E-BIKE TOURS, WINE AND FOOD IN MENDOZA

E-BIKE TOURS, WINE AND FOOD IN MENDOZA

An original and fun effort-free tour option to get to know the land of sun and wine in Argentina.

Bike tours offer an alternative to traditional vacations because they allow you to explore places in a different way, with circuits that are much more enjoyable by bike rather than by car.

Electric bikes have had a good reception across the world, as they provide a pleasant ride helping you in the effort of pedaling, making the road a little less demanding.

In addition, it is an excellent option for those older travelers, or with knee problems or some other physical issues that prevents them from carrying out this wonderful activity. With e-bikes, they will surely be able to do it, since the body will be less compromised when making the effort.

Mendoza has incorporated this alternative of e-bikes tours, not only to tour the capital city but also other surrounding towns. In this article we will tell you about three guided tours available, which not only include the ride but also a complete experience with lunch and wine from the region.

Mendoza City Tour

Starting from the Plaza Independencia by e-bike, we will visit some of the main attractions of the city of Mendoza, enjoying a few photo stops at the General San Martin Park and on the Cerro de la Gloria.

The tour ends with a fun descent to enjoy a delicious lunch in a restaurant on the famous Aristides Villanueva street.

Potrerillos Tour

Potrerillos is a town located in the Andes mountain range, in Luján de Cuyo department.

This e-bike tour departs from Cacheuta, crossing the beautiful new road that takes us to the border crossing of the Caracoles towards the new Tunnel, leading to the Potrerillos Dam where we can appreciate the unique and beautiful view of the Perilago lake.

Going down, we will make a stop at Potrerillo Village, where we will have free time to walk around, and then we will return to Cacheuta where a barbecue will be waiting for us.

Luján Wine Tour

This option proposes a relaxing bike ride among vineyards and unique landscapes.

We will visit some of Mendoza’s most named wineries, starting with breakfast and guided tour of Terraza de los Andes. Then, the beautiful Chandon Winery and its gardens while we taste a glass of its sparkling wine, continuing with a full tasting in Piattelli while we know its facilities. We finish the tour in the beautiful gardens of Dominios del Plata, where a picnic lunch will be held with a bottle of wine, enjoying the view of the vineyards and a guided tour of the winery.

No matter which one you pick, fun is guaranteed e-biking around Mendoza! Contact your Kallpa Tour Executive for rates and more information about the tours.

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

City Tour

  • Duration: Half day
  • Schedule: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm / 4:30 to 8:30 pm
  • Includes: Snack cereal bar and beverage + Lunch with variety of dishes (cold cuts table – meat – pasta), draft beer, wine tasting or soft drinks, dessert.

Potrerillos Tour

  • Duration: Full day
  • Schedule: 8:00 am to 5:30 pm
  • Includes: Snack cereal bar and beverage + Stop at Potrerillos Village with cold cuts table, draft beer or soft drinks + Barbecue lunch at Cacheuta (full barbecue, salads, fries – Vegetarian menu available upon request), draft beer, wine tasting or soft drinks, dessert.

Luján Wine Tour

  • Duration: Full day
  • Schedule: 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
  • Includes: Snack cereal bar and beverage + Breakfast and guided tour at Terrazas de Los Andes + Guided visit and a glass of sparkling wine at Bodega Chandon + Wine tasting and guided tour at Piattelli + Guides visit and Picnic lunch with a bottle of wine at Bodega Dominios del Plata.

All tours include:

  • Bilingual guides.
  • Safety equipment (helmets, GPS, sunscreen and gear).
  • Fully equipped e-bikes with LED lights, rear-view mirror, V-brakes and bag to carry personal belongings.
  • Individual intercoms.
  • Accident insurance and medical assistance.
  • Go-Pro camera.
  • Ages: From 15 to 65-70 years old.

BIKE ADVENTURE IN THE IGUAZÚ NATIONAL PARK

If you want a refreshed experience to complement the traditional excursion to the Argentinean Iguazú Falls, you should bike through the jungle!

