Argentina Guide
Mendoza, San Juan and La Rioja
San Juan
San Juan has some memorable countryside, with range after range of lofty mountains alternating with green valleys of olive groves, onion fields and vineyards. The bodegas continue to take a back seat to those of Mendoza and San Rafael, even though their wine can be just as good. One advantage of this relative seclusion is that you have more space to yourself and are usually treated with more spontaneous hospitality than is sometimes the case further south. Tourism has not quite got off the ground here, though, a fact that may present some drawbacks – transport and other facilities are sometimes below par, when not lacking entirely. But as long as you see this as a challenge rather than an obstacle, you can still enjoy the breathtaking scenery. The small southeastern corner of the region should be bypassed or given short shrift, however: it's a horrendous, flat area of dusty gorse and drab salt-flats.