Visit little-known Uspallata Valley in Argentina. Photo / Supplied
While everyone else tangos in the capital, intrepid travellers should head 1000km west to Argentina’s Uspallata valley, writes Natascha Mirosch
I’m lying in bed looking out at a waxing gibbous moon hanging low between the peaks of the snow-dusted Andes. The night is clear and cloudless, the stars like a handful of glitter scattered across a midnight-blue velvet sky. There are no man-made sounds, just the pop and crackle of the fire, the soporific burble of a fast-flowing stream and an eerie soprano solo on repeat from some kind of night bird.
We are staying in a dome in Uspallata, in Argentina’s Mendoza region, not far from the Chilean border. Built on a wooden platform on a bluff, it has elevated 360-degree views of the pampas, a shallow river and in the distance, the serrated spine of the world’s longest mountain range.
This land, part of the Uspallata Valley, arid, yet simultaneously rich in endemic species; from condors and guanaco to the endangered Andean puma (Leopardus jacobita), was the family farm of Joaquín and Juan González Gaviola; a place they’d spend childhood holidays camping and hiking. The brothers retreated here from Mendoza city during Covid and spent their time dreaming up a plan to share their love of Uspallata with travellers.
In 2021 they opened to visitors, with six geodesic glamping domes, well-spaced for privacy, cooled by the flow of the stream outside and shaded by willow trees. As well as the king-sized bed and fireplace, there’s a small but fully functional bathroom with shower, kitchenette, a table and chairs and lots of thoughtful inclusions, from a yoga mat for saluting the Andean sunrise, to coffee and condiments.
We are at the tail end of a holiday in Argentina, just days away from heading back to Santiago in Chile for our flight home and Domos Uspallata proves both a respite from the non-stop action of the past few weeks and the final opportunity to be immersed in the country’s resplendent natural beauty.
There are plenty of places to contemplate it, from the loungers on the decks built around the domes to the hammocks strung under the trees. There’s a communal barbecue area and sun loungers set around a small pool made from corrugated iron, the manager Juan tells us, is known as “the Australian pool.”
Dinner is taken in a dome overlooking a field of alfalfa, in brilliant yellow spring bloom. Meals are homely and hearty, emblematic of this no-nonsense country, made with their own farm-grown produce which we accompany with excellent Mendozan malbec.
There’s a lot of history in the region, but few formal tourist attractions. The Incans traversed this valley on a trade route to Chile via the Uspallata Pass, beneath the shadow of the mighty Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas.
Argentinian hero Jose San Martin followed their footsteps, after helping to despatch the Spanish from Argentina, crossing the Andes with an army and liberating Chile before continuing on to Peru. Until 1984, the Transandine Railway traversed the valley en route from Mendoza to Los Andes in Chile and onto the coast to load ships sailing across the Pacific. Today, there are still tunnels and disused bridges along the winding road to Mendoza.
As far as activities on offer, if you are inclined to do anything more than swing in a hammock with a book, there are bikes to explore the small town. There is hiking nearby and companies offer white water rafting on the Mendoza River in season. We take a leisurely drive on a ‘B’ road, admiring the placid jade water of the Potrerillos Dam and the small town of Cacheuta, where hot water bubbles up beneath the earth. There’s evidence the Incans used it for medicinal purposes and today Mendozans come from the city on weekends to the spa to bathe in rock pools overlooking the river.
The domes can also organise a horse ride and on our last day, a gaucho, Elvio, comes with a couple of his horses. Wearing a boïna, the typical beret-type gaucho cap, he has no English, so uses sign language and simplified Spanish to give us basic instructions. Argentinian saddles are broad, padded with sheep wool and have more forward-sitting stirrups, making for a comfortable ride. Elvio leads us through the long, marshy grass, where startled heron flap up into a perfect cornflower sky. It’s utterly serene, just the sound of the birds, the horses’ hooves on rock and running water. Joaquín and Juan, townsfolk and an Argentinian conservation group are campaigning for the region to be declared a national park, to safeguard it from mining and other development and to protect the habitat of the endangered puma and other endemic species.
Our horses splash across the shallow but fast-flowing river, and we nervously follow Elvio along the narrow path up the scree-covered hillside where nothing but scrubby jarilla bushes grow, but the horses, a hardy Criolla breed, are confidently foot-sure.
We pause on the top of the ridge, the Andes at our back, a pair of majestic condors wheeling on the air currents above our heads, taking in the last views of this spectacularly unspoiled region, hoping that it’s successfully protected for future generations.
Domos Uspallata are in the Mendoza province, about an hour and half drive from Mendoza.
LATAM fly between Santiago, Chile and Mendoza.
Prices are from US100 (around $168 NZ) per couple per night, including breakfast. domosuspallata.com.ar/domos
For more things to do in Argentina, see argentina.travel/en
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