Located in the north of the Province of Misiones, the Iguazú National Park occupies a total area of ​​55,000 hectares. It is one of the first National Parks created in the country, with the objective to preserve the magnificent Iguazú Falls and the lush subtropical jungle that surrounds it.

The Yaguareté (jaguar) Trail is within the Iguazú National Park and this is the perfect adventure to go deep into the rainforest. You will ride a mountain bike along a red soil wild path across the jungle, having fun, observing and learning about the local flora and fauna. 

Early in the morning, we meet our biking guide at the Guard Station on the National Route 101. The earlier we ride not only the weather is “cooler” but there are more chances of seeing wild animals such as small mammals, birds and butterflies. 

The guide provides the bikes and the rest of the equipment and we set off riding on the 101 for about 2 kilometers. Then, we turn left to take the Yaguareté Trail. The pedaling is smooth and stable, at a suitable pace for all cyclists on this red soil trail with narrow paths that crosses the jungle.

The aromas of the jungle, its sounds, its freshness, its life…everything is a great complement to this adventure in search of full contact with nature.

Along the way, we make some interpretation stops to recognize wildlife. After 3 kilometers more, we reach the Iguazú River shore, where after checking up the group’s status we decide whether to go on riding or not.

Once we’re done with the pedaling, we return to the guard station where we leave the bikes and say goodbye to our guide.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Estimated duration: 2 to 3 hours.
  • Distance: 6 to 12 km of pedaling, flexible distance and subject to current and previous weather conditions, terrain conditions and cyclists’ fitness.
  • Difficulty: medium/high.
  • Starts VERY early in the morning: 5:30 to 6:30 am during the summer, and 8:00 am in winter. It can also be arranged in the afternoon.
  • Includes: Mountain bike; helmet; gloves; Water; 1 or 2 English speaking guides according to group size; Cyclist insurance; breakfast or snack depending if it’s AM or PM.
  • Not included: Transportation to starting place at route 101.
  • Recommendations: DO NOT wear white footwear, nor white clothes: dirt cannot be easily washed. The excursion can be combined with the visit of the Argentine side of the falls. Please, notify in advance if pax have food restrictions. The tour goes through areas of a wide variety of insects (mosquitoes, spiders, etc.), if travelers suffer from any allergies they must take their own medications to avoid consequences. Please, send on forehand the passenger list with the personal information to prepare insurance. On the spot guests will have to sign a disclaimer.

 

Enjoy the city like a real porteño

In Buenos Aires, we would like to tell you about an original tour that combines electric bikes, mate and tango. Sounds good, right?

As always, in Kallpa we look for and offer original and sustainable experiences that focus on culture and local traditions. That’s how we found Martin and Laura, with whom we share the same ideals and passion for traveling.

On a Sunday afternoon, we met at Recoleta Cultural Center. This spot itself is an attraction, given that we find the famous cemetery and that lots of people are strolling across the park and taking a look at the typical craft fair.

We mount the e-bikes and the tour starts. Without effort, we wander through Recoleta and Palermo neighborhoods and enjoy the city like a real porteño! As we ride, through intercoms we hear the guide telling us the city’s secrets and local traditions.

First, riding across Recoleta we can see French style palaces. Along Figueroa Alcorta Avenue we pass by the Buenos Aires University’s Law School; a monumental architecture building from the 1940’s. Right next, the famous Floralis Generica, a metal sculpture of a huge flower on the United Nations Park, made by the Argentinian architect Eduardo Catalano.

Following Recoleta, we move towards the Bosques de Palermo – Palermo Woods – and its great green parks. We pass by the Japanese Garden, the Palermo Horse Racetrack, the Argentinian Polo Field and the famous Rosedal. Then, we make a stop at the woods to taste and share some mate and pastries, like many locals do here on the weekends, as a traditional friendly and family ritual.

At last, back on the bikes we ride towards Palermo Soho, a trendy and bohemian area of this neighborhood, to visit one of the main milongas in the city. Milongas are the traditional places where locals attend to dance and listen to tango.

Here, a tango expert joins us. Thanks to his expertise, we learn about this intense and passionate dance history, codes and the milonga dynamics. Finally, a live orchestra entertains us with a dazzling tango performance following an instructor that teaches us some steps to introduce us to this dance.

