Northern Argentina and the Ruins of Quilmes

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $150 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

Overview

This 12 day, 11 night bicycling adventure will take you off of the beaten path into the far northwest corner of Argentina.  Over approximately 400 miles you will experience colorful canyons, stunning rock formations, verdant valleys and deserts and even a cloud forest.  Highlights are the pre-Incan and Incan ruins, well preserved colonial towns along with small villages with indigenous people and perhaps their markets.  Enjoy world- class wine from some of the world’s highest vineyards, feast at a typical asado (barbeque).  Perhaps we'll watch a tango and hear some traditional Argentinian music!

Itinerary

Day 1 (Warm-up ride) Meet in Salta in the afternoon.  An Experience Plus shuttle will pick us up at the Salta airport aound 2:30 pm  and/or at a predetermined Salta hotel at 2 pm from where we shuttle roughly 3 hours to the northern province of Jujuy.   We will experience the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Quebrada de Humahuaca and visit a restored Incan fortress and wonder at marvelous geological formations.  Tilcara 1 night.

Day 2 (17 miles, 656 elvation gain; more optional) Tilcara to Purmamarca.  Ride through small indigenous towns and explore Posta de los Hornillos and Maimará.   Be enchanted by the vibrant colors in a rainbow of rocks in the Quebrada.  Purmamcara 2 nights.

Day 3  (layover day) Several optional activities are available such as visiting the salt flats at 12,000 ft., hiking the surrounding colorful hills, riding or walking  4 K (gravel) around the hill called “Cerro de Siete Colores”.  If you want to ride, you could challenge yourself and ride up the hill with it’s 25+ hairpin turns over 6,500 ft of elevation gain to reach 13,681 feet from our base of about 7,500 ft.  Purmamcara.

Day 4 (41 miles; 328 ft elevation gain) Purmamarca to San Salvador de Jujuy, the capital of the Jujuy province.  Visit villages of Tumbaya and Volcan.  Add some miles by riding up to the thermal pools adding 1,246 in elevation gain.   We’re headed mostly downhill today with a 3,000 ft descent. San Salvador de Jujuy 1 night.

Day 5 (58 miles, 2,300 ft elevation gain) Today we kick up the level of effort as we climb our way out of the Jujuy valley through a cloud forest on our way to Salta.  Salta 1 night.

Day 6 (47 miles, 1000 ft elevation gain) Ride through the lush green countryside to the small village of Coronel Moldes where we will visit a tobacco farm (finca) and stay for an asado (barbeque) prepared by the owner.  Coronel Moldes 1 night.

Day 7 (shorter option 56 miles with shuttle part way, otherwise 86 miles hotel to hotel with total elevation gain of 2,887 ft of elevation gain) Coronel Moldes to Cafayte. Visit a goat farm where you can buy cheese or even dulche de leche from goat’s milk.  Today could be one of the most beautiful rides ever as we pedal through the Quebrada de las Conchas where we’ll see odd geological formations with names like “Devil’s Throat” or “The Monk”.  A late afternoon ride through the canyon makes for an explosion of colors.   Cafayate 2 nights.

Day 8 (layover day) Cafayate. Sample local wines from some of the best wineries in Argentina.  There are several options such as a 17 mile ride to a nearby town of San Carlos or visiting the Quebrada de Las Flechas for more stunning rock views.

Day 9 (41 miles, 1804 ft elevation gain) Cafayate to Amaicha de Valle and the ruins of Quilmes.  Today we ride onward through vineyards along the valley to the most famous ruins in Argentina, Quilmes.  Amaicha del Valle 1 night.

Day 10 (33 miles, 4002 ft elevation gain) Amaicha de Valle to Tafi del Valle. Ride through cactus and mountainous landscapes as we go up and over the “infernillo pass” (3300 ft ascent) and descend into the lush valley of Tafi del Valle.  The van will be available to assist.  Tafi del Valle 1 night.

 Day 11 (68 miles, 656  ft elevation gain) Tafi del Valle to San Miguel de Tucuman.  Our last day of riding, while 68 miles in total distance, brings a screaming 31 mile descent through a tropical forest leading us to San Miguel de Tucuman where we end with a farewell dinner.  San Miguel de Tucuman 1 night.

Day 12  Depart after breakfast.  An included Experience Plus shuttle will transport you back to Salta airport, arriving around 12:30 pm. or to the departure hotel in Salta.  If you are departing from Tucuman airport (TUC) you should arrange your own transport to the Tucuman airport which is about 10 to 15 min away from our final hotel in San Miguel de Tucuman.

Ride Rating

The rating is a 2B even though there are a couple of days where the elevation gain is over 2,500 feet and three days are outside of the 50 mile 2B limit.  The average daily distance over a 10 riding days is 39 to 44 miles per day.  View the elevation profiles at Ride Leader Docs.  Elevation gains may have a 10% margin of error.

