Previous day You have to arrive in Mendoza a day before the departure date since we will need to check your equipment. We can offer you an additional night of accommodation if you have not arranged anything independently; we will help you to arrange the booking and add the cost to the total rate. The expedition begins with a meeting in which you will get to know the members of the trip. Then we will drive in a private vehicle (2 hrs) to the “Manzano Histórico”, located in the Uco Valley, in the southwest of Mendoza City. It is widely considered one of the top wine regions in Mendoza and all Argentina. In the Manzano Histórico, you will be able to visit the museum in memory of the Liberator San Martín. We will then go by car to the Refugio Portinari (National Gendarmerie), where you will meet the other guides and local muleteers that will be part of this spectacular expedition. There we will perform customs clearance and registration with the authorities of the National Gendarmerie. Dinner and bonfire at the refuge.