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Outdoor Exploration
Just outside the city of Mendoza students can find the spectacular landscapes of the Mid-Andes Desert Region. We encourage our students to take advantage of the rich possibilities the area offers, which range from camping in the valley, hiking up a mountain to bathing in the hot-springs or fishing on the river.
The natural beauty and unique culture of South America beckons the young adventurer and there are many special destinations which students take the time to visit, such as coast of Chile, the spectacular city of Buenos Aires, or the Patagonia wild. These trips are also encouraged, as long as students are able to maintain the individual music and volunteer commitments which they have made in Mendoza.
Uspallata, a high desert valley in the heart of the Andes, is just a few hours drive northwest of Mendoza. When filmmakers wanted to capture the grandeur of the Himalayas for their film, "Seven Years in Tibet," they chose the Uspallata region as their location. The following segment comes from the blog of one of our outings to Uspallata in 2005:
“On Saturday we headed east into the barren and austere mountains behind the hostel. Mike, Alex and Daniel brought their camping gear to spend the evening under the unfamiliar stars of the Southern Hemisphere. It was uphill all the way. As we made our way into a canyon filled with multi-colored, pre-historic rock sculptures, Julio pointed out a pair of condors soaring high above us. These amazing birds often have a wingspan of over ten feet! The climax of the hike was a trek up a narrow canyon with a spectacular grey molten headwall. After resting and exploring, the rest of us said goodbye to Alex, Mike and Daniel and headed back downhill through the desert to the hostel. That night, Julio treated us to another outdoor asado which featured the world’s finest beef, while Alex, Mike, and Daniel cooked chorizos over their campfire. Sunday afternoon, under another cloudless sky, we all headed back to Mendoza to prepare for a week of intensive Spanish lessons.”
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