Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina.

Tripoto
6th Feb 2014
Photo of Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina. 1/5 by James Smith
Bodega Luigi Bosca, Mendoza.
Photo of Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina. 2/5 by James Smith
Bodega Luigi Bosca, Mendoza.
Photo of Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina. 3/5 by James Smith
Los Pingos Riding Tour, Mendoza.
Photo of Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina. 4/5 by James Smith
Cañon del Atuel, Mendoza.
Photo of Making the most of Mendoza, Argentina. 5/5 by James Smith
Cañon del Atuel, Mendoza.

The tourist industry in Mendoza is on the rise, with more and more travellers heading west from Buenos Aires each year to take in its natural beauty and taste some of the best wine produced outside of Europe. On my tour of Bodega Luigi Bosca, I realised that Mendoza's geographical position makes lucrative business for its wineries, with high altitude and low humidity. This also makes it pleasant for tourists like me, looking to escape the unbearably humid capital during the summer months and make the most of the facilities the 'mendocino' tourist industry has to offer. Realising that I could visit wineries and their vineyards, horseback ride, canopy through the mountains and white water raft before I had even scraped the surface of activities on offer in this part of the country, I became aware that the tourist agencies hadn’t lied to me when they said that this province has it all. Visit any one of the dozens of wineries south of the city, (I found the best were in Maipú) and try the olive oil also produced in this region. Experience Los Pingos Riding Tour for a two or four hour hack with original Argentine gauchos before devouring an 'asado' with them prepared during sunset, as they sing songs by the fire, showing you a glimpse of how they live here. Visit Cañon del Atuel and see one of the (many) spectacular views in Argentina (I have included an image of this above). These recommendations were all part of my itinerary during my four day visit, and by the end all I wanted to do was stay. Flights from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (the smaller airport in Buenos Aires) to Mendoza are available daily and of the two competing carriers, Lan and Aerolineas Argentinas, the latter is almost always the cheaper option.