San Rafael

This is the second most important city in the province of Mendoza. It is located on a rocky plain crossed by the rivers Atual and Diamante. The city has an intense commercial and industrial activity, and modern architecture. Its streets and avenues are wide and with trees and irrigation ditches, and beautiful boulevards. Theres is a casino and a wide range of gastronomic services. This is an attractive place that offers you diverse options for tourism and sports, especially in the area of the Atuel Canyon and Las Leñas International Ski Resort, where you can get from the town of Malargüe in the south of San Rafael. Atuels Canyon is the main attraction with its amazing geomorphological landscapes. It is a deep canyon created by the effects of erosion, with spectacular views. Some of the diverse activities that can be done in San Rafael are trekking, rafting, mountain biking and many other ways to be in touch with nature and its magnificent landscapes. Rivers are suitable for rafting and other nautical sports. Different lakes are close to the city, for example Los Reyunos, Valle Grande and Nihuil, which are another interesting option for nautical sports. Crops are under an irrigation system the same way as in Mendoza, as the desert surrounds both places, turning it into an oasis irrigated by the rivers Atual and Diamante. Crops are mainly corn and fruit plantations (peach, pear, plum) and vineyard, and there are also different kinds of cattle for meat and wool production. There are industries based on these productions, which handle desecated fruits, preserves, candy, liqueurs, and wineries of wines of great quality. In this area you will also be able to visit the facilities of the main wineries of the country. Options for sightseeing: -Wineries Suter, Bianchi and Lavaque, among others -Atuel Canyon, formed by rocks carved by erosion for centuries, an impressive landscape and a great way to see a canyon -Diamante Island, surrounded by two branches of Diamante River, where the Mariano Moreno Park is, and aslo an artificial lake and an interesting cave -Museum of Fine Arts, with exhibitions of art pieces of well-known Argentinean artists -Museum of Natural Science, with geological, mineralogical, petrographical, zoological, antropological, archaelogical and folkloric samples. -Hipolito Yrigoyen Park, with splendid vegetation, it includes a Sport Centre, an Anphitheatre and a monument to the Gaucho -Mariano Moreno Park, which has a small zoo and an artificial lake where the cave of the Virgin of Lourdes is -Pozo de las Animas, depressions on the ground caused by underground waters -Cerro Bola Hot Springs, close to the most important uranium field of the country -Valle Grande, a district where different sports can be done, for example rafting in the waters of Atuel Canyon