The Uruguayans plane - Trekking and Exploration to the Crash Site - El Sosneado, Mendoza

A story that shocked the world...

On Friday October 13th 1972, a Uruguayan plane, carrying 45 passengers to Chile, many of whom were students and players from a rugby team, crashed in the Andes Mountains.
Twelve died from the impact and those who survived had to endure, among other things, the fearsome Cordillera with its thirty degrees below zero at night and the scarcity of food reserves.
Finally fed up with the very low temperatures, the threatening avalanches and anguished by the continuous death of their companions and the slow wait for rescue, two of them decide to cross the immense mountains to reach Chile.
On December 22nd of that same year, after having remained isolated from everything for 72 days, the world learns that sixteen defeated death. These events gave rise to the book and later to the film "Alive". Our tour invites you to visit this miraculous place that, on the other hand, has a very important landscape content.

Dates 2024 / 2025 

Programs with overnight stay at the Memorial + Place of Impact option (4 days)

December: 20 to 23 (anniversary date)
January: 17 to 20
February: 7 to 10
March: 1 to 4 (Carnival Holiday) and 22 to 25
Horseback riding: Same dates as the classic trekking program.

Itinerary

Day 1:  Meeting in El Sosneado at 8.30 am. Quick equipment check + presentation of guides. Transfer by vehicle to the west along the route that leads to the Soler and National Gendarmería shelter. Passing by the old abandoned thermal hotel, we will reach the Araya cattle station. Start of trekking. This day we will walk to the El Barroso base camp. We will first cross the Atuel River, on foot or with the help of horses. March lunch. Arrival at camp. Snack, dinner, rest.

• Estimated walking time: 7 hours.
• Elevation: 350 meters in total ascent (500 meters in ascent / 150 meters in descent)
• Starting height: 2200 masl
• Camp height: 2550 masl.

Day 2: Early departure to the Las Lágrimas Glacier. This day's journey will be the most demanding, since after three hours of walking we will cross the Río de Las Lagrimas and then we will ascend for two and a half extra hours to the site where the remains of the plane are located, at 3600 meters above sea level. We will silently pay our tribute to the victims, and then reconnoitre the place. Setting up the camp very close to the Memorial. Dinner and overnight.

• Estimated walking time: 7 hours one way, 5 hours back. Total = 12 hours.
• Elevation: 1050 meters in ascent and 1050 meters in descent. 
• Starting height: 2550 masl
• Maximum height: 3600 masl
• Camp height: 3550 masl

Day 3:  Options of the day (according to weather conditions, the group and the guides' decisions). 1: Very early departure towards the edge. This day's journey will be very hard as we will continue the ascent along a long haul of rocks until we reach the final ridge, at 4100 meters high. We will pass through a summit and walk along a long ridge to the great gendarmes. There we will stop to observe the place where the plane impacted in October 1972. Then we will return to the camp and from there again to the El Barroso camp. 2: Tour along the glacier where the fuselage was left and to the base of the wall where Parrado and Canesa began to climb to cross into Chile. 

Then, we disassembled camp and descended to the base camp of El Barroso. Night at El Barroso camp.

• Estimated walking time in option 1: 8 hours + 4 hours back to Barroso.
• Elevation: 900 meters ascent.  
• Starting height: 3550 masl
• Maximum height: 4450 masl
• Final camp height: 2550 masl

Day 4: Breakfast and camp disassembly. We will walk back and descend to the Araya Post. Return to El Sosneado. End of our services. Homecoming. 

• Estimated walking time: 6 hours.
• Elevation: 350 meters in total descent (500 meters in descent / 150 meters in ascent)
• Starting height: 2550 masl
• Final height: 2200 masl

Included Services

• Local transfer to and from El Sosneado.
• Professional mountain guides.
• Mandatory entry and ascent permit in the Valley of Tears.
• Full board in the mountains (breakfast, energy drinks, lunch, snacks, dinner).
• General kitchen equipment (pots, heaters).
• Equipment and main first aid kit.
• Communication equipment for emergencies: VHF, Satellite Telephone or Spot Monitoring.
• Bedroom tents.
• Previous informative meetings.
• Personal accident insurance.
• Assistance and permanent coordination.

Services NOT included

• Trip to El Sosneado
• Expenses caused by abandoning the program
• Equipment porterage
• Lunch on the last day (we recommend the Parador's homemade ham sandwiches)
• Tips