Agro-Coquimbo – Summit to Shore MTB

Wanderland Rolling Classroom in the Coquimbo Region of Chile

Start and End Dates:    November 11-16, 2013

Duration:    6  days, 6 nights

Location:    Coquimbo Region (IV), Chile

Price starting at:    $2,875 – Includes all lodging and meals.

Program Type:     Mountain Biking, Experiential, Small Group.

Meals:    Included.

Vines and Wines — Rolling Classroom From the Andes to the Coast

Chile’s Elqui and Limarí Valleys – Peoples, Geography and Agricultural Traditions

OVERVIEW

Our study takes in the fertile and the sterile, the natural and the introduced, the inhabited and the uninhabited, the heights to the surfline, all along 30 Degrees south latitiude.  The cross section of Chile we will be studying takes in a Summit to Shore profile from High Andes to Sea Level.  Fertile valleys and ancient lifeways await us as we ride from near the 11,000 foot Agua Negra Pass (as close as conditions allow) to the Pacific Ocean traveling on excellent mountain and country roads.  Dirt and Paved Roads, Light Traffic.  The 30th Parallel South finds the Coquimbo Region of Chile.  We will be able to examine up close the  Norte Chico Deserts, the matorrales, the secano costero community, grasslands, and farmlands.  The region also contains some of Chile’s most well protected archaeological treasures, important Molle and Incan milestones along the Qapaq Ñan.

The slice will take in the interior valleys and the coastal  barrancas where a their rich colonial history is quite intact, and will deliver you to the very different coastal cuture of the region, where posh resorts and fishing caletas admire one another across the bays.  Not only do geological, archetectural, and colonial learning opportunities grace our route, the Elqui and Limarí are producing some of the most important grape products in the country, fine wines and Pisco .  Bike and Vine.

Small Groups 5-10 people only

Background

Your trek deposits you and your mountain bike as close as the season allows to a 16,000 + foot pass at the border of Argentina with Chile. This spectacular pass called Agua Negra ushers you into a spectacular slice of Chile from the Summit of the Andes to the Shoreline of the Pacific Ocean far below.

Gravity for sure does some of the work but the challenging terrain and the climbs to interesting sites and new valleys will certainly have your heart pumping and your cycling needs satisfied.
This trip is fully supported so that as your energy flags, the chase vehicle will be there with food, water, and even a lift to the next hilltop!

We will be exploring the drainages of the Elqui and Limarí Rivers. Marvelous landscapes await: Andean volcanoes, productive papaya, avocado, and chirimoya fields, vineyards for raisins, wine, and pisco, Archaeological Sites along the Qapaq Ñan (the Inca Road), lush coastal deserts, and deep pastoral divides.  Your field course will deliver you beaming right onto the Pacific coast of Chile.  Gravity and pedal power carry you through a perfect slice along the 30th Parallel of Chile from Summit to Shore.

Education

The Andes in this region show their bones.  The geology is striking and instructive.  Summit to Shore, the land will show you it’s ruggedness and its bounty.  It is a scientifically relevant region for its geology, archaeology, colonial agripastoralism, modern astronomy, and intriguing extra-terrestrial influences!  In this course you will explore the production of many of the unique and delicious products of this extremely productive region of the country: fresh produce, goat cheese, a variety of native fruits, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices,wine and pisco, and, of course, seafood.  The Chilean sub-cultures of the mountains, the valleys, and the coast region  in Coquimbo are a blend of modern and ancient influences.  This is a very diverse and lovely part of Chile, and a region rife with learning potential.

CURRICULUM –  Summit to Shore in the 4th Region — The Elqui Valley and the Limarí Valley: Premier Grape Producing and Agricultural Regions of Chile; Central Valley Geography;  Chile’s Agricultural Prowess; Irrigation Engineering past and Present;  Chilean Gastronomy; Oenology and Viticulture in Chile;  Spanish Language:  Travel Tips and Survival Skills; Coquimbo Region Toponymy; Pre-Historic Perspectives of Chile; Native Plants and Invasives; Chilean Cordilleran Pastoral Culture; La Serena, Elqui, Ovalle, Tongoy – Coquimbo Communities Past and Present;  In the Footsteps of Darwin.

Itinerary– Summit to Shore

Day 1: – La Serena Meet and Greet; Transfer to Vicuña, Orientation

Details:  Meet in La Serena, Chile. Transfer to Vicuña.  Bike outfitting, trip orientation, and a nice evening meal.

Day 2:  – Agua Negra – Pisco Elqui

Details:  We awake early for a pre-dawn run to the border.  Breakfast on the road. We will drive as close as the season and daylight allows us to the Agua Negra pass and the road’s highest point.  With a final check of bikes and brakes we let gravity get us going.  Today we will cover the greatest distance of the trek and the greatest elevation loss as we sail down the pass from the heights to about 300 ft elevation and then back up to 1300 feet.  The classwork today will include geography, geology, local economics, and local ecology.  At points through the day we will have discussions and refer to educational materials from your packet.  We will have a hearty lunch at mid-day along the route.  The afternoon has us climbing up through the Paihuano Valley.  We visit the boutique winery of Cavas del Valle.  Overnight in Cabañas Astronómicas Aguas Claras (or similar).

Day 3:  – Climbing the Alcohuáz and Cochiguáz Valleys

Details:  We have some really fun climbing today.  Our destination is the most famous pisco producing region of Chile and the birthplace of Gabriella Mistral.  If you don’t know her poetry, or pisco, by the end of today you will.  Awesome Andean terrain.  Back to same lodgings.

Day 4:  – Pisco Elqui to Hurtado – The Grind.

