Argentine – Expédition 4×4 sur l’altiplano argentin

To discover the wonders of the Argentine Northwest, you must dare to leave the main road and venture off the beaten path! For 4 days, we explored the stunning Andean high plateaus of Argentina on an off-road expedition, just the way we like it. Dust, rugged tracks, grandiose landscapes, and limitless expanses: we take you on a journey to discover the Argentine Altiplano! 😃

Friday, January 9^th, 2024

We leave the municipal campground of Salta without even dipping a toe in the giant pool! But before leaving the city: full tank of gas, tire inflation, bakery stop to stock up on bread and chocolate croissants, purchase of empanadas for our lunch, and acquisition of the Ruta 40 passport. What's that? A great Argentine initiative for travelers! The Ruta 40 is Argentina's legendary route, spanning the country from North to South (or vice versa) over more than 5,000 kilometers. Along the way, it's possible to get your passport stamped in each province of the country. And in the end, you receive a diploma! Pretty cool, right? 😃

On quitte Salta pour rejoindre la petite ville de San Antonio de Los Cobres, 100 kilomètres plus au Nord. Sur la route, on suit le tracé du fameux Tren a las Nubes : le train des nuages. C’était à l’origine un train de mine, reconverti par la suite en train touristique panoramique. Il part de Salta, à 1 187 mètres d’altitude et va jusqu’après San Antonio de Los Cobres, à 4 200 mètres d’altitude.

The Train to the Clouds ends its journey at the La Polvorilla viaduct, an architectural marvel made of steel. That's also where we end our day's journey, at the foot of the viaduct.

Saturday, January 20^th

In the early morning, we have the place all to ourselves. That's also part of overlanding 😊. Waking up at deserted tourist sites, enjoying moments alone in the world where normally there would be crowds, having these places just for us, for a few hours. As the sun rises gently around us, warming us gradually, we have breakfast at the foot of the viaduct, then we follow the trail that leads up onto the viaduct. From up there, the view of the Argentine Altiplano is beautiful.

C’est parti pour une nouvelle aventure comme on les aime ! Car, pourquoi faire simple quand on peut faire compliqué ? 😁 Pourquoi suivre la route quand de petites pistes hors des sentiers battus n’attendent que nous pour nous faire découvrir les plus beaux paysages ? Notre but aujourd’hui est d’attraper la Ruta 27. Cette piste longe la frontière chilienne sur plus de 400 kilomètres. On part donc pour quatre jours de trail dans un des endroits les plus reculés et les plus désertiques du pays. Eau en quantité, nourriture, essence : on est parés. Sur les premiers kilomètres, la piste de tôle ondulée et de poussière est empruntée par les énormes camions qui gèrent les mines de la région. À chaque passage (et ils nous doublent toujours à toute vitesse), ils nous inondent de poussière, au point que pendant quelques secondes, la visibilité devient nulle.

Vast desert expanses as far as the eye can see, snow-capped mountains in the distance, salt deserts exploited by humans, vicuñas and rheas watching us pass by with curious eyes. The track winds its way through the Argentine Altiplano and takes us to over 4,500 meters above sea level.

A radical change of landscape during the afternoon. We traverse the Del Diablo Desert, where the earth turns red. We navigate through tight bends to descend into the valley. With each hairpin turn, we get sprayed by our own dust.

We arrive in Tolar Grande in the late afternoon. The Jeep is no longer black but orange (inside and out!). Quite a change! 😆 Tolar Grande is a small mining village in the middle of nowhere. The few inhabitants we pass by watch us without a gesture. We settle a bit away from the village, near the soccer field.

Summary of the first day on the trail: 198 kilometers in 6 hours and 30 minutes!

Sunday, January 21^st

The wind died down this morning, as it always does at this time. If it doesn't give us any respite in the evening, forcing us to stay sheltered in the Jeep and preventing us from putting up the tent, the mornings are always calm and sunny. We head to Ojo de Mar, a saltwater pool on the outskirts of the village.

After that, it’s time for another day on the trail! We cross the Salar d’Arizaro, the largest salt flat in Argentina, but still quite small compared to the immense Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia!

Then we cross desert landscapes. Here, on this arid land rich in salt, nothing seems to be able to grow. But the colorful mountains add a nice touch of color. At noon, we take a break in the middle of nowhere. On the menu: pan con tomate, cold cuts, avocado, and goat cheese! For an hour, the peaceful silence replaces the clamor of the Jeep on the washboarded track. It feels good! 🥴

Then it's back on the road! We climb higher, reaching over 4,000 meters above sea level. Up there, in the mountains, dusty tracks lead even higher, up to 5,000 meters or more. These tracks allow trucks and workers to access the mines. Some are still operational, while others have been closed down. We even catch sight of a cable car! It's amazing how humans can exploit even the most inaccessible places...

The track takes us further and higher into the Argentine altiplano. On the plateaus, tufts of grass flattened by the wind paint the landscape yellow. The only visible inhabitants of these places are dozens of vicuñas that flee as we approach.

In the late afternoon, we arrive within sight of the Cono de Arita, our destination for the day. This nearly perfect cone stands alone in the middle of nowhere on the Argentine altiplano.

