Before the tunnel and the paved pass, the road to Chile went this way: up a valley north-west of Mendoza, past a hotel built beside mineral springs, and on up the hillside in hairpin after hairpin. Today the valley is a private nature reserve of seventy thousand hectares, and the drive is the day.
Villavicencio is a name most travellers already know from a bottle: the mineral water on every table in Argentina comes from these springs. The valley they rise in is a nature reserve at the foot of the Precordillera, with a historic hotel at its centre and guanacos on the slopes above it.
The day follows the old international road: out of the city, past the monument at Canota, up to the hotel and the springs, and on up the Caracoles, the winding climb above the reserve, where the road turns back on itself dozens of times and the view opens over the whole valley.
The road leaves the vineyards and climbs into dry hills. At Canota a monument marks where the army of San Martín divided before crossing the Andes in 1817; a short stop, and on up the valley.
The valley narrows and turns green: streams, trees, and on the slopes the guanacos that live in the reserve. The road winds down to the hotel at the bottom.
The historic Villavicencio hotel, with its red roofs and its gardens, was built beside the mineral springs more than a century ago. Time to walk the grounds.
Above the hotel the old road climbs the hillside in a long series of hairpins, the Caracoles, with the valley opening below at every turn. Then the same road back down to Mendoza, in the afternoon.
The reserve is private and charges an entrance permit per person, which is not included in this day and is paid on the spot. We tell you the current amount on your quotation so there are no surprises at the gate.
The road is unpaved above the hotel and the day is mostly in the vehicle, with short walks at the stops. Bring a jacket: the reserve is higher and cooler than the city, and windy on the Caracoles.
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.
It can be quoted private, with the vehicle and the guide for your group alone, so you stop where you like. Tell us when you write.
The hotel is a historic building and the grounds and the springs are the visit; whether the building itself is open on your date depends on the reserve, and your guide will know. We do not promise it on this page.
Aconcagua is the high Andes, snow, and the highest mountain in the Americas: a long day with a walk at the end. Villavicencio is lower, greener and shorter, with history and wildlife rather than altitude. If you have two mountain days, do both; if you have one, most travellers choose Aconcagua.
All year. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable; in summer it is a good escape from the heat of the city, and in winter the Caracoles can have snow, which makes the view better and the road slower.
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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