Details:  Our route takes us from the Elqui River drainage to the Limarí River watershed and through some areas of great scientific and geographic interest. This is the big climbing day for the cycling portion of the trip.  A 5000 foot pass in the morning will give us a good slow pace to observe the local geography, plenty of stops to visit with roadside flora and fauna, to be sure.  The pass ushers us into the Limarí Region and a soaring downhill on wide dirt doubletrack to the town of Hurtado and the Villa that will accomodate us tonight.

Day 5: We will visit archaeological sites and Chile’s Petrified Forest.  Great back roads accompany today’s route and usher us into the 4thRegions other great grape producing valley, the Limarí river and through the town of Ovalle and towards the coast.  Visit to the winery of Tabalí.  Parque Valle El Encanto – an excellent rock art site study and national park.

Day 6:  -   Tabalí to Tongoy through quebradas and Haciendas.

Details:  Our final day of cycling will surprise you in many ways.   Closer to the coast now, we enter a system of geographic faults that have created several parallel, well-watered coastal clefts, or Quebradas, extending sometimes tens of kilometers inland.  These quebradas will usher us to the shoreline, rolling through ancient haciendas where sheep, goats, horses, and cattle are raised on sunken oasies amidst the desert, spring fed islands of history.  The sparkling jewel of the Baía Tongoy and the Playa Blanca resort’s white sands and a very fine seafood feast await us in the evening.  Evening Speaker.

Day 7:  Departure.

Features:  This trip will present some of Chile’s famed landscapes. Traversing the barren and colorful volcanics of the high Andean Cordillera, the rich and productive agricultural lands of the valleys, and the excellent beaches and shoreline habitats of the region you will experience all of the region’s eco zones.  We will get to visit historic sites, national parks, the homes of literary figures like Gabriella Mistral, and resort areas where the desert’s warmth meets the sea.  Our route traverses the new Chilean Trail (El Sendero de Chile) for many kilometers.

PROGRAM INCLUDES

Professional, bi-lingual guide-educator
Lodging each night
Private transportation
4×4 support vehicle
Full board (meals designed for active itinerary)
Entrance fees (Except Chilean airport tax)
All activities in the itinerary except those noted as ‘Optional Asides’

NOT INCLUDED
•    International and local flights
•    Bicycle repair parts (some parts available for sale)
•    Tips, beverages (other than water) & cocktails
•    Bike rental available upon request

DIFFICULTY
Medium –  This route is frequently challenging both in the demands of the riding and in the potential climatic conditions we might face.  Expect to have 5 to 7 hours of activity each day.  This is a trip for novice to experienced riders, and advanced beginners.

Available from: April to November, see specific dates or contact us for custom group reservations.

Activities featured in this itinerary: Mountain biking, hiking, beachwalking.

Lodging:  We travel from point to point on the bikes on this trip with our luggage following in the support craft.  This is a lodge-based trip.  Each night we will be sharing comfortable multi-room cabins or cool little hotels.  All of the accommodations are at least three star, and some nights four star.

Meals:  All meals are included in the price of the trip.  We have arrangements with fine restaurants along the route to provide us with great dinners.  Breakfasts are continental, in the style of the country.  We recognize the need for cyclists to have plenty of calories stored up before the day’s ride. We think you will like the many varieties of empanadas, a small local triangular meat and veggie pie, that you will get as trail fuel along the trail.  Lunches will be found at waypoints along our route, Chile abounds in simple, excellent eateries wherever you might wander.  Snacks and plenty of electrolytes and water will available every day.  At two points along the route you will be able to select from several local restaurants in the small towns that we visit to eat at your own pleasure and leisure.  The typical foods of this region are quite familiar to you, chicken, beef, goat, eggs, beans and grains provide the proteins.  All your familiar garden vegetables and fruits are grown locally in the rich soils of the river valleys.  The Pacific provides a wealth of great fish and shellfish.  Some unexpected foods, too, might grace your menu, alpaca, crayfish, and entrañas, rumpa fruit, prickly pear, and cochallullo seaweed are foods the locals savor.

Cycling:  We will travel a combination of smooth dirt roads, paved backroads, and gentle two-track. You are welcome to bring your own mountain or hybrid bike.  We have rental mountain bikes available with the appropriate tread for on and off-road riding.(See our Equipment Page)

Elevation gain and loss on this trip follows a profile where 5% – 15% downgrades for many miles are interrupted by terrific little climbs at 7% – 12% gradients.  The roads are not heavily traveled and we plan to be at certain locations at certain days of the week to avoid vehicles and crowds, for the most part.  We always provide you with ‘rolling-enclosure’ so that we have a vanguard vehicle and a rearguard vehicle notifying oncoming traffic of the cyclists.  Our guides are also excellent mechanics but we also encourage you to learn how do basic adjustments and repairs on you bicycle.  If you bring a bike, the most mechanically simple bike is the best.  If you intend to bring your own bike, a front shock is definitely necessary, hardtails are great, full suspension bikes are only really useful on this type of tour if you have lockouts for the shocks.  We also recommend seatpost shocks like the Thudbuster for comfort in during our daily saddle-time.  Any geared mountain or cross bike is great for this trip, single speed bikes would lag way behind if there were any wind.  The trip will cover between 250 and 300 kilometers of the country.

Itineraries:  We offer three to sixteen day lodge-based excursions that take in 250 kilometers of rugged and beautiful terrain that is easily accessed by our bikes and vehicles.

Each trek can also be combined with an exciting three-day to week-long add-on to a select destination in the region.  Normally, the add-on begins three to four days after the close of the program to allow time for gear and personnel transfers and travel time involved.

Copyright© All Text and Images — Stewart W. Lasseter 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012