October 13rd 1972: An Uruguayan plane that carries 45 passengers to Chile, most of them students and rugby players, crushes into the Andes.
Twelve of them died because of the crash.
The survivors had to survive in hunger trying to tolerate the fearless mountain and 30 degrees below zero during many nights.
They tried to resist with a limited reserve of food as they waited to be rescued. Their faith decreased when they heard on the radio that the rescue had been called off due to the belief that none of them had survived.
Finally, tired of the low temperature, the threatening avalanches, the increasing anguish for the dead friends and the loss of hope to be rescued, two of them decided to cross the huge mountains to reach for help.
On December 22nd of 1972, after 72 days of isolation, the world took notice that sixteen passengers had overcomed death.
This event was later told by the survivors, in a book and, later on, it turned to a movie “ALIVE”, which told this story to the world.
Today, the journey starts at this breathtaking location.
And we invite you to visit this place, as you go over this story….
Day 1: Meeting in El Sosneado at noon. Transfer to the route that leads to Soler refuge and the National Gendarmerie. Passing through the old abandoned thermal hotel, we will arrive at puesto Araya and then to the refuge where we wi´ll spend the night.
Day 2: On this day we´ll go to the base camp El Barroso. We´ll cross the Atuel River on foot or horses. Lunch . Calm afternoon to enjoy the place.
Day 3: Early departure to Las Lágrimas Glacier. Hard day as after three hours of walking we will cross Las Lagrimas river and then we´ll ascend for two and a half hours to the site where the remains of the plane are located, at 3600 masl. We shall pay tribute to the victims in silence. Lunch. Descent to the camp.
Day 4: Breakfast . We´ll walk back to Puesto Araya. Return by transfer to El Sosneado. End of our services.
This Program is subject to weather, geographic or political conditions. Changes may occur depending on various circumstances and factors. The decisions will be exclusively in charge of the guides, baqueanos and coordinators
