Cuyo

The arid foothills of the Argentine Andes, made up of the Mendoza wine country, Aconcagua and Ischigualasto's Valley of the Moon.

Cuyo is based on the Cuyo region among the six tourism regions of Argentina's Ministry of Tourism. It includes the four provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, San Luis and La Rioja, an arid zone on the eastern slopes of the Andes where snowmelt irrigation creates oases and vineyards. Mendoza is Argentina's wine capital, and Malbec is the most renowned grape. You can visit wineries in Luján de Cuyo, Maipú and the Uco Valley by bike or hired car, and there is a grape harvest festival in March. Heading west on Route 7 takes you to Uspallata, the Puente del Inca and Aconcagua Provincial Park, with views of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas at about 6,961 m, which is also climbing season in summer. In southern Mendoza, San Rafael and Malargüe have canyons, lava landscapes and the Las Leñas ski resort. Ischigualasto (the Valley of the Moon) in San Juan Province and Talampaya National Park in La Rioja Province are together a World Heritage Site, preserving Triassic dinosaur fossils and red sandstone cliffs; visits must be made with official guides. San Luis Province has Sierra de las Quijadas and its valleys. A classic route is 3–4 days in Mendoza (wineries plus a day trip to the high mountains), then 2–3 days driving north to San Juan, Ischigualasto and Talampaya, about one week in all. Mendoza's airport has domestic flights, and you can reach Santiago, Chile, via the Cristo Redentor Pass road. The sun is intense at altitude and day–night temperature swings are large. The cross-border road may close temporarily in winter, and self-drivers should carry plenty of fuel and water.

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