Expedition To Chañi - Northwest Argentina

Bright and early, we will head to the town of León. The equipment will be loaded on to the mules and our adventure will begin with trekking along the river bed of the León River. We will eventually arrive at the Pie de la Cuesta, which literally means the “foot of the mountain”, where we will spend the night.

After breakfast, we will head off ascending the “tall grassland”. We will have the opportunity to take in the spectacular views of the surrounding countryside along the route. The León River meanders through the zone, which we will cross a number of times along the way. We will hike until we reach the Crossroads, where we will have lunch.  We will continue our ascent, accompanied by views of the Blue Hill and a spectacular panoramic view of the Quebrada de León. We will then cross the “Mirador La Esquina”, offering some spectacular photo opportunities of the hills.

We will then arrive at El Portillo, where we will have our first sighting of The Chañi. Later in the afternoon, we will arrive at Oveería, where our accommodation for the evening will be waiting for us. After dinner, we will rest for the evening.

Today, we have a free day to take in the scenery and adapt to the high elevation at a massive 4,000m.  

Today after a hearty breakfast, we will continue our ascent towards the refuge located at the base of the Snowy of Chañi. Along the route we can enjoy impressive landscapes, observing water sources that freeze during the winter months. We can also appreciate a series of summits, which in some cases reach over 5000m elevation, including the summits of the Chañi and Chañi Chico. Here we have a great opportunity to see the magnificent condors, vicuñas, guanacos and vizcachas, in their natural habitat. In the afternoon we will appreciate a high Andean lagoon that is home to many bird species such as ducks, coots, and seagulls.  We will arrive at the shelter in the afternoon, where we will spend the evening.

We will spend the day acclimatizing once more to avoid any high elevation symptoms. We will do a number of short walks, observing the foot of the Chañi Chico and the Black Needle or Pyramid Hill and the surrounding scenery. 

Today, we will wake up bright and early to summit the Chañi ice peak.  From the highest point at the Abra, we can appreciate spectacular views over the Puna, observing the Salinas Grandes and a vast panorama of peaks and plains. The final part of the tour today is on ice as we reach the peak of the glacier. In the afternoon, we will descend to the shelter once more, for dinner and a well-earned rest!

Today we begin our descent from the refuge to Los Mimbres, where we will rest for the evening.

Today, we descend from Los Mimbres to the “Pie de la Cuesta” and then head back to León, before heading back to San Salvador de Jujuy. On this trekking day, we will cross the León River to the town, where we will spend the night.

Today we will go to San Salvador de Jujuy Airport for your journey home or onto your next exciting destination!