Mendoza & the Central Andes

Mountain

The region's most famous park is Parque Provincial Aconcagua, home of 6962m (22,841ft) Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak outside the Himalayas and a favorite climbing destination. Reaching the summit requires a commitment of at least 13 to 15 days, including acclimatization time. Non-climbers can hike to base camps and refugios (rustic shelters) beneath the permanent snow line; easily, the best and most accessible long hike is to Confluencia from the park entrance at Laguna Horcones.

Nature Reserve

Just over 200km south of Malargüe on the RN 40, the spectacular Parque Provincial Payunia is a 4500-sq-km reserve with a higher concentration of volcanic cones (over 800 of them) than anywhere else in the world. The scenery is breathtaking and shouldn’t be missed. The 12-hour 4WD tours or three-day horseback trips offered by most of the agencies in Malargüe are well worth taking. Be sure your tour stops at all the sites – those combining the visit with Laguna Llancancelo only visit half.

Park

A spectacular, if desolate, landscape of otherworldly rock formations, dinosaur remains and sedimentary mountain ranges. Drivers join convoys on slow-motion tours through the desert valley and canyons of sandstone, clay and volcanic ash. Mountain biking and short treks are also possibilities. There's a small visitor's center with a cafe and campground. Extremely isolated, it involves some dedication to get here; most visitors come from San Augustín de Valle Fertil or San Juan.

National Park

Tupungato (6650m) is an impressive volcano, partly covered by snowfields and glaciers, and serious climbers consider the mountain a far more challenging, interesting and technical climb than Aconcagua. The main approach is from the town of Tunuyán, 82km south of Mendoza via RN40, where the tourism office can provide info. Many of the outfitters who arrange Parque Provincial Aconcagua treks can also deal with Tupungato.

Monument

This monument tops a high altitude pass, once occupied by a rail line linking Argentina and Chile, offering spectacular Andean vistas. The dirt and gravel road from RN 7 to the pinnacle is potentially nerve racking for all but the most confident drivers. Tour companies in Mendoza and Uspallata offer trips here.

Park

Walking along the lakeshore and snoozing in the shade of the rose garden in this beautiful 420-hectare park is a great way to enjoy one of the city’s highlights. Walk along Sarmiento/Civit out to the park and admire some of Mendoza’s finest houses on the way. Pick up a park map at the Centro de Información, just inside the impressive entry gates, which were shipped over from England and originally forged for the Turkish Sultan Hamid II.

Park

The 76-sq-km Parque Nacional El Leoncito occupies a former estancia (ranch) 22km south of Barreal. The landscape is typical of the Andean precordillera. The high, dry and wide-open valley rarely sees a cloud, making for superb stargazing. Hence, the park is home to the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, which contains two important observatories, the Observatorio El Leoncito (C.AS.LEO) and Observatorio Cesco. Night visits are also possible, but must be scheduled ahead of time by contacting the Complejo's San Juan office.

Shrine

Since the 1940s, this shrine, once a simple cross, has metastasized into a village with basic hotels, restaurants and shops, all dedicated to the legend of Difunta Correa. The story goes that during the civil wars of the 1840s, a woman named Deolinda Correa followed her conscript husband’s battalion through the deserts of San Juan, carrying their baby son in her arms. She died when supplies ran out, but the infant was later found still nursing at the dead woman’s breast.

Nature Reserve

Popular with day-tripping mendocinos, this nature reserve occupying a spectacular mountain setting only an hour north of Mendoza is also the origin of Argentina's most popular eponymous mineral water. You can wander the grounds and gardens of the abandoned natural spring resort of the Gran Hotel de Villavicencio, once popular with the Argentine elite during the middle of the 20th century. Hiking is also a possibility. The drive, including a dizzying amount of curves, is part of the appeal of the trip.