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Newcomer Two-day side trip in August - Mendoza or Bariloche?

C

CraigM

Well-known member
Hi All,

I've been lurking here for a few weeks and picked up many ideas and insights, so thanks for all your contributions! I'm visiting BA in mid-August with my old university roommate and want to take a side trip for a couple of days, any thoughts on Mendoza vs Bariloche? We're both mid-50s and married with families so our idea of excitement is tilted towards outdoor stuff vs late night. Also not big on group tours. I wouldn't call us wine lovers but we drink it and could see us enjoying a great dinner at a winery, but a wine tour would be a bit boring unless a good bike ride was involved. Skiing is a real possibility but not a must.

Thanks!
 
Have you thought of Iguazu Falls instead? I'd rather do that vs. Mendoza or Bariloche. It is truly incredible. I would say if you don't want to go to Iguazu then Mendoza is a good option. Easy to get to and great restaurants. It will be very cold in Bariloche in August. Skiing is great at the mountain there. I would think Bariloche in the winter and not going skiing would be a bit boring. Bariloche is a nice city but nothing too exciting if you're not going skiing.
 
I am with Larry. I haven't met anyone that wasn't blown away by Iguazu Falls. With 2 days you would have enough time for both the Argentina and the Brazil sides which are a must.

Even if you're not a wine lover you mentioned biking and they have biking tours of the wineries which might be fun for you if you're into biking. You can take horse riding trips that are fun. They have a lot of beautiful hiking trails at Aconcagua. White water rafting is also very enjoyable! If you are a foodie, Mendoza has many great restaurants, some of them Michelin ranked.

​

 
Thanks very much, sounds like Mendoza is it! We're Canadian so cold is not a big deal, and I'm in Austin, TX now so getting out of the oppressive heat & humidity is a Godsend. But if skiing is all there is in winter then Bariloche is probably not the best idea.

Re: Iguazu, we've both been to Niagara a number of times (my friend grew up near there) plus a few other falls around the world. If our families were with us then Iguazu would be a must, but otherwise prefer a place with more active pursuits.
 
Iguazu Falls blows Niagra out of the water - no pun intended! But yes you may want to save it for a family visit but the others are correct it is incredible there. Unlike any other Waterfall I've been to. I am from NYC and can tell you Niagra Falls is not comparable. Never met anyone that wasn't totally impressed with Iguazu.

Several things to do in Mendoza but most people that are big wine lovers love it. Other friends that went thought it was meh but they weren't big outdoors people and only went to wineries. Bariloche is incredibly beautiful. The town is beautiful and you would probably enjoy that as well. I don't ski since I injured my knee so I enjoy it outside of winter.
 
CraigM said:
Thanks very much, sounds like Mendoza is it! We're Canadian so cold is not a big deal, and I'm in Austin, TX now so getting out of the oppressive heat & humidity is a Godsend. But if skiing is all there is in winter then Bariloche is probably not the best idea.

Re: Iguazu, we've both been to Niagara a number of times (my friend grew up near there) plus a few other falls around the world. If our families were with us then Iguazu would be a must, but otherwise prefer a place with more active pursuits.
Click to expand...
In Bariloche during the winter you can also go snowmobiling and dog sledding. It is beautiful there when it snows. Just keep in mind sometimes there are huge snowfalls there. Several years ago, I took the family down there and was a monster snow fall. The airport was closed for 2 days. That wasn't fun. They have great skiing there but just keep in mind it gets very crowded and expect prices to be on par or even more expensive than the USA. During the winter, it can get very busy there so if you decide on Bariloche book ahead of time. It definitely is a beautiful and fun city.

It sounds like what what you're looking for, Mendoza would be a good fit. I'm not a huge wine drinker but it is still great visiting a winery there but I'm usually with my wife. I'm not sure I'd want to hang out at a winery with my male friends. But tons of adventure activities there. As others mentioned, you can go hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking. Aconcagua, which is the highest peak in the area is really popular for trekking.

I've never done it but you can go whitewater rafting on the Mendoza River. Friends did it and raved about it. you can also go paragliding there and I've seen some photos of friends that did it and the views looked incredible.

There are some really cool and scenic drives in the area. Ruth 40 goes through wine country and has great views of the Andes Mountains. And you can drive up to Villavicencio Nature Reserve.

Tons of great restaurants in the area.
 
Really appreciate all the insights. I had heard Mendoza as a city was not much to see. I'm more interested in what's around it. Good advice on wineries for males too, maybe we'll just stop at one for lunch and say we did it. Any ideas on a scenic drive into the Andes (even better if there's a hike along the way)?

Great to hear about Iguazu, a friend in Austin is going with his family next week so I'll be sure to ask. Niagara falls is amazing for about 10 minutes and then everything around it is pretty awful and hard to get away from, not sure why I went back a second time. Always gives me pause when traveling and somebody says you need to visit the local falls!

Another question: is it really 4.5 hours drive from Mendoza to Las Lenas? Google maps can be way off in remote places. I've heard about the Marte lift forever and would be keen to ski it while I still have the legs, but 9 hours round trip would eat up most of our time and I'm not sure my friends would be interested. On a side note, I did check out prices at Bariloche and Las Lenas - it's actually cheap relative to the US these days. Any decent hill here is US$200-300 for a day pass and accomodations are absurd.

