Malbec country at the foot of the Andes
Mendoza is a desert city made green by irrigation channels that run along its tree-lined streets, and it produces most of Argentina's wine, above all Malbec. Wineries fill the surrounding valleys: Luján de Cuyo and Maipú, reachable by bicycle, and the high Uco Valley, with striking modern bodegas and long lunches facing the mountains. West of the city, the road to Chile climbs past Puente del Inca to Aconcagua Provincial Park, where a short trail looks up at the highest mountain outside Asia.