Transfer IN OUT APT/HTL/APT

Reception and transfer from Mendoza Airport to the hotel. Rest of the day off.

Mendoza City Tour & Wine Route
Through the tour called City and Suburbs we get to know a modern city, with tree-lined streets and clean wide sidewalks. We also learn about its history and culture since its foundation four centuries ago.

Sightseeing the area includes La Alameda (an area of restaurants and coffee shops along a poplar-lined avenue), Área Fundacional (History museum and Plaza Pedro del Castillo), Aquarium, downtown main avenues, Plaza Independencia. Barrio Cívico (Government House, Court House, etc) and Emilio Civit Avenue which leads to the General San Martín Park. Already in the park, we will go around the grove and rose gardens, lake and sport clubs up to the Cerro de la Gloria to admire a magnificent monument dedicated to the Ejército Libertador (Independence War Army). Not far away from it is the Frank Romero Day Greek Theater.

As a complementary option a short way away from the park, you can visit El Challao, a residential area with restaurants, camping-sites, and hotels, and where the Lourdes Virgen Church stands. Large Catholic crowds congregate at this temple.

On this tour we will learn about how man has turned a desert into an oasis by means of canals and irrigation ditches. The original system was created by the Huarpes indigenous people, is now run by computerized drip irrigation and has made Argentina one the main wine producers in the world.

We will tour two wineries where enologists will explain the wine-making process and we will participate in a wine tasting session. Some of the wineries involved in this tour are López, Zuccardi, Lagarde, Don Bosco, Flichman, Di tommaso, Wainert, Viñas del Cerno, Reiter.

High Mountain
Breakfast at the hotel. During the trip we can see the Potrerillos dike. 100 Kms (62 miles) away from the capital city we can find Uspallata, which is where the huarpe’s native occupation took place during the prehispanic era. We’ll then visit the villages of Picheuta, Polvaredas and Punta de Vacas, from where we may reach the famous village of Los Penitentes.

Further on, in Puente del Inca, 2.720 meters over sea level, Las Cuevas river has drilled the mountain forming this way a natural bridge from where thermal water emerges from the edge. Nearby we can find the Mountain Climbers Cemetery. Close to the frontier, a wonderful natural viewpoint allows us to see the Aconcagua Hill in all it’s splendor. An unpaved road which starts at the International Route, allows entering the beautiful Horcones Lagoon and the Provincial Park of Aconcagua. If weather helps, we will be able to climb up to Cristo Redentor Monument, 4.200 meters up.

Atuel River Canyon and Valle Grande
Breakfast at the hotel. Whole-day excursion to the Atuel River Big Canyon and Valle Grande. We will leave from San Rafael, passing by Cuesta de los Terneros (Calves Slope); we will stop at Mirador San Francisco de Asis (San Francisco de Asis Viewpoint). Then we will head for El Nihuil, where we will have lunch. Then we will enter the Atuel River Canyon to enjoy a stunning landscape resulted from the wind and water erosion, forming sculptures like the colorful geographical figures that show shapes such as El Castillo (the Castle), El Fantasma (the Ghost), La Catedral (the Cathedral), etc. We will do trekking into the Canyon. The Atuel River goes deep into the multicolor rock eroded over millions of years, offering us a unique spectacle. We will get to Valle Grande where we will have the opportunity to do some optional adventure activities such as rafting along the Atuel River, etc. We will spend the night in Valle Grande since we have days with adventure activities to come.

Caverna de las Brujas
Breakfast at the hotel. We will go to Malargüe City heading for Caverna de las Brujas. Along the way, we will pass by Sierra Pintada (Painted Mountain Range), Cuesta de los Terneros, San Rafael Viewpoint, Diamante Salt Flats and El Sosneado Valley. We will do middle difficulty trekking in the cavern. We must pay an entrance fee to the reserve, where helmets and torches will be provided.

The cavern is famous for the stalactite and stalagmite presence (formed by water filtering) of different shapes, colors and dimensions. The stalactite and stalagmite formation takes 1,300 years. La Caverna de las Brujas is millions of years old. Then we will go to Malargüe, where we will stop for lunch (optional) and stroll along the city. Return to San Rafael.