Uspallata travel guide

The picturesque village of Uspallata (1751 m, 120 km from Mendoza and 52 km from Potrerillos) lies in its own wide valley, very close to the high Andes and so it’s become a popular stopping point on the road to Chile. All routes pass through it, and yet it has retained a rather charming unspoilt atmosphere – out of peak season at least. With distant mountains glimpsed through a frame of álamo (poplar) trees, it is reminiscent of the Himalayas and was the setting for Seven Years in Tibet. Stay for a day at least to explore the mysterious white egg-shaped domes of Las Bóvedas (2 km on R39 north, US$0.50) built by the indigenous Huarpes people, under instruction by the Jesuits, to melt silver. There is a small, interesting museum.

From Uspallata, the Route Provincial 39 leads north to Calingasta and Barreal , unpaved for its first part and tricky when the snow melt floods it in summer. Here you’ll find the remains of the Inca road, one of the most important archaeological sites in the region, with foundations of an Inca Tambo (post house) too; look for signs on the left-hand side of the road. Uspallata has a few hotels, a hostel, food shops, bakeries, a post office and a YPF station with restaurant, shop and locutorio, open 0900-2200.