ride for 3-4 hours
- Average riding experience
- Little assistance required
- Comfortable with extreme curves and leans
- Average experience with unsurfaced roads
- Steep ascents and descents
