| December 12, 2024
The Patagonia region of South America is on many travelers' bucket lists and at the end of summer my friend Randy Commons and I were lucky enough to spend seven days exploring Argentina and Patagonia by motorcycle. We spent the first two days riding in Mendoza, Argentina, a little north of Patagonia. After a long day of driving south, we spent the next four days riding in Patagonia.
Words and photographs by Simon Cudby
It takes approximately 24 hours to travel from the United States to Mendoza, Argentina. We met local hosts Patricio and Pablo Marelli, who are very experienced off-road riders who own a motorcycle dealership and motorcycle graphics business. They often ride with Kevin and Luciano Benavides, well-known Argentine rally drivers (Kevin won the 2021 and 2023 Dakar Rally and Luciano won the 2023 World Rally Raid Championship).
I met Patricio, nicknamed “Pato,” when he sent me an email a few years ago inviting us to come ride in his home country. He said he and the Benavides brothers wanted to show us the beautiful riding in the area.
The Marelli brothers started a small motorcycle tour company called Big Trail Argentina (ARG) that showcases some of the best motorcycling areas in Argentina and Patagonia. Business is pretty informal at this point, but you won't find better hosts.
Randy and I finally reached Mendoza, Argentina, nestled near the Andes, after a long flight. Those who enjoy a good glass of Malbec may be familiar with Mendoza, the center of Argentina's wine region. Many claim that Mendoza red wine is among the best in the world. However, the main reason we came here wasn't the wine. There are also many other reasons to visit this part of the world. A key attraction in the area is Aconcagua Provincial Park, home to Aconcagua, South America's highest peak, which attracts climbers and hikers from around the world. But it was the trails and off-road routes that brought Randy and me here.
Pato arranged for GasGas motorcycles from GasGas Palmares for us to ride. Over the next two days we hiked a variety of terrain with spectacular scenery on easy to semi-difficult trails.We switched gears on the third day. We drove 14 hours in a van to Patagonia. San Martin de los Andes was our ultimate destination. San Martin de los Andes is a beautiful mountain town that could easily be found in a Norwegian fjord with its stunning scenery in every direction. It was very different from the more desert region of Mendoza.
We also swapped our lightweight GasGas bikes for a pair of KTM 790 Adventure bikes from BigTrail, as much of our riding over the next few days would be fast mountain road type riding and we would be covering a lot of miles.
The highlight of our trip came on the sixth day. We took a fast one-way path, the Tronador Trail, through a vast forest, past the beautiful black sand beach of Playa Negra and up to the base of Cerro Tronador and the black glacier Ventisquero Negro, with its spectacular lake turquoise below. You can sometimes hear sounds coming from the glacier as snow and ice break off the edge of the summit.
We finished our ride with a 40-mile scenic drive along the famous Ruta 40 highway that took us to lunch in Paso Leon, located near the Argentina-Chile border. From there it was time to head back and begin our long journey home.
You can learn more and find contact information at Big TrailARG Instagram page. There are several other motorcycle tour companies in the area, but I recommend calling Pato and the guys at Big Trail Argentina first. CN
Click here read the History of Mendoza and Patagonia adventures 2024 in the Cycling news Magazine in digital edition.
