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It’s incredible how quickly life can change. Not even 2 weeks ago, I was lamenting the fact that we weren’t meeting other overlanders and I was missing conversations with fellow English speakers. Then came Mendoza where we were taken in by two amazing families to celebrate Christmas. The day after Christmas, three overlanders arrived at Gustav and Gabriella’s – French, Columbian, German and Swiss – all of whom spoke English.
This week, we have had non-stop interactions with overlanders, all of whom have had amazing travel stories. We’ve shared communal dinners, swapped disaster stories, confirmed must-see highlights and marveled at each other’s courage to leave it all behind and live this amazing life on the road. Here are some of their stories.
OVERLANDERS IN MALARGUE
TIM, CARSON & WYATT
Meet Tim, Carson and Wyatt from California, USA. They have been slowly and I mean slowly, making their way south from California for the last 5 years. Yes folks – 5 years they have been on the road! Mom, Malia and daughter, Kaila (11 years old) are currently visiting family back in the States, so Tim is continuing the journey with the two boys – Wyatt (17) and Carson (16) – and their dog, Max.
These guys have some crazy stories to tell and a wealth of experiences up their sleeve. They like the slow travel, immersing themselves into the communities were they stay. Sometimes a few days, sometimes and few months.
They have a Dodge Ram truck with camper attached and a trailer with popup tent for the boys to sleep in. Their rig sure has done some hard travel and is still going strong.
Read more on their website: www.clunkmonkeys.com
ALEXANDRA & STERGIOS
Alexandra and Stergios are Greek and their story is truly incredible. Stergios started traveling in 2013, on his Vespa scooter! He travelled from Greece to Italy and then by boat to Morocco. He then proceeded to drive down the entire West coast of Africa – on a vespa! Yes – on a vespa scooter!
He met Alexandra in the Congo and then again in South Africa. After a test drive around South Africa, the two teamed up and flew themselves and the vespa to Buenos Aires and continued their travels.
Read more about them on their website: www.worldvespa.net
ARNO & NICOLE
Arno and Nicole are from Hamburg in Germany. They are seasoned overlanders having had various overland vehicles over the years, including a camperised fire truck. They have done extensive trips in Europe and arrived in South America four months ago with unlimited time to explore this amazing continent.
You can read more on their website: www.wunderbrueke.travel.blog
JOHN, MARY AND LILY
British but living in USA for the last 20 odd years, John, Mary and little Lilly (8 years old) have been on the road for 2.5 years now. Starting near San Francisco they have travelled through Central and now South America in their Ford Sportster.
You can read more about them on their website: www.monkeysontheroad.com
WHAT WE DID IN MENDOZA
We’d been in Mendoza for a few days but other than a shopping trip to Walmart, we had yet to explore the city. I decided to treat us to a nice lunch, so we parked Thor, our campervan, in the Walmart parking lot and caught an Uber to the centre of town. As in all big cities, theft is a very real thing so its not advisable to leave our campervan unattended, nor do I enjoy driving on narrow streets with lots of traffic. Walmart had security guards, so I felt more comfortable leaving Thor there.
Lunch turned out to not be that great, in fact we tend to be cooking way more than eating out as the few times we have dined out in Argentina, we have been disappointed. The meat is always over cooked and the concept of salads seems to elude them. Today’s salad consisted of a mound of chopped lettuce, topped with a mound of chopped cabbage, sprinkled with a few strands of shredded chicken and 3 dollops of mayonnaise. As with all portions here, it could have fed an army, but it was so bland and boring, I’m not sure even an army would have wanted it!
We then wandered up to Parque General San Martin, a huge park with bicycle paths, fountains, exercise equipment and a large lake. It was hot. Oh, so hot and we were wilting. My usual gung-ho attitude to sightseeing was waning and for once I just wasn’t in the mood. We found an icecream shop, ducked in and indulged in delicious creamy lemon sorbets. The air-con was on in the shop and it took all our effort to leave.
Back on the street, we wandered down to Constitution Park. Vendors were starting to setup some stalls in anticipation of the evening trade, but most people were lying in the shade or slumped on benches. It must have been 40degrees in the shade, so we gave up our tour of the city and got an uber back to Thor.