Thanks!
 
CraigM said:
Thanks very much, sounds like Mendoza is it! We're Canadian so cold is not a big deal, and I'm in Austin, TX now so getting out of the oppressive heat & humidity is a Godsend. But if skiing is all there is in winter then Bariloche is probably not the best idea.

Re: Iguazu, we've both been to Niagara a number of times (my friend grew up near there) plus a few other falls around the world. If our families were with us then Iguazu would be a must, but otherwise prefer a place with more active pursuits.
Click to expand...
In Bariloche during the winter you can also go snowmobiling and dog sledding too. It is beautiful there when it snows. Just keep in mind sometimes there are huge snowfalls there as earlyretirement and Glasgow mentioned. A few friends also had to change their trips as the snowfall closed the airport.

I go to Iguazu every few years and I don't get tired of it. It is massive from both the Argentina and Brazil sides. Never met anyone that didn't find it spectacular. Google Maps is fairly accurate here unless there is an accident. I have never made the drive from Las Lenas to Mendoza. Good to know about the prices being a bargain compared to the US. But I would probably avoid that with only a few days. It gets very busy there but maybe this year with the recession it won't be busy.
 
CraigM said:
Really appreciate all the insights. I had heard Mendoza as a city was not much to see. I'm more interested in what's around it. Good advice on wineries for males too, maybe we'll just stop at one for lunch and say we did it. Any ideas on a scenic drive into the Andes (even better if there's a hike along the way)?

Great to hear about Iguazu, a friend in Austin is going with his family next week so I'll be sure to ask. Niagara falls is amazing for about 10 minutes and then everything around it is pretty awful and hard to get away from, not sure why I went back a second time. Always gives me pause when traveling and somebody says you need to visit the local falls!

Another question: is it really 4.5 hours drive from Mendoza to Las Lenas? Google maps can be way off in remote places. I've heard about the Marte lift forever and would be keen to ski it while I still have the legs, but 9 hours round trip would eat up most of our time and I'm not sure my friends would be interested. On a side note, I did check out prices at Bariloche and Las Lenas - it's actually cheap relative to the US these days. Any decent hill here is US$200-300 for a day pass and accomodations are absurd.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I heard Las Lenas is awesome. Bariloche too. I want to ski these mountains this winter. As you mentioned Craig, it is much more expensive in the US! Prices are sky high there. Everyone tells me Iguazu is incredible. I'm heading there next month. I don't like wine so Mendoza wasn't on the radar but after reading some of these responses, it looks like there are a lot of adventure tourism there close to Mendoza. Adding it to my list.
 
CraigM said:
Hi All,

I've been lurking here for a few weeks and picked up many ideas and insights, so thanks for all your contributions! I'm visiting BA in mid-August with my old university roommate and want to take a side trip for a couple of days, any thoughts on Mendoza vs Bariloche? We're both mid-50s and married with families so our idea of excitement is tilted towards outdoor stuff vs late night. Also not big on group tours. I wouldn't call us wine lovers but we drink it and could see us enjoying a great dinner at a winery, but a wine tour would be a bit boring unless a good bike ride was involved. Skiing is a real possibility but not a must.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you go to Mendoza check out La Vida and Soberana. Both excellent restaurants. 5 Suelos is also a great farm to table restaurant.
 
Betsy Ross said:
Yes you can see all the Argentine restaurants here:

Argentina MICHELIN Restaurants – The MICHELIN Guide

Starred restaurants, Bib Gourmand and all the Restaurants of The MICHELIN Guide Argentina. MICHELIN inspector reviews and insights
guide.michelin.com guide.michelin.com
Click to expand...
Some of the best restaurants in Argentina are in Mendoza. Even if you don't like wine it is interesting to see a vineyard. The bike vine route is fun.

www.shallwegohometravel.com

Is Mendoza Worth Visiting? 11 Pro's Of The Wine Region

Is Mendoza worth visiting? From world-renowned wineries to hiking in Aconcagua National Park, here are 11 great reasons why you should visit.
www.shallwegohometravel.com www.shallwegohometravel.com

This tour is also great!

 
Betsy Ross said:
Yes you can see all the Argentine restaurants here:

Argentina MICHELIN Restaurants – The MICHELIN Guide

Starred restaurants, Bib Gourmand and all the Restaurants of The MICHELIN Guide Argentina. MICHELIN inspector reviews and insights
guide.michelin.com guide.michelin.com
Click to expand...
These listed on here are fabulous restaurants. I've been to several of them and food was excellent. I'm not sure of prices now but generally very well priced compared to others around the world.
 
CraigM said:
Reviews on Soberana are excellent. Online menus don't list prices but someone posted this receipt on Google reviews

View attachment 6519
Click to expand...
Yes @CraigM that is an excellent restaurant and very reasonable. Tourism has really fallen so these restaurants can't raise their prices too much. Especially in Mendoza that has limited traffic. You will enjoy Mendoza. A shame you don't like wine as there are excellent wineries there.
 
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