Peaks of the Andes

n the best tradition of the rallies organized by Via Flaminia, the Peaks of the Andes is also a holiday. It is not an endurance rally as we try to limit the number of daily kilometers. We also select the best and most special hotels on the route. These two goals may be conflicting, but with the help of Hernan Miscione, our local rally organizer, we came to the best compromises.

We will welcome you at Santiago de Chile airport and take you to the Palacio Astoreca Hotel in Valparaiso for the start of the rally.

We first drive south through the Chilean countryside before crossing the Andes into Argentina. Later in the rally we will remember the Paso Fronterizo El Pehuenche with its 2553 m high as just a hill. But for now, testing man and machine is a good start.

In Argentina we turn north, towards Mendoza and its vast vineyards. Upon arrival in Mendoza we are welcomed by the local classic car club and we do a little test among the vines before having a barbecue together.

We drive along the foot of the mighty Andes; the vine gives way to large farms and livestock farming. Just before we cross the Andes again, we have a succession of shorter days. In the regional capital Salta we stay in the city center, so you have plenty of time to enjoy this vibrant historic city. Two days later we reach the highest point of the rally (4829 m in Chile).

We have a rest day in the small town of San Pedro de Atacama, high in the Atacama Desert. In the morning we take you on a hot air balloon ride so you can enjoy the sun rising on the red rocks in the moon-like landscape. A day to remember.

We stay high in the Andes and drive into Bolivia and cross the largest dry lake in the world. No vegetation at all but strangely home to a large Flamengo population. The next day we take a makeshift ferry, which can only carry a few cars, to cross Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world.

We arrive in Peru, the former center of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the center of Inca power. We stay 3 nights in a beautiful resort from which we visit Machu Picchu and the old Spanish capital Cuzco, both on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The last days we drive along the coast in Peru. After all, what's a vacation without a dip in the ocean!