MANSO VALLEY MULTI-ADVENTURE BIKETOUR

GUIDED WITH ACCOMMODATION – 5 DAYS

MANSO VALLEY MULTI-ADVENTURE BIKETOUR

GUIDED WITH ACCOMMODATION – 5 DAYS

Distance:

224,2 Km

Estimated time:

5 Días

Difficulty:

HOW TO RATE THE DIFFICULTY OF A ROUTE OR A BICYCLE CIRCUIT?

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY:

1- Very easy: A very easy circuit, it is suitable for people who can pedal a bike on flat asphalt roads and then stop without stumbling. You must have basic notions of braking and shifting gears. You must have sufficient balance to ride the bike in a straight line without making sudden involuntary maneuvers to the sides.

2- Easy: to pedal on an easy circuit you need to have fluid shifting management that allows you to climb an asphalt slope or pedal on a flat surface without making greater effort, optimizing the energy of your legs at all times. You must also know how to differentiate and use both brakes correctly, the front and the rear.

3- Intermediate: to pedal a circuit of intermediate difficulty, you must master the skills mentioned above, both on asphalt and gravel roads and on low difficulty trails. You must also have an understanding of the correct body position on different terrains and braking precision on slippery terrain and on descents. It is important that you skillfully handle the gear change, both the plates and the sprockets.

4- Difficult: a difficult circuit is suitable for experienced cyclists who know how to pedal on uneven terrain with obstacles, climbs, descents and adverse conditions, such as mud, sand or stones. The cyclist must have good control and mastery of the bicycle at all times, optimizing performance through precise use of gears. It is also necessary to understand how to take advantage of the acceleration of descents to successfully overcome dirt climbs and obstacles such as logs or loose rock.

5- Expert: to master an expert level circuit, it is necessary to train regularly and have physical strength. The pilot must be able to perform jumps and maneuvers at high speed without losing control at any time. It is necessary to master all pedaling, turning and braking techniques on narrow trails with steep slopes of more than 30%, and know how to avoid obstacles such as steps, rocks, roots and slippery ground with mud or dust.

PHYSICAL DIFFICULTY:

We cannot assess the physical difficulty of a bike route since it strictly depends on the level of training that each person has. As a reference we can say that 35 kilometers by bike is approximately equivalent to 1 kilometer on foot. Circuits with many meters of ascent and gravel ground are more demanding from a physical point of view. In conclusion, we can affirm that a person with average training accustomed to being active can, in general, pedal a distance of 35 to 45 kilometers without major inconvenience, in a period of 4 to 5 hours including rest stops.

If you opt for an e-bike, the physical effort decreases considerably, up to 60% less depending on your driving and pedaling skills.

Unevenness:

2478 mts

Asphalt:

26 %

Gravel:

58 %

Rafting:

16 %

For Ebikes:

Six days and five nights. Departure from Bariloche. Five days of cycling + rafting on the Manso River. We are going to ride amazing gravel sections of the “Andean track” and several rural roads, surrounded by forests, rivers and lots of nature. The overnight is in cabins, hostels or dorms. The tour ends in the Andean region of El Bolsón. We return to Bariloche by minibus when the tour ends.

The average distance we pedal each day is 45km.

This proposal is developed for amateur cyclists who want to experience an organized cycling journey with support. The route has a total of 242 kilometers.

The route is designed to sleep in lodgings and eat in buffets or restaurants. The amount of kilometers ridden each day, the breaks and the route, are designed and balanced so that you have an exciting and safe experience. On this journey we will visit the Gutiérrez and Mascardi lakes, the Guillelmo lake, the Manso river and the Foyel river. The Mt. Perito Moreno and the Valley of the Azul river.

What does this trip include?
This tour includes a five-day cycling tour with rafting, from Bariloche to El Bolsón, passing through the Manso River valley, and a sixth day to walk through El Bolsón and return to Bariloche by minibus. It is a journey of intermediate difficulty with a high percentage of gravel. If you have already done the 7 lakes or a similar route, this is your next step!

