Mendoza is a tidy, oasis city, filled with tree-lined avenues and beautiful plazas. It is surrounded by the vast patchwork vineyards and the Andes mountain range nestled in the background. In the main square, Plaza Independencia, you can visit the small artisan market, while on the west side of the city is the huge San Martin Park and Cerro de la Gloria which are worth exploring. For nightlife, make sure to stop by the fantastic bar and restaurant lined street called Arístides Villanueva. The biggest event in Mendoza is "La Fiesta de la Vendimia", an annual wine harvest festival which runs at the beginning of March. It usually consists of beauty pageants, a series of parades and events.

Wine country: Wine is unarguably one of the area's main attractions. Most of the wineries are prepared to receive visitors, welcoming them with guided tours. Most tours cover the history of the winery itself, their winemaking process and finish off with a wine tasting session. Most of the wineries are located outside the city centre, so you need to arrange transport or take a local bus.

Mendoza also offers excellent conditions for winter sports. Los Penitentes is 165km from Mendoza on the way to the Chilean border and is more economical than the world-class resort, Las Leñas, 450km to the south of Mendoza. 

The main excursions are the High Mountain Circuit, an ideal way to appreciate the Andes dramatic scenery. On this tour you visit Uspallata, Penitentes, the stone bridge of Puente del Inca, the Cristo Redentor and the Aconcagua Park.

Other popular tours are Villavicencio and its traditional hotel and Cacheuta with its thermal baths. The perfect way to enjoy the areas natural beauty is by participating in outdoor activities such as: trekking, climbing, mountain biking, rock climbing, abseiling, white water rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, paragliding, skiing and snowboarding.

Aconcagua: with an astonishing height of 6,959m, Aconcagua, "stone sentinel" in the Indian language, is the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. The park is open from October to May and is an increasingly popular destination with mountain climbers and trekkers.

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