Journey of 400 km in total, where we will travel the international route to Chile, “the path of a thousand colors”, reaching the border limit at the monument to Christ the Redeemer. The route will enter a mountainous area in Cacheuta, where there is an important center of thermal waters, continuing we will cross the tunnel and we will arrive at the beautiful Potrerillos reservoir. The route will always continue along the Mendoza River, with impressive landscapes of the foothills. Be very careful because of the intense traffic of trucks. Complete route with Googlemap
We will arrive at Uspallata, there we can load fuel, there are toilets, also the possibility of buying provisions or having lunch. From here we count 20.7 km and we will arrive at a gravel road that opens to the right, there is no sign, it is the entrance to the Sanmartinian site Puente de Picheuta, after 1 km we arrive at the Bridge Location, built in colonial times, it was used by the liberation army. We continue along the path until we join the asphalt.
The next stop will be the ski center Los Penitentes Ubicacion, with slopes of various difficulties. It is advisable to bring extra clothing as we are at a height and the wind is usually blowing.
The next stop is Puente del Inca Location, incredible natural formation on the Mendoza River, here there are possibilities to have lunch or buy handicrafts.
The next point is the Aconcagua viewpoint Location, we enter the park and park the car next to the Park Ranger offices, from here a 350-meter trail begins that takes us to the Aconcagua viewpoint, if you. If you want to get to the Horcones lagoon, you must pay a small fee and the walking distance is 500 meters. We continue along route 7 to Las Cuevas Location, here there are services, toilets, provisions and food, we can also visit the Casucha del Rey, a refuge from the colonial era, it is located 100 meters to the left of the arch, on the way to Christ.
Our last visit is the monument to Christ the Redeemer Location, we begin an ascent of 8 km of gravel in good condition, to reach the imposing Christ the Redeemer, next to the border with the Republic of Chile, the panoramic view of the high peaks are spectacular since we are at 3800 meters high. There is usually a lot of wind and a marked drop in temperature, take extra coats. This road is usually disabled in case of snow or ice along its route. The gendarmes who guard the route can be consulted on the Inca bridge.
In winter, the international route is usually cut off at Uspallata, or the use of chains is required to transit it (which are rented in Uspallata), before programming this circuit check the status of the routes here.
We recommend starting this circuit very early in the morning and starting the return from Christ the Redeemer to Mendoza 2 hours before nightfall, since the mountain route is convenient to travel during the day.
There is fuel in Potrerillos and Uspallata, CNG only leaving Mendoza in YPF from Chacras de Coria
