Mendoza - Argentina
Coat of arms of the city Mendoza (Argentina)
List of the Spanish language schools in Mendoza
Impressions and photos of Mendoza
Where is Mendoza? (see map)
Where is Mendoza? (satellite image + map)
Actual weather and temperature in Mendoza
General information on Argentina
City Information: Mendoza
Mendoza
Mendoza, a Province in west central Argentina, was founded in 1561 and has a land area of 148827 square kilometers divided into 18 departments. Mendoza City, the capital, and the adjacent contiguous departments of Godoy Cruz, Lujan de Cuyo, Maipú, Guaymallen and Las Heras are known collectively as Gran Mendoza. It occupies 11% of the provincial land area.
The total population of Mendoza Province is around 1,700,000, of which approximately 800,000 reside in Gran Mendoza.
Mendoza (Argentina) - Things to See:
Vineyards, wineries and bodegas Luján de Cuyo
Reserva Natural Villavicencio - nature reserve
Puente del Inca geologic formation
Cerro Aconcagua mountain
Vallecitos y Penitentes ski resorts
Mendoza (Argentina) - Local Fiestas and Festivals:
Fiesta de la Vendimia
The city is clean and orderly
Mendoza City is clean and orderly, with charming pedestrian walkways, arbors, sidewalk cafes, tree-lined streets and many green plazas of distinctly different architectural styles.
It is known for it's historical district, its many churches, museums and cultural centers, and its parks. Of special note is the renowned Parque General San Martín, which is crowned by the nationally known historical monument Cerro de la Gloria. In the outskirts of the city are Mendoza's famous vineyards and wineries and such historical sites as El Plumerillo, the campground of General San Martin's Army of Liberation.
Information provided by Intercultural
Climate
Most of Mendoza has a warm, dry climate, with variations based on altitude. The average annual temperature is 18 degrees Centigrade. The summer average is around 24ºC and the winter average is 7ºC. Average winter temperatures fall below zero in the mountainous western section of the province.
Information provided by Intercultural
Water Resource
Mendoza is blessed with four major rivers that originate high in the Andes Mountains: the Atuel, the Diamante, the Tunuyán and the Mendoza rivers. There are many dams and artificial lakes along the course of these rivers, including Potrerillos, Carrizal, Agua del Toro, Los Reyunos and Valle Grande. The primary purpose of these bodies of water is conservation and agricultural irrigation, but they also provide a host of camping and recreational areas for boating, fishing, water skiing, windsurfing and other aquatic activities.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Drainage in Mendoza
When visiting the city for the first time, it's very common feeling something different in the streets, and is not after sometime that you realize about it's gutters! If there's something that makes Mendoza different among other cities in Argentina, that's trees and it's channels.
They were inherited from the natives and is the irrigation system for the whole city, making it beautiful by growing the trees. The creation and development, transformed Mendoza into a real oasis.
Information provided by Latina school
Photo provided by Latina school
Fauna
Mendoza's varied and unique wildlife population ranges from majestic condors soaring overhead to ostrich-like ñandus. Observant visitors to Mendoza's sparsely-inhabited wilderness areas may also see guanacos, pumas, mountain lions, gray and red foxes, vizcachas, maras, cuis, and comadrejas.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Agriculture
The production of excellent quality-controlled wines is Mendoza's principal agricultural activity. Seventy percent of all the grapes cultivated in Argentina are grown in Mendoza's vineyards.
Many wineries- or bodegas, as they are known- produce Mendoza's renowned wines, which are enjoyed throughout the world. Other major agricultural activities include the cultivation fruits and vegetables.
Mendoza is the nation's leading producer of garlic and tomatoes and second in the production of onions. Fifty-five percent of Argentina's olives are grown in Mendoza.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Adventure tourism
Mendoza is also well known as a leading center of adventure tourism. Activities include white-water rafting, paragliding (at one of the best locations in Argentina), trekking, mountain climbing, horseback riding and skiing. Mountain climbers arrive from every continent during the summer climbing season to attempt to scale the heights of Mendoza's Cerro Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere.
There are three major skiing areas: Los Penitentes and Vallecitos in the middle of the province and Las Leñas in the south. Fishing and other aquatic activities are also excellent throughout the province.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
San-Martín-Park
Mendoza has a great number of squares and green spaces, among which San-Martín-Park plays the most important role. Designed by the architect Carlos Thays in 1869, this veritable 'lung' of the city spans more than 300 hectares of cultivated land and 17 km of interior paths and roads. The entrance of the park is marked by the renowned 'Portones del Parque', three mighty cast-iron gates erected in 1909.