Près du Cono de Arita se trouve l’entrée bien gardée d’une mine d’or. À notre approche, un garde sort de la guérite pour nous accueillir. On a entendu dire qu’il était possible de prendre une douche chaude dans les locaux de la mine. « Claro que si ! », nous répond le garde avec un grand sourire 😀. Il nous demande également si on compte traverser le territoire minier. Si oui, il nous fournira une escorte. On répond que c’est gentil, mais on veut juste une douche ! Il nous propose de l’eau. On décline en lui disant que l’on a tout ce qu’il faut. Il nous propose de dormir ce soir dans un des dortoirs. Merci, mais là aussi, on est bon. Quelle gentillesse au milieu de nulle part ! On profite donc d’une super douche chaude dans les locaux de la mine, le tout gratuitement ! Big up pour les miniers argentins ! 😀

We then settle in for the evening near the Cono de Arita. Tonight again, the wind is strong, and we struggle to find shelter. Not easy to cook in these conditions!

Summary of the second day on the track: 150 kilometers in 6 hours! Vehicles encountered: 1 truck.

Monday, January 22^nd

The North of Argentina offers us another splendid morning! The sky is a clear blue, the wind has died down, and Rémi takes the opportunity to launch the drone to conquer the Cono de Arita, two kilometers away. It's ambitious for our little drone! And after a few minutes, what had to happen happens: running out of battery, the drone crashes on the way back. First crash in two years of use! Fortunately, it landed "gently" between two rocks and seems fine. Battery change. To make sure everything is okay, Rémi relaunches it. He flies it for a few seconds, then brings it down. When he goes to catch it, a miscalculation and crash! One of the drone's propellers cuts Rémi's finger, and the drone crashes again! Second crash in 5 minutes! Fortunately, everything is fine.

After these adventures, we don't linger to hit the road because a long day of off-roading awaits us. We're getting used to the dust that fills the cabin within the first few minutes. In fact, we don't even try to fight it anymore; we already know we'll clean up tonight. However, what we never get used to is the noise and vibrations caused by the washboard. Fortunately, we somewhat forget this discomfort in front of the landscapes we traverse. The track takes us to a pass at 4,300 meters above sea level. From up there, the landscapes of the Argentine altiplano are breathtaking.

On traverse le salar d’Antofalla, puis la piste remonte jusqu’à nous faire passer un deuxième col.

At noon, we take a break in a lush valley for lunch. It's been several days since we've seen any greenery! We enjoy our meal amidst the llamas, vicuñas, and rheas that inhabit the area. It's incredibly beautiful and peaceful!

Back on the road. Once again, we're alone in the world on this trail winding through the Argentine altiplano. As we climb, we're listening for any signs of weakness from Jeepy. Indeed, the tank is half empty, and that's when it tends to struggle. Clearly, this is not the time for a breakdown! Whenever it starts to sputter, we quickly refill with a jerrycan of gasoline, and it starts up again without any other issues. We suspect low-quality fuel... Another more mysterious problem: when it gets too bumpy, the driver's side door opens by itself! So Rémi spends his time closing it! 😅

After 2 hours on the trail, we reach a new pass at a record altitude of 4,600 meters! From there, it's all downhill. Indeed, a long descent through a canyon filled with vicuñas takes us in 2 hours to the small village of Antofagasta. It seems nestled in a green oasis. The village is deserted, there's not much open, but we still find a small gas station! And the good news: there's gasoline! So we take the opportunity to fill up the tank and a 20-liter jerrycan. Then it's off to the Antofagasta Volcano and its impressive lava field.

It's 4 p.m., but we still decide to undertake the short ascent to the summit.

The challenge for the evening: finding a bivouac sheltered from the wind. It's blowing strongly in the region, and nothing seems to provide us with shelter. We first settle in the parking lot of the hike, thinking we're protected from the wind. But as time passes, the wind grows stronger, swirling sand around us. So, we drive a few kilometers until we find a track that leads into the lava field. There, amidst the volcanic rock, we make several attempts, but to no avail: wherever we are, we're exposed to terrible winds. Oh well, we have no choice but to spend another evening in the Jeep to shelter from the fierce gusts and avoid eating sand.

Summary of the day: 175 kilometers in 6 hours.

Tuesday, January 23^rd

Nouvelle matinée radieuse. Une nouvelle piste nous emmène face au volcan Carachi Pampa et son champ de lave. L’activité volcanique semble forte dans la région, car des volcans ont fleuri partout ! Le Carachi Pampa se dresse au bord d’une belle lagune qui nous rappelle celles de la Laguna Road en Bolivie. Le paysage est magnifique, entre lagunes asséchées, lamas, montagnes colorées et champ de lave noir. Le noir du champ de lave contraste d’ailleurs magnifiquement avec les couleurs alentours !

A track of sand and volcanic rock allows us to circumnavigate the volcano.

Next, we arrive at Campo de Piedra Pómez with its white rocks that stand out in the landscape.

From there, we head towards the small village of El Peñón. No more dusty track, the road is smooth and it feels great after all the washboards of the past few days. In the village, we buy some empanadas for €2.50! We eat while inflating the tires because the dirt track is over! It's now a beautiful road that takes us through the Argentine altiplano.

En fin d’après-midi, on frappe à la porte d’un petit camping municipal. Il n’y a personne. Pour s’installer sur son terrain, le gérant nous demande… 0,50 € par personne ! Alors là, c’est rentable 😃 Le Sprite nous coûte d’ailleurs plus cher que la nuit de camping ! Pour la première fois depuis plusieurs jours, on est enfin totalement abrités du vent. On sort donc la tente ! La soirée est chaude, douce et agréable, avec une douche froide à la piscine en prime. Enfin on peut pleinement profiter de notre soirée !

Bilan de la journée : 230 kilomètres en 6 heures. Fin de la piste ! Dès demain, c’est la belle et mythique Ruta 40 qui va nous emmener à travers l’Argentine, toujours plus au Sud… et sous une chaleur caniculaire !