Practical Information for visiting Cuyo (Central Andes)

Coverage for mobile networks is good in Mendoza, the wine districts and the main valleys, with 4G throughout the populated areas.

It disappears in the high Andes — there is no signal on most of Aconcagua, where expeditions rely on satellite — and is patchy in the remoter parts of San Juan Province and around Ischigualasto.

Local SIMs are cheap; a passport is needed.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels, bodegas and cafes, and Mendoza has a good cafe-working culture.

Download offline maps before the Uco valley back roads and any mountain driving.

Cuyo is safe and Mendoza is among the more relaxed Argentine cities. The dangers are the mountain and the road.

• Aconcagua kills people most seasons. It is not technically difficult by the normal route, which is exactly the problem — climbers underestimate 6,961 metres. Altitude sickness, cerebral and pulmonary oedema, and cold are the causes. Use a licensed operator, take the full acclimatisation schedule, and submit to the medical checks.
• Drink-driving on wine tours; enforcement is strict and the penalties are serious.
• Earthquakes: the region is highly seismic.
• The zonda wind reduces visibility with dust and makes mountain driving unpleasant.
• Petty theft in Mendoza’s centre and at the bus terminal.
• Summer heat and the sun at altitude; the UV index is very high.

Mendoza has good hospitals and a private sector used to foreign patients; San Juan Province and San Luis are adequate. Insurance covering mountain rescue is essential if you are going anywhere near Aconcagua.

Altitude is the region’s serious health issue. Aconcagua base camp sits at 4,300 metres and the summit at 6,961; the park requires medical checks at the camps and evacuates climbers who fail them. Even a day trip over the Chilean pass at 3,200 metres affects some people. Ascend slowly, hydrate, and descend at the first sign of anything beyond a mild headache.

Vaccinations: routine cover. No malaria or yellow fever risk in Cuyo.

Sun: very high UV at altitude and in dry air.

Dehydration in the desert climate, compounded by wine.

Tap water is Andean meltwater and safe.

Hantavirus exists in rural Argentina; avoid disturbing rodent nests.

Book your bodega visits. Almost none accept walk-ins, and turning up unannounced is the commonest visitor mistake in Mendoza.

Tasting etiquette: spitting is entirely normal and expected at a serious tasting, and nobody thinks less of you for it.

Siesta is observed — shops and many restaurants close from about one until five, and dinner starts at nine or later.

Mate: if a gourd is passed to you, drink it all and hand it back. Gracias means you have finished.

On Aconcagua, the permit, the waste rules and the medical checks are legal requirements, not suggestions.

Acequias: the channels beside the streets are open, deep and everywhere. Watch your step, particularly at night.

Drink-driving limits are low and enforced.

Emergency numbers: 911, or 107 for ambulance, 101 for police, 100 for fire.

On Aconcagua, the park runs medical posts at Confluencia and Plaza de Mulas with doctors who check climbers and will order descent. Helicopter evacuation exists and is expensive — confirm your insurance covers rescue above 6,000 metres, as many policies do not.

Medical. Mendoza’s hospitals are the regional referral point and are good.

On the Chilean pass: the road closes for snow with little warning in winter; check status before setting out and expect long waits at the joint border post.

Earthquakes: modern buildings are engineered for them; know where the open squares are, which is what they were built for.

Consulates are in Buenos Aires; Mendoza has a Chilean one and a few honorary others.