Truck Tour round the Woods and Beaches of Pinamar

Welcome on Board

Every morning and every afternoon, in the very heart of Pinamar, two Dodge M-601 trucks wait for hundreds of curious people who approach to ask about what the excursion is about.

And the answers are always the same: “This is an excursion for the entire family. The idea is to see the forest, the dunes and the large beaches of the area from a truck. And these vehicles, specially designed and conditioned for this kind of ride, provide a different vision of sites where access is impossible otherwise.”

Thus, after the corresponding explanations and the previous safety speech, and as each of the visitors occupied their seats, the two trucks set out and blew their horns symbolically in the center of Pinamar, thus announcing the beginning a new journey.

And that is where the ride begins, when the group of adventurers heads for some of the pine and eucalyptus forests that surround this beautiful seaside resort that hides infinite secrets a few kilometers from the city center.

“The idea is to do something different from everything that has been practiced in this area as regards tours and excursions. When somebody is told that they may visit the coast on a truck, they usually think that it is something abrupt, heavy or violent. However, the ride is totally different; everybody likes it” explains Julio Quagliarella, who along with his partner Rafael Wollman have been the first pioneers in this kind of alternative outings across the dunes by the sea.


Sandboarding at Full Speed

Thus, after driving for almost an hour, the forests and paths of soft sand are left behind and the large dunes of the Northern part of Pinamar are reached. The exclusive resorts for 4x4 or quad owners are located there. These sites are known as “La Frontera”, “El más…allá” and “El límite”, where a group of hanggliding fans take off, fly and land near the sea shore, as a bunch of youths wait their turn to get baptized in the air.

The trucks, which continue their course, transport a great number of colorful sand boards on their roofs and, no sooner does the truck engine stop than all those interested form an improvised queue, as they wish to be the first ones to slide from the top of the high dunes.

And this is the moment longed for by children, as the possibility of sandboarding becomes real for everyone. Even grown-ups queue up to climb and slide from the top when they realize how easy and amusing this activity is.

As some of them go up and down the dunes in search for the best sand waves, there are some excursionists who choose to sunbathe or go for a swim in the desolate waters of the sea.

There are options for all tastes and they include all-day trips to the Punta Médanos Lighthouse, a few kilometers from the district of Mar de Ajó or to the famous and newly restored Querandí Lighthouse, near Villa Gesell.

As they start their way back, hundreds of seagulls and swallows fly around the truck's road, as well as the hares, who hide or get perfectly mingled in the dunes, even in the presence of thousands of tourists who, without knowing, continue with the totally normal routines of the beach.

But talking about roads is in fact a bit idealistic as, just like Julio Quagliarella says, no roads are travelled. “We go up and down the dunes, we get in and out of the forests. We do not follow any road made by man” he asserts proudly.

And what he says is true. In Pinamar, where there is a will, there is a way.