WHAT WE DID IN SAN RAFAEL
ATUEL RIVER CAMP
From San Rafael we made our way south along the Atuel River towards the Atuel Canyon. Soon the cliffs started to rise on either side of us, getting steeper and steeper, as the road snaked alongside the river. This first section is a real adventure centre with countless river rafting companies lining the road. Pretty young girls in very short skirts tried flagging us down to hand us pamphlets and entice us to buy a trip on the river.
The campsite I’d chosen turned out to be extortionately priced, which took a bit of negotiating to reduce. I’d bought some Argentinian steak, so we fired up the BBQ and got cooking amidst many a strange look. I’m not sure the locals are used to a woman and child making a fire, but we’re pro’s and the meat was cooked to perfection!
The river ran alongside us with a set of rapids close by, so we had boatloads of whooping rafters come floating by. It was a lovely tranquil setting under the trees, just a pity the campsite was so over priced.
ATUEL CANYON
The Atuel Canyon is a 50km stretch of gravel road following the twists and turns of the Atuel River. Four hydroelectric plants can be found along this stretch with big dams at either end. At the first dam wall, we ascended a steep serpentine road and then drove across the super high dam wall.
A huge dam lay at the top, with tour operators offering snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and rafting trips. A few umbrellas and bathers occupied a huge expanse of sand – the beach – and the few restaurants all had incredible views over the water.
We drove on by, leaving the asphalt for the dreaded gravel. The first section was not bad, but I vowed that if it got worse we’d go back. It did get worse. Much worse! But by then we had gone too far to turn back, so continued along the dusty corrugated hell road for the full 50km, shuddering and rattling so we couldn’t hear ourselves speak!
After a long flat drive, the road descended steeply into the canyon. The canyon was well marked with all the landmarks having their own signposts. We stopped at them all, welcoming the brief interlude from the bouncing road.
The mountains were incredibly rich in minerals, creating an array of amazing colours in the rock formations. During a long stop for lunch, Tai found some incredible rocks of varying colour, one in particular had strange silver veins. A large number of rock formations had been created by volcanic lava. Have you ever dripped very wet sand on the beach to form towers? That is what this lava rock looked like.
It was incredibly hot, and the river looked cool and refreshing. I would have loved to jump in for a dip, but there were signs everywhere prohibiting swimming, so we didn’t. Right at the end, we found a group of locals all having a whale of a time in the water – so much for the signs!
At the end of the road, there was a steep ascent up and out of the canyon and as we got near the top, we could see an enormous dam spread out before us. A few people were relaxing on the beach, while others were partaking in watersports. We almost stopped but decided to press on instead. I subsequently heard from other travelers that it was a great spot to stay.
WHAT WE DID IN MALARGUE
SALINA DE DIAMANTE
Our first experience of salt flats was Salinas Grande in Argentina where I took photos of Tai sitting in my hand and him holding up Thor, our campervan. Seeing there were more salt flats close to Malargue, I got excited about creating more fun perspective photos. Sadly, the Salina de Diamante was a real disappointment. Rubbish, broken cars and rusty metal parts littered the edges of the salt flats. There was a salt museum but I had read it was all in Spanish so I didn’t even go inside.
The most remarkable thing was a small building with artificial grass covering it and plastic flower boxes under the windows. It turned out to be the quaintest little chapel.
A huge mound of white salt was piled off to the side and if it had been cold you could easily have assumed it was snow.
If you’re driving past and feel like stretching your legs then you could make a stop, otherwise not a noteworthy place to see.
LABYRINTH
The town of Malargue has two huge walking labyrinths. One is square in shape and the other is circular. We had a huge amount of fun in these mazes, Tai trying to out run me and hide, but I navigated my way out faster than him – woohoo!
Between the two mazes is a ramp going up to a high viewpoint and I can imagine that many a person has needed to be directed out of the maze from this vantage point.
The square maze was a real puzzler with lots of routes to chose from. Some being correct, others leading to dead ends. The circular labyrinth had only one route you could follow. This was more for meditative walking than for figuring your way out. It took us a good 20minutes to walk the full circular labyrinth and I was ever so grateful we were doing it at 8pm at night, as to do it during the heat of the day would have been a very sweaty affair.
