The road west towards Chile climbs from the vineyards to almost three thousand metres, past a turquoise reservoir, a valley of poplars and a natural bridge coloured by mineral springs, to a lagoon with the south face of Aconcagua above it. No climbing: you look at the mountain, you do not climb it.
Aconcagua is 6,962 metres high, the tallest mountain outside Asia, and it stands about 190 kilometres from Mendoza by road. That road is the point of the day as much as the mountain: it leaves the vineyards, follows the Mendoza river up into the Andes and stops at places that would each be worth a trip on their own.
You travel with a guide who explains what you are looking at, stop where the light and the landscape ask for it, and walk the last part on foot, at an easy pace, to the lagoon below the mountain. Breakfast on the way and a box lunch are included.
Out of Mendoza the road follows the river into the Andes, past the Potrerillos reservoir about an hour out, and climbs towards the pass until the snow line comes down to meet it.
A green valley of poplars and streams between bare mountains, at about 1,900 metres, and the last town before the pass. Breakfast is taken along this stretch of the road.
A natural stone bridge over the river, at 2,720 metres, coloured yellow and orange by the hot mineral springs that flow across it, with the ruins of the old spa hotel beside it. A protected natural monument.
The gate of the park is a few kilometres further on, and the sign at the entrance — 6,962 metres — is the photograph everyone takes. From here the walk begins.
An easy, well-made path leads to the lagoon, where the south face of Aconcagua and its glaciers fill the view. Around an hour of walking, more if you stop for photographs. Then lunch, and the same road down with the afternoon light on the peaks; you are back in the city in the evening.
This is a road trip with a short walk, not a trek: the highest point you reach on foot is the Horcones lagoon, at around 2,950 metres, on a path that anyone in reasonable health can manage. Climbing Aconcagua is a three-week expedition and a completely different thing.
Weather in the high Andes changes fast. In winter, and after snow at any time of year, the pass road can be closed for a day; if that happens on your date we tell you before you leave the hotel and reorganise the day.
No. It is a day tour we add to your Mendoza package if you decide to stay a little longer. 01Argentina arranges the whole trip — flights or bus, hotel, transfers and the days you choose — and this is one of the days you can choose.
It is a road trip with a short, easy walk at the end. The path to the Horcones lagoon is well made and mostly level, and takes around an hour at an unhurried pace. You do not need mountain experience. What you do need to respect is the altitude: at almost three thousand metres, walk slowly, drink water and tell your guide if you feel unwell.
It can be. The day runs as a regular service or as a private one, with the vehicle and the guide for your group alone, so you set the pace and stop where you like. Tell us when you write and we quote it either way.
Layers. Mendoza can be 30 degrees while Horcones is close to freezing with wind, at any time of year. Closed shoes, a warm jacket, sun protection — the sun at altitude is strong — sunglasses and water. Your passport is not needed: the tour stays on the Argentine side.
October to April is the surest, with the pass road open and the mountain clear more often. In winter the peaks are white and the light is beautiful, but the road can close for a day after snow; we watch the forecast and tell you before you leave the hotel.
Yes, and it is the day that breaks up the wine. Most travellers pair it with a day in the wineries of Luján de Cuyo or the Uco Valley, and some add the hot springs at Cacheuta, which are on the same road, on another day.
Tell us when you are travelling and how many days you have in Mendoza, and we will come back within 24 hours with the whole trip laid out — this day included if it fits.
Flights or bus, hotel, transfers and the days you choose, quoted as one price.
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The version most travellers choose when Mendoza is one leg of a longer trip.
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The same wine country reached overland, across the pampa in a sleeper seat.
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