Walking in the Cordillera – Proposed Itinerary
Day 1
You’ll be met by taxi in the town of Zapala, in the Province of Neuquen at 9:00 a.m.
and driven 4 hours up into the foothills of the Andes to a place called “Buta Mallin”.
This is a cattle outpost on the estancia and the end of the road for most vehicles.
Here we will have lunch with the gauchos – either an asado (grilled meat), or
traditional guiso (meat stew), served with fresh bread. We will then load our
luggage onto packhorses and set off on the 3.5 hour walk into the heart of the
estancia where the lodge is located. See how the land lies as you catch your first
magical glimpse of the valley in which the main lodge nestles. In the evening, settle
in to your cottage or room, enjoy a hot shower, and then join us on the terrace of
Casa Grande for wine, traditional food, and good company.
Day 2
Enjoy a hearty breakfast at Casa Grande featuring homemade yogurt, granola, and
fresh eggs cooked to order. We’ll spend today getting our bearings with a walk
around the estancia, and a picnic lunch with time for a siesta. There will also be
time to enjoy the river, the lodge, and the scenery. Finally, we’ll go over personal
gear, group items, food, and pack gear as we prepare to head off into the mountains.
Dinner will be served family style and will feature traditional Argentine dishes.
Days 3 through 5
We’ll head off early into the cordillera for the first of our two three-day tours of the
peaks and high valleys that surround the estancia. We’ll follow the course of the
Gindo, one of the estancia’s water sources, and then bear off towards another river,
the Picunleo, admiring from high above it the lush green drainage valleys and
incredible rock formations along its banks. Here, we are only a few kilometres from
the border with Chile to our West, and are afforded beautiful views of the high
Andes, the longest mountain range in the world. We’ll camp overnight at Upper
Confluencia, a stunning spot where the Picunleo meets the Trocoman river,
hopefully sleeping under the stars. The only other people we’re likely to see are the
gauchos that follow their herds of goat into the mountains – one of the highlights of
a trip out here is to stop at a twig hut and sip mate (tea) with these wonderful
people.
The next day we’ll set off after a healthy breakfast, crossing first the Picunleo, then
the Trocoman, climbing through the high valleys until we reach the huge Panqueco
pasture. Here we’ll make camp at the ruins of an abandoned puesto, or outpost. It’s
unlikely that we’ll see the elusive puma that roam here, but we may well spot their
footprints along our way, and will undoubtedly catch sight of condors and eagles
along the route.
On our third morning we’ll begin the walk home to the lodge, Casa Grande, heading
over the pass and then bearing west again, a route which takes us back to the
Trocoman through a neighbouring estancia. We’ll cross the river and follow it’s
course home, where we’ll be reunited with the wonderful hospitality of the lodge –
hot showers, cold beers and clean sheets, followed by an excellent meal paired with
local wines.
Day 6
Take time today to explore the lodge at your leisure, relaxing in the riverside sauna,
swimming, or maybe trying your hand at fishing. Alternatively, see a different part
of the estancia and enjoy a beautiful day’s horse-ride to Lower Confluencia, with a
picnic lunch, and lazy afternoon spent by the idyllic swimming holes that line the
serene curves of this pristine river. We’ll spend the early evening packing for
tomorrow’s mountain trip, before enjoying dinner family style.
Days 7 through 9
We’ll set off early for our second adventure in the high mountains, passing through the vast Inte Mallin, the biggest grazing pasture you’ll ever have seen. We’ll camp overnight at a remote puesto, and set off mid-morning the following day to spend
some time on the shores of Laguna Negra, maybe walking the length of this idyllic valley to admire the waterfalls at its far end, or fishing and cooking our catch for
lunch. After spending a second night at the puesto we’ll begin our long journey
home to Casa Grande, where we’ll celebrate our final evening together with a
delicious asado and local wines.
Day 10
On the last day, we’ll leave the estancia via a different trail from that which we came
in by, enjoying the spectacular scenery and bird-life en route to the small hamlet of
Villu Mallin. From here you’ll be driven back to Zapala, arriving there by early
evening. From Zapala, catch a bus back to BA or head to Bariloche or San Martin…
or even over the border to Chile.
