Lake Potrerillos, a one hour drive from Mendoza, is ideal for outdoor adventure sports.

Mendoza is a semi-arid mountainous environment, furrowed with rivers that carry melted snow water from the Andes into an extensive system of irrigation canals that have turned the area into a productive oasis specifically fit for vine growing and Eco-tourism. This system of rivers and irrigation canals also support the life of over 100,000 trees that provides a canopy over most of Mendoza city. These sources of water have also been used to create several artificial lakes such as the one found in Mendoza’s San Martin Park which is host to a variety of nautical competitions like sculling and jet ski races, as well as,  Lake Portrerillos that features pristine water for kayaking, fishing, rafting and swimming. For the purposes of eco-tourism the province of Mendoza can be divided into four areas which are the northern oasis, southern oasis, central oasis and southern border oasis. All the photos in this essay are made in the northern oasis which stretches from the capital city of Mendoza to the northern border of Chile.

Another view of Lake Poterrillos in the fall

This is the hill of seven colores about 4 miles from Uspallata, The colors are attributable to different types of rock that came together over a long period of time.

As the road leaves the oasis of Uspallata it enters a desert environment much like this until it reaches the hill of 7 colores.

Along the road to the hill of 7 colors there are many interesting geological shapes and figures of different colors.

The oasis of Uspallata, a small village at an altitude of 6000 feet offers a variety of outdoor recreational activities and 2 distinct eco-systems.

a yoga instructor from Buenos Aires practices her art forms with the hill of 7 colores in the background

During the fall season, Uspallata is a good place for mountain biking and scenic landscapes.

In the foothills of Mendoza there are the Cachueta hot water springs about an hour’s drive from Mendoza.Here, you will find both an upper level of pools as well as the lower level in this photo.

This is the upper level of pools at the Cachueta Hot springs and the water temperature of each pool varies.

The Rio Mendoza runs through the Cachueta Hot springs just below the thermal pools. There is also a trail here for hiking

This is the Puente del Inca in the Andes mountains, a natural bridge crossing the Las Cuevas river at about 8,000 ft above sea level. The building used to be a hotel and the rocks are colored by iron thermal -mineral sediments

The Rio Pichueta In the Andes along with this bridge is a historical site where General San Martin’s armies crossed the border into Chile and launched an invasion to liberate the country from Spanish rulers. This river is also a good place for trout fishing.

The lake in San Martin Park is host to a variety of nautical events like sculling. It is one of several man made lakes in Mendoza.