The Dakar Rally is returning to Argentina and Chile in 2011 for the third time.
It has been announced that after two highly successful editions in South America, the famous off-road Dakar Rally will return in January 2011. While the race will perhaps one day return to Africa, Argentina and Chile have put on a fantastic spectacle so far and I’m sure that this will continue.
The route for next year has not been fully confirmed, however it is expected to follow a similar route to that of 2010, with vehicles crossing some of the most spectacular and untouched scenery in South America. Setting off from Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, on 1st January, the participants will spend two days driving to the historic city of Cordoba, a town filled with stunning colonial architecture. Also find some fantastic working estancias to spend a few days horse riding.
From Cordoba they will take the next few days working their way into Chile. Stopping in La Rioja, well know for its small boutique wineries and is set near the UNESCO-listed Talampaya National Park with its spectacular landscapes and interesting cultural and archaeological features.
Driving on to Fiambala, the competitors pass through an area of stark white dunes before crossing the Andes to Copiapo in the Atacama Desert. This inhospitable desert, renowned as the driest on earth is the setting for the next six days of the Rally. They head north to the likes of Iquique and Antofagasta before turning back down to La Serena on the coast. Well known for some of the clearest skies in the southern hemisphere, visitors will find a number observatories as well as fertile valleys producing grapes for the production of Pisco.
On to Santiago, the temperate capital of Chile and back in to Argentina, stopping off at San Juan. The nearby Valley of the Moon is a sight not to be missed thanks to its rich paleontological features and rock formations. Working their way through over 2000 km of inhospitable lands those still left in the competition will arrive in Buenos Aires on 15th January.
Why not combine a trip to these fantastic countries, tracing some of the more accessible elements of the route yourself as part of a tailor made trip. As the Argentina, Chile and Brazil specialist here at Steppes Travel, I have visited the region many times so I am well placed to make some great suggestions based upon my own personal experience.
Call Oliver on 01285 885333 to discuss any travel plans that you may have.