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The snow-streaked summit of Aconcagua above the dry Andean valley

Aconcagua, Mendoza.Photo: Mauricio V. Genta, CC BY-SA 4.0

Western Argentina

Cuyo, where the desert learned to make wine.

Three provinces against the Andes, all of them dry, each of them different. Mendoza turned meltwater into the country's vineyards, San Juan kept the empty desert and the clearest skies, San Luis holds the green sierras. Start with the province, then take the road.

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The region

Three provinces, one thirst

Cuyo is the dry side of Argentina, and everything here follows the water — where it comes down off the Andes, and what people built to catch it. The three provinces answered that in three different ways.

Province 1Mendoza

Mendoza

Vineyards under the highest mountain outside Asia.

Argentina's wine capital, an irrigated city of plane trees and acequias at the foot of the highest mountain outside Asia.

Capital
Mendoza
When to go
March and April for the harvest; November to March for the high Andes.
Highlights
Aconcagua · Valle de Uco · Luján de Cuyo · Puente del Inca · Potrerillos

Things to do in Mendoza

Rows of vines running towards the snow-covered Andes at dusk in the Valle de Uco.

Valle de Uco, Mendoza.Photo: Steve Ryan, CC BY-SA 2.0

Province 2San Juan

San Juan

Dinosaurs and the clearest skies in the country.

Empty desert, the clearest night skies in the country and a Triassic badland where the first dinosaurs were found.

Capital
San Juan
When to go
April to June and September to November; midsummer is punishing on the desert floor.
Highlights
Ischigualasto · Barreal · Pampa del Leoncito · Dique de Ullum · Valle de Calingasta

Things to do in San Juan

Pale eroded rock formations on the desert floor of the Valle de la Luna.

Parque Provincial Ischigualasto, San Juan.Photo: Silvanamisiones, CC BY-SA 4.0

Red sandstone ridges rising out of low scrub under a clear sky.

San Luis

Red sandstone fins and the green sierras beyond them.

Province 3 — San Luis

The gentler end of Cuyo: green sierras, river towns and a national park of red sandstone fins rising out of the scrub.

Capital
San Luis
When to go
September to December and March to May; the sierras stay mild when Mendoza bakes.
Highlights
Sierra de las Quijadas · Merlo · Valle del Conlara · Sierras de San Luis

Things to do in San Luis

Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas, San Luis.Photo: Piero Teardo, CC BY-SA 2.0

Things to do

A day out, province by province

Wine at altitude in Mendoza, the Triassic desert in San Juan, and the mountain road that joins them. These are the shapes a day in Cuyo tends to take.

  • Full Day High Mountain Mendoza, Aconcagua and Inca Bridge Tour
    Viator

    Culture · Gastronomy · Nature

    Full Day High Mountain Mendoza, Aconcagua and Inca Bridge Tour

    I lived an experience where everything is organized, so that you only take care of enjoying yourself. Unforgettable memories, unique photos and certified guides await you, combining knowledge with the local warmth that…

    8–10 hours · Mendoza

    From ARS$ 318,392.58

    5.0 (37)

  • Luján Wine Tasting Guided Experience with Lunch
    Viator

    Gastronomy

    Luján Wine Tasting Guided Experience with Lunch

    Welcome to Lujan de Cuyo!, this region known as the first wine producing area in Mendoza, today known for its production of exceptional quality wines. The Luján de Cuyo region is so closely associated with Malbec that…

    6–8 hours · Mendoza

    From ARS$ 461,669.24

    5.0 (32)

  • Private Tour in Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza
    Viator

    Gastronomy

    Private Tour in Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza

    What makes this tour special is that the transfer is completely private, allowing a much more personalized attention by the driver / guide, adapting the times and experience to each passenger. In addition, the tour…

    6–8 hours · Mendoza

    From ARS$ 381,179.60

    5.0 (31)

  • Wild trout in the mountains
    Viator

    Gastronomy · Nature

    Fly Fishing on Private Andean River Including Barbecue Lunch

    We fish on a fast moving river stream, teeming with rainbow and brown trout. This excursion takes you to the most beautiful, isolated valleys with private rivers. This excursion is perfect for beginners and…

    8 hours · Mendoza

    From ARS$ 859,659.97

    5.0 (28)

The guide

Before you set off

When to come, what the roads are really like and what the wine route actually involves — written for people driving themselves.

  • The snow-streaked summit of Aconcagua rising above a dry Andean valley

    Guide

    Aconcagua, and what it takes to walk in

    At 6,961 m it is the highest mountain outside Asia, and most people who see it do so from a car park on Ruta 7. The trek to Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas is the honest middle ground.

  • Route 7 running west out of Uspallata between bare Andean ridges

    Guide

    The Alta Montaña road, Mendoza to the border

    Route 7 west out of Mendoza climbs 3,000 metres to the Chilean border past Potrerillos, Uspallata, Puente del Inca and the Aconcagua lookout. What to stop for, and what the day actually costs you.

  • The ochre mineral arch of Puente del Inca beside Ruta 7, the road to Chile

    Guide

    Getting around Cuyo

    Distances between the oases are long and mostly empty. What the roads are like, where the fuel is, and when a hire car beats the bus.

The Cuyo guide