The Cuyo most riders miss
We wanted a ride that was not the usual loop through one province. Mendoza, San Juan, and La Rioja have fierce roads, but most trips stay on the obvious sections. We wanted the opposite: to see what happens when you leave the manual and begin linking roads almost nobody combines.
History, silence, and mountain
After kilometers of Mendoza straights, we started looking for curves with identity. A mechanic in Uspallata told us about the old road to Villavicencio: "365 curves, one for each day of the year." We rode it. It stayed in. Crossing the Andes and climbing to Cristo Redentor is a milestone every rider wants to reach. In San Juan we were looking for solitude. A local pointed us toward Pampa del Leoncito: "There is nothing there, that is why it is spectacular." He was right.
In La Rioja we wanted history. La Mejicana hit hard: rails, mine carts, absolute silence, and a climb that makes you feel small beside the mountain.
Linking routes and raising the bar
These are three provinces we had ridden many times, in different seasons and separately. The challenge was to build a trip that took the strongest part of each one. The first days are calmer, designed to read the pace of the group. As the ride warms up, the level rises: altitude, gravel, curves, and mountain. Mina La Mejicana is the crowning point: a technical and emotional challenge that pushes you to become a better rider.
Final version: a ride that changes you
The easy option would have been a 100% paved tour. What makes this ride work is the opposite: a little gravel, a little altitude, a little solitude, and a lot of mountain.
Every section stayed for a reason: safety, flow, views, and force. We finished tired, proud, and ready to ride it again.
The route in numbers
4 scouting trips
1 variant tested
2 route adjustments
2 sections ruled out
1 final version that left us proud
Sections ruled out
Paso Agua Negra
A spectacular border pass, but too unpredictable: whiteout conditions, sudden border closures, and high risk for groups. We tested it, but it cannot guarantee continuity or safety. It stayed out.
Corona del Inca
The road is more technical, more exposed, and includes deep sand. For a travel tour, not an enduro ride, it did not add enough. We chose the Laguna Brava route instead: more progressive and more enjoyable.
Quebrada del Yeso
A variant on the Laguna Brava day, once part of a Dakar section. Beautiful terrain inside the old riverbed, but with mud and advanced riding conditions. We chose the calmer variant.
Ruta 153, San Juan
A tight, neglected road that is fun for soft enduro, but it pulled the route away from the original track and did not earn its place.
