Adventure & Wine in Argentina (Self Drive)

Upon your arrival at the airport you will be transferred to the hotel. 

Spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

After breakfast, you will be taken to the airport to flight to Mendoza. Your rental car will be ready for you as soon you leave the airport. Drive to San Rafael, a 3h 30 min long trip.

Your adventure starts, so we recommend comfortable clothes, backpacking food & water and personal items you might need such as sunglasses and camera. 

Drive to the Embalse Valle Grande on Route 173, where you can enjoy rafting, windsurf, kayak, relaxing boat trips. On the way you will see the "Atuel Canyon", a natural beauty of rocky walls formed by erosion. 

If you continue further on the road you will see the El Nihuel Dam, an artificial lake and hydroelectric complex (1hs and 20 min distance from Atuel Canyon).

Return to San Rafael. 

Enjoy free day in San Rafael. 

Drive towards Chacras de Coria. The trip duration is between 2h to 3h from route 143 and route 40. You can stop by Uco Valley on the way for lunch or to explore its many wineries.

Overnight in Chacras de Coria

Enjoy a complete winery tour with lunch included in Lujan de Cuyo (8h long). You can leave the car at the hotel, as your guide will pick you up.

Drive to the mountains on your last day in Mendoza. On the way there are some nice stops, and the best ones are Potrerillos, Uspallata and Penintentes. There you will find restaurants and services. 

As you drive up the slopes, see abandoned railroad stations, rocky Inca messenger huts, and glacial valleys criss-crossing the Mendoza River. When you arrive at Puente del Inca, you will find a natural arch carved by glacial melt, and coated in minerals that formed coloured hues. There are some local craft shops and a few restaurants.

Next destination: Valle Fertil. It takes around 5h from Mendoza. 

If you prefer, you can stop at the Villavicencio Natural Reserve before leaving Mendoza from Route 52 or you can make stop at "La Difunta Correa" Santuary from Route 141. 

This day is dedicated to the Moon Valley circuit. From San Agustin de Valle Fertil, take the Route 510 for a 50 minutes trip to the Moon Valley. Stop on the way for pictures. 

The Moon Valley and the Talampaya National Park are huge, so we recommend to start it early. They have a rich collection mammals, dinosaurs and pants fossils. There are six geological formations in total. 

Return to San Agustin.

Explore the Talampaya National Park. From Route 510 it will take you around 1h30 minutes’ drive. Don’t miss the Talampaya Canyon, which is the park’s main tourist attraction. There are three guided circuits you can choose: 

1) "El Murallon'' circuit: see petroglyphs made in the stone by aborigine cultures between the 3rd and the 10th Century BC and the rock formations caused by erosion at the Totem, La Torre, La Catedral and la Chimenea.

2) "Los Cajones" circuit: will show you a 15 meters blackboard made on the stone called "Los Pizarrones" that contains drawings made by aborigines.

3) "La Ciudad Perdida'' circuit: the longest circuit (6h duration). You will enjoy both hiking and drive. Following hiking you will arrive at an enormous crate that contains a labyrinth made by erosion. 

Overnight in Villa Union.

Enjoy this day at leisure in Villa Union. 

Drive to San Juan airport, where you will drop off the car and flight to Buenos Aires. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel. 

Overnight in Buenos Aires.

You will be transferred to the airport to take your flight back home. End of the tour.