With Mendoza as its capital the province of Mendoza covers some 148827 square kilometres. Mendoza itself is the most westerly city in Argentina, sitting right at the bottom of the Andes Mountains and is often the first port of call for visitors to western Argentina.

Driving through the province and seeing vast areas of vineyard you’d never guess that the area is classed as a desert! With annual rainfall of about 250mm’s the area receives water for irrigation from the Andes Mountains, flowing along irrigation channels that are in some instances centuries old to feed one of the regions main attractions…wineries and wine!

But, try as we might we can’t spend all our time imbibing!! The Andes range in the province also includes the fabled Cerro Aconcagua at 6962 mts. the highest peak in the Americas. The Andes offer fantastic hiking; trekking and climbing in summer and world class skiing in winter…did I mention Las Lenas? When you’ve had enough of the mountains you can always try your hand at rafting. White-water rafting on the lower stretches of the Rio Mendoza and Rio Diamante has also become a major attraction. Then there are the provincial nature parks and remote thermal baths….exhausting…what times the next winery tour!!