COST: 150 pesos for adults and 100 pesos for kids
VAN LIFE & LESSON LEARNT
New Year was almost upon as and I still had no idea what we would be doing to celebrate. It was looking more and more like it would be an early night with Netflix, which would have been fine by me, but Tai was excited about staying up past midnight.
I woke on the morning of the 31st to find Arno and Nicole parked next to us. We started chatting and literally didn’t stop for the rest of the day! During the course of the day, we also met Tim, Wyatt and Carson and the next thing I knew we were all doing a BBQ dinner and seeing in the New Year together. The boys went off to town to see if there was anything happening, but they reported back that the streets were dead. They did get to see a fireworks display though!
I was happily ensconced with my merry band of fellow travellers and we had a fun, laughter filled evening, leaving 2019 behind and looking on in excited anticipation for what adventures 2020 may have in store for us!
I have realised that it is important to never plan too much, as you could be missing out on unexpected encounters and adventures. Malargue was supposed to be a one night stop for us, but we ended up meeting amazing people, so we stayed. Each of their stories touched me, these remarkable people living life the same way we have chosen to do. Our stories and our reasons for the journey may be different, but our love of this lifestyle is evident in the incredibly passionate way we all exchange stories.
- After 3000km of driving through deserts and in ridiculously hot weather, we finally got our car air-conditioner fixed in Mendoza.
- More cupboard door latches have broken so I’ve been hard at work with the screwdriver.
WHERE WE STAYED
MENDOZA: KOMBERTIENDO SUENOS CAMP (Gustav and Gabriella): Without a doubt the most incredibly warm, welcoming family and fun, interesting place to stay in Mendoza. You can use their kitchen, bathroom and lounge. They have a BBQ and big outside table around which everyone does communal dinners and fascinating conversation. Electricity hookup is also available. There is a shop in walking distance. The cost is on a donation basis, so whatever you feel suffices.
GPS: S 32°59’39.18”, W 68°56’5.52”
CAMPING RIO ATUEL: A really nice campsite alongside the Atuel River, with steep canyon walls on either side. There is a big swimming pool that looks out over the river and a restaurant, No wifi and no mobile signal either. Electricity, BBQ and tables and chairs at each site.
GPS: S 34°50’5.58”, W 68°28’11.70”
MALARGUE MUNICIPAL CAMPING: One of the best campsites we’ve stayed in. Hot, powerful showers and clean bathrooms. BBQ’s at each site, electricity and potable water. Beautiful green lawns and gardens. Wifi at reception is pretty poor, but there is free wifi at the sports hall next door.
Only 130 Pesos for 2 people and a campervan.
GPS: S 35°27’58.14”, W 69°35’30.96”
DISTANCE TRAVELLED
We travelled from Mendoza > San Rafael > Atuel Canyon > Salinas del Diamante > Malargue
Total Distance: 478 km
TRAVEL COSTS
I will be providing our basic travel costs per week, so that you get an indication of what a trip like this entails. Bear in mind that we are budget travelers, so your budget could vary depending on your lifestyle choices. For example, we always opt for the cheapest and often, hole-in-the-wall restaurants and only require very basic accommodation. For us, the experiences are where it is all at, so we’d rather spend money on activities.
The costs below are for the full 7 days. They do not include campervan repair costs, visas and insurance costs.
The costs below are shown in Argentinian Pesos (R1 = 4.20 ARS) ($1 USD = 60 ARS).
Vehicle Costs
- Fuel = 2350.50 ARS
- Uber = 455 ARS
Accommodation/Camping
- Gaston & Gabriella = 2 nights = 900 ARS
- Rio Azul Camping = 1 night = 1000 ARS
- Malargue Municipal Camping = 4 nights = 680 ARS
Attractions
- Malargue Labyrinth = 250 ARS
Food
- Restaurant = 915 ARS
- Supermarket = 6507 ARS
Van Supplies and Living
- Phone Data = 2GB for 7 days = 140
TOTAL = 13197.5 ARS = USD $220 or R3145
WHERE TO NEXT
We need a new battery for our solar system and batteries are MUCH cheaper in Chile so we’re going to head over the Andes again, back to Chile. From there we’ll continue our southwards direction for a bit before popping back into Argentina to explore Bariloche and the Seven Lakes region.
