MOUNTAIN HIGH CIRCUIT

This route borders the course of the Mendoza River, from the ample agricultural oasis that surrounds the Capital City to the spectacular mountain range that marks the limit between the Republic of Argentina and Chile.

It winds across valleys, flat lowlands, streams, rivers, foothills and the highest peaks of the Andes Mountain Range. All of them are part of the mountain areas of the Lujan de Cuyo and the Las Heras Departments.

It is an adventure that the traveller will not forget easily. North and south of the river, the Andean mountain ranges, crossed by green and beautiful valleys in intermediate zones, will bring you fascination with no end.

The adventure begins in Cacheuta, Potrerillos and Uspallata, the three best-equipped towns in the Andean part of Mendoza. And it ends with the ascension of the stone sentinel, the Aconcagua, one of the most fascinating tours in the world

CACHEUTA
At 29 kms from the City of Mendoza, along the Ruta Nacional N° 7, we reach this small oil-producing location that stands out for its famous hot springs. The site keeps the name of a Huarpe Indian chief. It is divided into two parts by the Mendoza River but at the same time it is brought together by a suspension bridge 138 ms long.

In year 1873 its tar pools were exploited and used to make waterproof wine skins and vessels, and ten years later Carlos Fader founded the Compañía Mendocina de Petroleo and soon was able to provide petrol gas for public lighting. The oil duct (34 kms long) was the first built in South America.

A train station to provide access to the Pacific from Buenos Aires was built there in 1880. Then, with the construction of Hotel Termal it was transformed into an important destination for tourists.

The Centro Climático Termal Cacheuta Hot Springs Resort
It is a resort that only includes a restaurant and a hotel with a terrace and a swimming pool that offers an excellent panoramic view over the river's canyon. The hotel was built in 1986, on the same place where the Hotel Balneario Cacheuta used to stand at the start of the XXth century, and it still keeps its elevator tower.

The baths are in an artificial grotto, at 1,200 ms over sea level, and at a temperature that oscillates between 35°C and 45%°C. There are seven individual and collective pools. with green areas for camping, reed hurdles and barbecues.

In the area we find the hydroelectric power plant, camping grounds, a hotel, two additional hostels, tearooms, a civic centre with all services and the old train station.

POTRERILLOS
It is a pictorial valley 39 kms from the City of Mendoza, along N° 7 National Route. From Cacheuta: a road that winds along ravines and very steep curves will take you to a town that glitters between the foothills and the La Plata Mountain Range. Next to the banks of the Mendoza River, we can see the old bridges, tunnels and unused tracks of the Trans Andean Railroad, which connected Argentina to Chile at the beginning of the XXth century.

Potrerillos is an old town of country houses with agriculture and cattle raising that began its economic take-off when the railroad arrived at the end of the XIX th century. The construction and paving of the road enabled the arrival of vacationers and the building of weekend houses.

Now, it is traditionally used for rest, to spend one day in the countryside or for long periods. Near by we find an important number of "estancias", camping grounds, and the distinguished Hotel Potrerillos, which stands in a place where the immensity of the mountains can be really appreciated.

The Potrerillos Civic Centre offers a storehouse for provisions, a service station, restaurants and a pictorial church. In town there are around 300 inhabitants and about 1000 live in the near by area.

The Mendoza River, together with the Blanco River and its streams, offer lavish vegetation and landscapes of amazing beauty. For that reason, it is an ideal spot for every adventure type of tourism: trekking, horse riding, rafting, mountain climbing, gliding, mountain bike, and other alternatives.

Very close is the Potrerillos Dam, which has been built with the purpose of regulating the water volume of the Mendoza River and to improve the supply of drinking water and the production of hydroelectric energy. Its beautiful and transparent water mirror offers great possibilities to the lovers of nautical sports.

Vallecitos
At the foot of Cordon del Plata, at 2900 m.a.s.l, and 30 kms away from Potrerillos, along a steep unpaved road, we find Vallecitos, the oldest ski centre in Mendoza Province, and the closest to the city.

On the road, the traveller will have the opportunity to watch a hill of an intense black colour, and the Mendoza River which, in that section, stains stones with incredible colours due to the minerals carried in its waters.

Vallecitos holds a series of shelters standing along the road, and six tracks with different difficulty to practice cross-country Nordic and Alpine downhill skiing. The total skiing surface encompasses 88 has.

USPALLATA
At 93 kms from the City of Mendoza, on the crossroads of two branches of N° 7 National Route coming from Potrerillos and Villavicencio, between beautiful and plentiful boulevards, fields sown with vegetables, tubercles, and alfalfa fields, we find the small town of Uspallata.

The town reached an unusual importance during vice-Royalty times. This was due three important factors: it was the main road between Mendoza and Santiago de Chile, fertile lands, and mining. As long ago as the year 1693 a silver mine was exploited, and there were smelting furnaces.

Its foundation dates back to 1824, but the town only became a reality 30 years later through the land expropriation.

The valley fluctuates between 1900 and 2500 m.a.s.l, and the town possesses wide streets and striking poplars, with special paths for horse riding. It was one of the important landmarks of San Martin's campaigns, and a resting place on the Royal Road of the Viceroyalty.

On its outskirts, the Siete Colores Hill stands out near the centre of Uspallata, which is a mountain with colourful stripes very similar to the famous hill with the same name located in the Humahuaca Gorge, in the Jujuy Province.

It is a pleasant place to relax. There we can enjoy notable landscapes, a generous micro-climate, and an interesting supply of lodges, restaurants and camping grounds. While in the area, we can practice sport fishing, adventure tourism, as well as cultural tourism.

Descendibg towards the valley we will find the Paramillo Ghost Town, the ruins of a Huarpe settlement that in the XVIIth century was used by the Jesuits for mineral exploitation, besides, two Inca settlements, Ranchillos and Tambillos, still subsist.

The picturesque town possesses two important Military Mountain Regiments.

The Puente Picheuta Bridge and the Uspallata Vaults
At 23 kms from Uspallata, along N° 7 National Route, we cross the historical and colonial Picheuta Bridge, and reach the Bovedas de Uspallata (Vaults). They are mud buildings with vaulted ceilings, dating back to the end of the XVIII century and were used as a mineral processing plant.

During the independence war, its furnaces were used to smelt the metals needed to manufacture the guns and cannons of the Andes Army. They are a National Monument and they have a museum.