An hour west of the vineyards there is a turquoise reservoir at the foot of the mountains, and on it a sailing boat. An hour and a half under sail, with cheese, nuts and a glass in hand, and the Andes on every side. You are collected at your hotel and brought back.
The Potrerillos reservoir sits at around 1,400 metres on the Mendoza river, on the road to Chile, ringed by dry hills with the snow of the high Andes behind them. The water is a turquoise that looks unreal in photographs and is exactly that colour in person.
This is a short, easy day: a private transfer from your hotel, an hour and a half on a sailing boat with a skipper, something to eat and drink on deck, and the transfer back. It sits well in the afternoon after a morning that was not committed to anything, or as the gentle day between two long ones.
Once away from the jetty the engine goes off and the boat moves on the wind alone, along the shore and out into the middle of the reservoir, with the mountains turning around you. An hour and a half on the water, at the pace the wind sets.
Cheese, nuts and a drink are served on deck while you sail. There is nothing to do but look, which is the point.
The same private car takes you back to your hotel, about an hour down the road. You are back in the city with the evening free.
Nobody sails the boat but the skipper; you sit, you look, you eat. No experience is needed and it suits any age. If the day is too calm or too rough to sail, the skipper decides, and we tell you before you leave the hotel.
Bring a jacket even in summer: on the water, with the wind, it is cooler than in the city. Sunglasses and sun protection, because the reflection off the water is strong.
No. It is a day we add to your Mendoza package if you 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.
The transfers are private, in a car for your group alone. On the boat, tell us how many you are when you write and we quote it so that the sailing is yours too.
Yes. It is a half day, so it pairs with a free morning in the city, and it is on the same road as the hot springs at Cacheuta and the road to Aconcagua — on different days. Many travellers put it in the afternoon between two winery days.
It is a reservoir, not the sea: there are no waves to speak of, and the movement is gentle. People who do not like boats usually enjoy this one.
October to April is the surest, with warm afternoons and the mountains clear. It can run outside those months on good days; tell us your dates and we tell you honestly whether it is worth it.
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.
Wine days, the Andes, the water and the hot springs: the seven days you can add.
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The road to the highest mountain in the Americas, with a walk to the Horcones lagoon.
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Flights or bus, hotel, transfers and the days you choose, quoted as one price.
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