All riding is on paved roads. There is one 4K optional ride on a layover day that is on a gravel path.  Experience Plus offers road bikes with  chainrings 53-39-30 and a 11-32 cassette.  27 speeds and 700 x 23 tires. A large bike weighs approximately 20 lbs.  or hybrid bikes outfitted with 26 inch wheels and 1.2 "slick" tires and  44-32-22 chainrings and a 11-34 cassette. A large bike weighs approximately 28 lbs.  

Weather and Altitudes

April starts the fall season in Northern Argentina.   Salta sits at slightly under 4,000 ft.  The average temperatures in Salta are 73 F in the day with an average low of 52 F.  Cafayate sits at 5,500 feet so it will be a bit cooler while  San Miguel de Tucuman sits at 1,400 feet where the average highs are 75 and average lows are 55 F.   It will be a bit warmer in the valleys.  It’s generally dry and comfortable but of course rain happens.   

Lodging

11 nights lodging, typically in small inns, hotel de charme or 3* hotels.

Logistics

Arrive: Salta (SLA) Argentina.   We recommend flying into General Martín Miguel de Güemes Airport, also known as El Aybal Airport (SLA) in Salta, Argentina.  A shuttle will pick us up at the Salta airport 2:30 pm or the center of Salta at a pre-defined hotel at 2 pm on April 8th from where we will drive north to Quebrada de Humahuaca.   Bike boxes will be transported to the end point Tucuman unless you are taking the included shuttle back to Salta at the end.  Please do not bring large cardboard bike boxes.  Please bring your own helmet even if renting a bike.

There is a reciprocity fee for entering Argentina through an international airport.  The required Argentina Reciprocity Fee is approximately $160 and each participant is responsible for registering and paying this fee PRIOR to travel. 

Depart:  While we end in San Miguel de Tucuman (TUC) Argentina after breakfast on day 12, the Experience Plus shuttle (included in price) will transport you back to Salta airport arriving at 12:30 pm or back to our departure hotel.   If you choose to depart from Tucuman, you will make your own arrangements for transportation to the Tucuman airport (roughly 70 Argentinian pesos;  10 to 15 minutes from hotel)

Two airlines, LAN Argentina and Aerolíneas Argentinas  service both Salta and Tucuman usually via Buenos Aires or Santiago Chile.

Costs and Administration

The estimated cost of $4,000 includes BAC fees, 11 nights lodging, all breakfasts, 3 lunches and 6 dinners (welcome and farewell dinners with wine), 11 social hours with wine, other beverages and snacks.  The hotels quote their rates in dollars but it is too early to get a firm quote on the price so the trip cost is based on the 2014 rates with allowances for price increases. Also included are the two shuttles on days 1 and 12,  a support van for emergencies with snacks and drinks, maps and chalk dust directional arrows on the route and historical information. Cue sheets or GPS files will not be provided.  Tips for the guides have been estimated and added into the tour cost and allowances have been made for unforseen epenses but excess funds will be refunded after the completion of the ride.  

Very nice rental bikes (road or hybrid) are available to rent for $250 for the entire trip directly from Experience Plus.  Visit the Experience Plus website,  http://www.experienceplus.com/what_to_expect/our_bikes/
 to view the road or hybrid bikes available to rent in Argentina.

Singles & Solos

We welcome single participants, whether you share a room with another single or you choose to pay a solo supplement.  If you wish to share a room with another single, please notify the Ride Leader of your intended roommate.  If you do not have a roommate in mind, the Ride Leader will assist you by providing names of other singles looking for roommates.  If you wish to have a room to yourself, the solo supplement will be  $650.  Due to limited accommodations at some of the inns, we can only provide one solo room.

To Sign Up

To submit a request to join this ride, please use the BAC signup link just above the ride description. The Ride Leader will contact you to discuss your interest in this ride.  If you are accepted, the ride leader will notify you, and then you will receive a link by email for you to electronically sign a Ride Application and Release of Liability form.  After you electronically sign your release, the $1,000 initial deposit will be due within two weeks to secure your place.  After receipt of the deposit, you will be moved from “pending” to “participant” status on the BAC website.  The second payment of $1,500 is due on September 1, 2015 and the final payment of $1,500 will be due on December 15, 2015.  If you are requesting a solo room, the $650 solo supplement is due with the initial deposit.

Cancelation Policy

The  $100 Overseas BAC ride fee is nonrefundable. If a ride participant cancels, any refund will be determined on the basis that the remaining participants will not incur additional costs. If the canceling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the canceling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report is completed.  If the canceling participant was sharing a room and a roommate cannot be found, the canceling participant will be liable for the single supplement of $650 at a minimum.