This tour requires good mountain bike handling, control, correct shifting and stamina

MTB Guide
Lodging 5 nights | day 1-Cabin day 2-Hostel day 3-Dorms day 4-Cabin day 5-Hostel
2 Rafting descents | Rafting manso classic and rafting manso-frontera
Entrance to Nahuel Huapi National Park
Bicycle Gt Avalanche, Cube Aim or Fuji Nevada for 5 days plus panniers and accesories
Return from El Bolsón to Bariloche by minibus
Shipping of suitcases or excess luggage from Bariloche to El Bolsón
Personal accident insurance
Support vehicle for logistics and emergencies
Breakfast and dinner included. Lunch or snack depending on the length of each stage also included. Vegan menu available.
Drinks not included: They are paid separately. Water and fruits available during the rides in the support vehicle.

DAY 1 Bariloche to Villa Mascardi

The tour starts in the center of Bariloche, from our shop located at St. John O’Connor 290. We will ride along Lake Nahuel Huapi for 8 kilometers and then we turn south towards Lake Gutiérrez. We will cycle some beautiful and low difficulty local trails. At kilometer 26 of the ride we join route 40. Little by little we will move away from the city, and find impressive views of the lakes throughout the route.

82% of this stage is asphalt and has little unevenness. It is the easiest stage of the tour. Perfect to gain confidence on the first day of the journey. As it is a fast stage, we will finish the ride early at Las carpitas complex in Villa Mascardi and we will be able to enjoy paddling on Lake Guillelmo and a short trekking to the “Aifa viewpoint”.

DAY 2 Villa Mascardi to Puerto Manso
We start day 2 with a delicious breakfast and prepare the bikes. The first section of the circuit is a beautiful trail of low difficulty, which runs along the eastern shore of Lake Guillelmo.

Then we join Route 40 again, where we will face the first long climb of the journey. Stunning landscapes will join us throughout this section.

After climbing 8 kilometers, we will reach “El cañadón de la mosca”. An impressive descent of 13 kilometers stands ahead…

Our first rafting awaits us at lake Steffen. We put the bikes aside for a moment, and embark the Cuatro Elementos Patagonia rafts. This tour is called Manso Classic. It is a scenic ride of low difficulty, with beautiful views and some entertaining rapids that

will add excitement to the descent. Rafting class 1 / 2
This activity lasts approximately two hours and ends at Puerto Manso Lodge cabin complex.

DAY 3 Puerto Manso to Tierraventura
Day 3 is the most intense of the journey, both in difficulty and distance. The route is 100% gravel with plenty of singletrack action. We are going to pedal the famous MTB trail “las pasarelas” of 22 kilometers long and considerable difficulty. Don’t panic if you feel like the trail may be beyond your capacity. There is an alternative gravel road for less experienced cyclists, who will be accompanied by the support vehicle until they reach the starting point of the rafting section.

In this opportunity, we are going to row a class 3 rafting, with rapids and strong currents. The ride ends in CHILE, although it is not necessary to go through immigration procedures to enjoy this experience. We will arrive at the border and immediately mount our bikes to return upstream and finish this amazing stage at the Tierraventura del Manso campsite.

No doubt this is the queen stage of the tour.

DIA 4 Tierraventura to El Foyel
Our 4th day starts at Tierraventura campsite. Mist usually covers the sky of the valley every morning, which then dissipates as the hours progress. We leave the river behind and mentalize ourselves to pedal 30 kilometers of gravel and 10 k of asphalt.

Long climbs are the challenge of this stage. We are going to find 3 well-defined ones, which increase in distance and difficulty as we progress.

After circumventing the first 2 climbs, we arrive at the Villegas area. A town with wooden houses on the banks of the river with the same name.

We will recover our strength in Villegas, with a hearty lunch, and later face the third ascent of the day. Ten kilometers of asphalt that end in the historical site El Viejo Almacén del Foyel

At night we will have dinner in the most picturesque restaurant in Patagonia. You’ll be surprised!

DIA 5 El Foyel to El Bolsón
Day 5 is the most varied and original of the journey. It has sections of asphalt, gravel, double-tracks and many kilometers of descent. We start pedaling south along Route 40, and enter the territory of the Guaitekas community. With the chief ́s permission we will cross a rustic bridge over the river Foyel and pedal along a former section of Route 40, now in disuse and partially absorbed by nature.

Halfway through the stage we will head west, until we reach the Perito Moreno ski staion. An uninterrupted gravel descent of 20 kilometers awaits us. Finally, we arrive to El Bolsón. After pedaling more than 200 kilometers and paddling around 25k, we end up at Portal Norte complex. We spend our last night there and return to Bariloche the next morning.