Various works of art are on display in San-Martín-Park, e.g. the 'Foals' of Marly, a replica of the French sculpture, or the 'Fountain of the Continents' adorning the park since 1911.
Among the other attractions of the park you can find an artificial lake, the zoo, a rosery, the 'Hill of Glory' and an amphitheater in greek fashion, where 'La Vendimia', the traditional wine and harvest festival is celebrated every March.
The people of Mendoza and toursits from all over the world enjoy the park as a place to have a picnic, practice sports or just go for a walk. Every weekend, the municipality organizes public fitness-training, yoga classes and other sports lessons everybody can attend free of charge.
Moreover there is a wide variety of clubs in San-Martín-Park offering a broad range of sports: horseback riding, golf, swimming, rowing, tennis, just to mention some of them. Tourists can either get day-passes at the clubs or apply for a non-permanent membership.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Places of Special Interest for Visitors
Mendoza is a magnet for foreign visitors.
Among the hundreds of places of special interest to tourists are the Puenta del Inca, the Provincial Park at Cerro Aconcagua, the thermal baths at Cacheuta, Villavicencio, the Valley of Potrerillos, the Valley of Uspallata, Punta de Vacas, the Los Penitentes and Las Leñas ski areas, the Laguna de Horcones, Las Cuevas, and the sand dunes in desert of Lavalle.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Malargüe
The department of Malargüe in the south of Mendoza Province features unique landscapes. Malargüe has three large natural reserves, with breathtaking diversity ranging from glaciers, to soaring mountain peaks and extinct volcanoes, caves, lagoons and wild rivers.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
VENDIMIA FESTIVAL
It's one of the most important and oldest celebrations in Argentina, officially established in 1936 by Dr. Guillermo Cano, then Governor of Mendoza Province, whose decree formally recognized a long-observed annual celebration of the end of the harvest by those who toiled in the fields. The earlier time-honoured tradition featured, in addition to a celebration of food, music, and dance, the selection of an annual harvest queen who was appropriately honoured with a crown woven of grapevines. The first officially recognized Vendimia Festival, which began that year, has grown in size and scope every year since. During the final week of February, all Argentina looks to Mendoza for the colourful culmination of a series of preliminary activities that had been going on for weeks. The week starts with blessing the fruits of the harvest, a ceremony expressing gratitude to La Virgen de la Carrodilla , the Patroness of the Vineyards. All that week traditional festivities are held in Mendoza's public plazas and celebrants feast on regional foods and evenings of music and folkloric dancing. On Friday a parade of allegorical floats known as the Via Blanca de las Reinas, representing the various regions of the province, wends its way through the centre of Mendoza. On Saturday another parade, more traditional, follows the same route through the city. Known as the Carrusel Vendimial, it features a theme reminiscent of Mendoza's colonial days, including gauchos on horseback, horse-drawn carts and street bands known as murgas. The celebration ends that night with a magnificent spectacle at the Frank Romero Day Greek amphitheatre, during which the National Vendimia Queen is chosen.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
The city has a very active night life all week through
In Mendoza, people prefer going out for dinner or having drinks with friends late in the evening. Therefore, the city has a very active night life all week through. The vast majority of the bars and restaurants are located on Arístides Villanueva Street and its vicinity. This so-called 'street of bars' attracts both the young and not-so young, as well as locals and tourists.
By he way, apart from a handful of cold weeks in winter, the nights in Mendoza are best to be enjoyed at tables on the sidewalks outside the restaurants and bars, in the gentle evening breeze.
No matter if it is typical Argentine dishes or international cuisine you are looking for, the options are manifold. Most of the restaurants are open until way after midnight.
Of course there's more to do in Mendoza than wining and dining. As far as the numerous discotheques and clubs are concerned, most of them are located around Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo, at between 15 and 20 kilometers from the center of Mendoza. They are usually open from Thursday through Sunday and on the eves of holidays.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
Cerro de la gloria
This hill rises in the eastern part of San-Martín-Park, just outside the city limits. You can take a bus from the city or the gates of the park to get there, but you can also reach the peak by foot. The walk takes about an hour from the gates of the park.
Cerro de la Gloria, the 'Hill of Glory', is crowned by a spectacular monument erected in memory of the legendary Army of the Andes. It was designed by the sculptor M. Ferrari and presented to the public on February 12, 1914.
