CUYO

If the pampas are Argentina’s breadbasket, the Cuyo provinces of Mendoza, San Juan, and San Luis are its wine barrel—about three quarters of the country’s wine production comes from the irrigated vineyards on the eastern Andean slope, and exports are increasing. Visitors can spend days or even weeks hopping from winery to winery.

In colonial times, Cuyo fell under Chilean administration, but the same snows that blocked winter communications over the Andes—helping forge a distinct regional identity—now welcome skiers. The snow never vanishes from 6,959-meter Cerro Aconcagua, the “Roof of the Americas” and the Western Hemisphere’s highest point, drawing climbers and hikers from around the globe.

Economically, Mendoza is also an energy storehouse, as much of the country’s petroleum and natural gas originates here.

Cerro Aconcagua: At 6,962 meters, the “Roof of the Americas” is literally the high point of anyone’s trip to the continent. Only a handful of people attempt the summit, but many more make it to base camp, and just about anyone can catch a glimpse of the summit. Other nearby points, like the Cristo Redentor statue on the Chilean border, offer the views without the exertion. (read more)

Bodegas Salentein: In the Andean foothills southwest of Mendoza, this futuristic winery with a contemporary design is a temple to wine. (read more)

Difunta Correa Shrine: In the desert 60 kilometers east of San Juan, this sprawling shrine to a popular “saint” will impress skeptics as much as it does the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who visit every year. (read more)

Parque Provincial Ischigualasto: In northern San Juan Province, the “Valley of the Moon” badlands are part of a triangle of parks fast becoming stops on the international dinosaur-fossil circuit. The others are La Rioja’s Parque Nacional Talampaya and San Luis’s Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas. (read more)

Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas: In northern San Luis Province, Las Quijadas’ sandstone canyons are a scenic maze that recall the canyon country of Utah or New Mexico, and its dinosaur fossils are the source of endless material for Argentina’s growing community of paleontologists. (read more)