An Adventurous Red
Mendoza, Argentina: yes, we know, there’s a lot of wine there. The Aconcagua and Uco valleys are some of the most well known areas in the world for wine production. Wherever you turn you’ll see wineries… red, white, rose… it’s a sommelier’s paradise. But it’s also an active traveller’s paradise, if you look a little closer.
Let’s start with the animal lovers: horseback riding in either of these valleys is amazing, especially if you discover it with the help of the Casa de Uco Hotel, or The Vines of Mendoza Resort & Spa, both stunning hotels with their own stables of horses to share. The scenery here can’t be beat, and there’s plenty of deserted road for you to get cantering on.
If horses aren’t your thing, there’s another kind of saddle for you to hop onto. Cavas Wine Lodge (one of our all-time favourite properties) can set you up with a bike for the day to make your way through the wineries—one of the most fun ways to discover this area. Get dropped off in an upper area of the Uco Valley and try your hand at some descent trails for a little more action.
If your need for speed goes one step further, it’s time for my favourite activity in this region: white water rafting in the Aconcagua and Uco rivers, where falling (or jumping) out of the boat is the best part. Return home with plenty of photos of your Argentinian fearlessness.
When your body is inevitably a little battered from all your adventurous pursuits, retreat to the only hamam spa in South America at Mendoza’s Entre Cielos hotel. This unique and refreshing circuit of baths and massages will have you fully relaxed and rejuvenated in no time… and ready for dinner at one of the two Francis Mallman restaurants: Siete Fuegos at The Vines of Mendoza, and 1884 in Mendoza town. Both are incredible, once in a lifetime culinary experiences that foodies won’t want to miss out on.
After all that activity, you’ll probably have worked up quite a thirst. Wonder if there’s anywhere you can get a drink around here…
Carola Fresno hails from Chile, but boasts brilliant expertise all across Latin America. When she visits Mendoza, she river rafts with her favourite horse by her side and a glass of Malbec in hand. She never spills a drop.