Among the sculptures featured, two deserve special mentioning: the figures of General José de San Martín and Friar Luis Beltrán, whose skills in natural science helped Argentina's Liberation Army cross the Andes. Soaring above all the others, the figure of Liberty is raising her arms with broken chains in both hands, symbolizing independence.
From the esplanade below the monument you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Pre-Cordilleras in the west and of the city of Mendoza in the east.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
How to get to Mendoza
You can get to Mendoza:
via Buenos Aires
via Santiago de Chile.
from the South of Argentina (e.g. Bariloche and Ushuaia)
from the East of Argentina (e.g. Iguazú, Rosario, San Luis and Córdoba)
from the North of Argentina (e.g. Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán and Catamarca)
The distance between Buenos Aires and Mendoza is 1100 km (or 690 miles) and you can cover it by air or road. All flights from Buenos Aires to Mendoza depart from the domestic airport Jorge Newbery, and not from the international airport Pistarini, better known as Ezeiza (EZE).
Whereas flying from Buenos Aires to Mendoza takes only about 1 hour and 40 minutes, travelling by road equals a trip of somewhere between 12 and 14 hours. The coaches on that route have various 'classes' and services, both comparable to categories and services referring to air travel.
The distance between Santiago de Chile and Mendoza is 450 km (or 280 miles) and can also be covered by air or road.
Crossing the Andes on a plane gives you the opportunity of enjoying an incredible view of its highest peaks: the Aconcagua, the Mercedario and the Tunpungato. The flight takes only 45 minutes, combining a spectacular panorama with a considerable saving of time.
Crossing the Andes by road, from Santiago de Chile to Mendoza, takes about 6 hours, depending on customs controls and the condition of the international tunnel. The breathtaking landscape, including a view on the Aconcagua, makes the trip by coach or car a unique experience, too. However, if you plan to take this route, you should always bear in mind the climatic conditions. In winter, it is quite likely that the pass is closed for up to several days, due to the quantity of snow.
Information provided by Intercultural
Ski Resorts in Mendoza
Skiing is one of the main tourist attractions in Mendoza, and there are three ski resorts in the province.
The most important is Las Leñas. At 450 km (or 280 miles)from the city of Mendoza, this resort is renowned all over the world for its breathtaking mountains and the top quality of its snow. Las Leñas has 12 ski-lifts, 34 km (or 21 miles) of slopes and 1300 metres (or 3940 feet) of difference in elevation. In addition, excellent options regarding accommodation help you get the most out of your time in the snow.
The ski resort Penitentes is another option for ski and snowboard freaks. At 186 km (or 116 miles) from the city of Mendoza it is just within a stone's throw from the Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside the Himalayas, and has 300 hectares of skiable area. Its proximity to Mendoza makes Penitentes the ideal destination for everybody who wants to spend just a day in the snow and the mountains. Nevertheless, there are excellent options for accommodation in variuous categories.
The smallest of the three ski resorts in the province of Mendoza is Vallecitos, just 80 km (or 50 miles) from the city. It's the best option for beginners and has about 5 km (or 3 miles) of slopes. Accommodation is limited, but due to its proximity to Mendoza, Vallecitos is the place to go if you are looking just for a quick getaway into the snow.
Information provided by Intercultural
Photo provided by Intercultural
MENDOZA'S UNIVERSITIES
In the province of Mendoza exists an important educational and researching activity. Mendoza has two national universities, the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo and the Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; more than eight private institutions and several technical schools. All together they cover most of the careers available in Argentina.
Due to this, the region is usually visited by students and teachers from all over the world.
Information provided by Intercultural Mendoza
Photo provided by Intercultural Mendoza
Mendoza Facts:
Population: 110.716
Time difference to London - Time zone GMT/UTC: -3 hours
International Airport: Yes
Weather, climate, temperatures: 15ºC - 6ºC (50ºF -58ºF) from November to April and 30ºC - 24ºC (88ºF -77ºF) from May to October. Dry throughout the year.
» Air Companies and flights to travel to Mendoza
Radio stations from Mendoza which can be listened directly ONLINE (live streaming):
FM UTN 94.5
Mendoza/Argentina
Genre: Mix
Links - Mendoza
 | » www.clubandinista.com.ar Club Andinista Mendoza - Aconcagua Expedition, public library , refuges in the Aconcagua region (Site in Spanish only) |
 | » www.mendoza.gov.ar Mendoza - town hall (Website in Spanish only) |
List of the Spanish language schools in Mendoza
Impressions and photos of Mendoza
Where is Mendoza? (satellite image + map)
Actual weather and temperature in Mendoza
General information on Argentina
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