5 Best Sights in Uspallata, Wine Regions

Extending 66,733 hectares (164,900 acres) over wild, high country, this provincial park has few trails other than those used by expeditions ascending the impressive Cerro Aconcagua (Aconcagua Mountain). You can get multiday permits for climbing it—either through your tour operator or on your own at the Mendoza Tourist Board Visitor's Center in Parque San Martín—but do check exactly what permit you require whether you are undertaking a short trek or an expedition over several days, with or without a tour operator; it's open weekdays 8–6 and weekends 9–1. Day permits (to visit as a tourist, not trekker) are only available online.

From Mendoza traveling 47 km (29 miles) north on Ruta Provincial 52, passing through Canota and its eponymous monument marking the point where San Martín's divided up to cross the Andes, you arrive at Villavicencio, the source of mineral water sold throughout Argentina. The nearby Parador Villavicencio (RP52 45km) offers lunch Wednesday to Sunday.

Farther up the road—and before you really take on 270 curves in the road—the Camino del Año begins its ascent around 365 turns to El Balcón atop the pass at Cruz de Paramillo (3,000 meters/9,840 feet). Look for the ruins of a Jesuit mine, the Arucarias de Darwin (petrified trees found by Darwin in 1835), and the 1,000-year-old petroglyphs on Tunderqueral Hill. From the top of the pass, you can see three of the highest mountains outside of Asia, all over 6,000 meters (20,000 feet): Aconcagua to the west, Tupungato to the south, and Mercedario to the north.

At Km 67, the road straightens and descends into Uspallata, where you can continue west on Ruta Nacional 7 to Chile or take the lonely road north on Ruta 39 (which turns into Ruta 412) onward to Barreal in San Juan Province, 108 km (67 miles) away. The road to Barreal crosses a high desert valley, where the only sign of life is an occasional ranch obscured by a grove of alamo trees.

At Los Tambillos, about 40 km (25 miles) north of Uspallata, the route is intersected by the Inca road that ran from Cusco, Peru, through Bolivia and into northern Argentina. The site is surrounded by a fence that protects traces of the original road and remains of an Inca tambo (resting place). A map shows the route of the Incas.

The mountains to the west get higher and more spectacular as you approach Barreal. At the San Juan Province border, the road becomes Ruta 412, and is paved the remaining 50 km (31 miles) to Barreal.

A steep, bumpy ascent off Ruta 7 leads to a stunning view of the Andes and a large statue of Christ that was erected to mark the end of the war between Chile and Argentina. Made from melted bronze canons by sculptor Mateo Alonso after peace was declared in 1902, it’s poised right on the border at an altitude of 4,206 meters (13,800 feet). At the top there's a food truck serving coffee and sweet bites. The gravel path is not for the faint-hearted, but it can just about be done in a hired car; the drive up from the road takes half an hour.  Bring a jacket!

Spanning the Río Cuevas, Puente del Inca is a natural rock bridge that was formed over thousands of years. The abandoned hotel below is a more recent addition, built in the 1920s to accommodate guests who came to soak in the therapeutic hot springs here. Both are now covered in bright yellow sulfur deposits, giving the surreal site an eerie appeal. An artisan market sells unusual souvenirs like healing stones and sulfur-coated bottles or shoes.

This route heads west on RP13 and then RN7 (also known as the Pan-American Highway) and takes you straight into the mountains. You'll go from vineyards to barren hills until you reach the Potrerillos Valley, then head farther west on RN7 into the heart of the Andes. This was a major part of the Qhapaq Ñan route, so keep your eyes peeled for Inca tambos. You'll pass the Puente del Inca ancient thermal springs and the ruins of a spa from the 1920s. This is the only route between Chile and Argentina for miles, so if you're self-driving, be ready to share the road with cargo trucks.