Mendoza's Real Multi-Day Andes Expeditions
A 2-hour horseback loop through a Maipú vineyard and a 7-day mounted crossing of the Andes both get advertised under the same word, “horseback,” and travelers researching Mendoza’s adventure tours sometimes book the wrong one. This category means the second thing: multi-day, packaged wilderness expeditions, not a single afternoon activity.
Cruce de los Andes a caballo
The classic route follows General San Martín’s 1817 liberation crossing: 6 to 7 days from Manzano Histórico in Tunuyán, up through glacial valleys to Portillo Argentino at 4,380 meters, across the high desert of the Real de la Cruz valley, over Paso Piuquenes at 4,030 meters on the Chilean border, and down into the Cajón del Maipo near Santiago. Riders go on sure-footed Criollo horses with mules carrying gear (capped near 10kg per person) and local baqueanos leading the way, sleeping in wild camps or stone refugios and eating off open-fire embers. It runs exclusively mid-December through late March, when the high passes are clear. Andes Vertical and Argentina Extrema both run the full crossing; Trekking Travel Expediciones is still active on Facebook, though its old website domain no longer resolves, so confirm current contact details there rather than through a dead link. For a shorter taste of multi-day Andean horseback riding without committing to the full crossing, check this 3-day Andes horse riding option , which is still an overnight backcountry trip, not the vineyard loop sold elsewhere under the same “horseback” label.
Aconcagua base camp supported treks
Packaged expeditions inside Parque Provincial Aconcagua run from 3-day trips to Plaza Francia and Confluencia, at the foot of the mountain’s 3,000-meter South Face, up to 7-day treks reaching Plaza de Mulas at 4,300 meters, the second-largest mountaineering base camp on earth. Operators like Aconcagua Expeditions, Inka Expediciones and Graffito Aconcagua build these around mule-carried gear, dome-tent dining and rest days for altitude; compare supported Aconcagua expedition packages to see current multi-day options and confirm each listing’s exact itinerary and duration before booking. The permit rule matters here as much as on the mountain itself: only the single-day Confluencia entry ticket can be bought online. The 3-day, 7-day and summit permits must be collected in person in Mendoza city, at the Aconcagua visitor center inside the Subsecretaría de Turismo on Av. San Martín 1143, before departure. A guide is not legally required to attempt the 6,961-meter summit, and solo permits exist at a higher fee, but the medical checkpoints at Confluencia and Mulas, mandatory evacuation insurance, and the permit itself are non-negotiable regardless, and the mountain’s fatality record is real. See the official Aconcagua park portal before booking anything.
The Andes plane crash trek
A 3 to 4 day trek or horseback trip to Valle de las Lágrimas, near El Sosneado in southern Mendoza, visits the crash site of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, the 1972 disaster documented in Alive and Society of the Snow: the memorial cross, preserved fuselage wreckage, and grave site sit at roughly 3,600 meters. It runs the same December-to-March window as the horseback crossing, through Argentina Extrema and Trekking Travel.
High Andean 4x4 overland routes
Multi-day 4WD expeditions cover ground the horseback and trekking routes don’t: the volcanic fields of La Payunia, mountain passes across the Cordón del Plata, and old mining trails and ghost towns through the Precordillera.
These are strenuous trips above 3,500 to 4,300 meters, with zero cell coverage and rustic camping as the norm, not the exception. Come with real fitness, layered technical clothing, and no expectation of a hot shower most nights. For the single-day version of these disciplines, rafting, paragliding, and climbing without the multi-day commitment, see the adventure sports guide .
Verdict: book the full Cruce de los Andes or an Aconcagua base camp trek only if the December-to-March window works for your dates; outside that season, none of these routes run at all, guided or not.
One concrete tip: whichever multi-day route you choose, confirm your operator’s medical evacuation insurance covers the specific altitude and terrain, standard travel insurance often excludes mountaineering above a set elevation, and that’s not a detail worth discovering partway up a pass.