This was my first really really high pass. Paso Agua Negra is around 4770m high and this promised a lot of excitement. That is, until the wind literally hit me. This changed the excitement into an incredibly tough ride. Nevertheless, the views are worth all the trouble.

The ...

Final connecting part before I can start climbing to the Paso Agua Negra. According to Pike's description "The road isn't especially scenic and on some sections the surface is not particularly good". I think that the first statement is a bit too harsh -- while the altiplano route isn ...

After successfull cross of Cristo Redentor pass my next plan is to head directly north. The route goes on a deserty altiplano but it is quite nice.

The first plan for today is to finish the remaining 40 kilometers of descent to Uspallata. While this looks like a ...

After leaving Santiago, my plan was to finally start with the "real" Andean passes. The first one on my list is Paso Cristo Redentor (sometimes called Los Libertadores) which is a main connection between Santiago and Mendoza. This means a lot of traffic. Fortunately, all the traffic disappears to the ...

The final stage to Santiago. With the villages almost constantly around me, this isn't as exciting as the mountains of Paso Vergara. On the other hand, lots of habitation have a bright spots. For example, frequent stops to buy a soft drink or some small snacks to eat.

A solitary route through majestic landscapes and wide valleys. From the Argentinian side this can be hardly called a pass because it climbs only 500 meters over roughly 100 kilometers making it the flattest pass I ever climbed. But don't be fooled -- the Chilean side more than compensates for ...

This is another scenic ride from Chile to Argentina. With the height of 2553 meters the pass isn't exactly little but it is still just a little brother to the passes more to the north. And just wait for the views of Laguna de Maule. All in all, cyclists ...

This is a necessary central valley connector before I can head towards mountains again. It brings the start of operation "Ruta 5 avoidance". Ruta 5 is probably the best-known Chilean road. It is basically an autostrada going from the south to the north. Unfortunately, there usually aren't many alternatives ...

Paso Pichachén is a very nice Andean crossing. Especially if you also count the unforgettable moon-like Laguna del Laja on the Chilean side. With the height of 2060 meters this crossing belongs to the smaller ones. The Argentinian side is quite flat until the gendarmeria after which the climb starts ...