This is the end of this original, fun and enriching experience, but if you want, you can stay and enjoy the milonga to keep on practising your steps until 4 am.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Operation: Sunday at 3:30 pm
  • Duration: 6 hs
  • Languages: Spanish & English
  • Meeting point: Across Recoleta Cultural Center, next to Nuestra Señora del Pilar Church.
  • Ending point: Armenian Center, Palermo
  • Min. 2 pax – Max. 6 pax
  • Min age is 16 and max is 60
  • Highlights: Recoleta – Palermo Horse Track and Argentinian Polo Field – Rosedal and Bosques de Palermo – Palermo Soho – Milonga.
  • Included: Electric bicycle with intercom – Bicycle tour guide – Insurance – Snack (pastries) & Mate – Water – Entrance ticket for the milonga – Tango guide – Live orchestra show – Tango lesson – One soft drink per person.
  • Not included: Roundtrip transfers – Food and extra drinks – Tips.

Bike Tour & Kayak in Tigre

An adventure day: riding a train, biking and kayaking in Tigre and the Delta.

32 kilometers to the northwest of Buenos Aires we find Tigre town and the Delta of the Paraná river, a special place where nature invites to a unique experience. A cycling tour of Tigre and kayak rowing into the Delta offer a wide range of possibilities to combine both sport and culture in a beautiful setting.

You can pick the kind of bike and maybe choose a bamboo one!

This tour starts at the meeting point at the Botanic Garden in Palermo, where after picking up our bikes and helmets from the shop we have a technical and safety briefing. Then we start pedaling towards the green parks of Palermo until Lisandro de la Torre train station. Here we take the public train and soon we are out of the city of Buenos Aires and into the northern suburbs. The change of scenery is very noticeable along the way!

We get off in La Lucila and ride our bikes to Tigre. On the way we make a few stops to learn about the surroundings such as San Isidro, San Fernando and the Río de la Plata itself.

According to tradition, a jaguar (yaguareté, popularly called tigre) used to live nearby a stream, which later was named Tigre after the local people killed the animal to preserve their homes and lives. This zone used to be inhabited by jaguars but with the forward move of human population they became extinct. Nowadays just a few remain only in the Misiones’ jungle.

The Tigre Delta is one of the largest in the world and also one that doesn’t flows into the ocean but into the Río de la Plata, which separates Argentina and Uruguay. With its islands and canals, Tigre is usually called the “Venice of South America”. Also, during colonial times, this area was used as a smuggling port, where the portuguese passed through their merchandise.

Going over Tigre town, we pass by two classic spots. First, the Puerto de Frutos, which used to be a fruit market in the old days but nowadays is a place where the traditional values and new design concept coexist. This is one of the main attractions in Tigre and can be visited every day. An open air colorful market and shopping mall with diverse and eclectic shops such as antiques, furniture and decoration, artisanal products in leather and wicker, candles, garden centers, fruit shops, pickles and cold cuts.

Then we ride along the Paseo Victorica, a picturesque short street along the edge of the Luján river that provides different gastronomic options, museums and rowing clubs. At one of these clubs we leave our bikes and get into the kayaks for the paddling adventure. After a short briefing and instructions, we get into the Delta waters and row slowly, enjoying the drift, towards an island.

At the island, a tasty asado is waiting for us. We share this Argentine ritual by excellence within a natural environment, at a table by the river. We try different meat cuts, have a drink, relax and enjoy the quietness of the Delta while we rest for a while.

Before getting too comfy, we grab our oars again and return to the kayaks to row back to the club where we left our bikes. With the sun going down, we ride again towards the Tigre train station, where we take the train again towards Lisandro de la Torre station. The bike tour is not over yet! We have a last stretch back to the meeting point in Palermo.

Biking and kayaking are two sporting activities that complement each other perfectly for an active tourism trip. The town of Tigre and the islands of the Paraná river are an oasis of natural landscapes and beautiful scenery unparalleled by other Buenos Aires sightseeing tours.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Full day regular excursion (9 hs).
  • Departs Monday to Friday at 9 am from meeting point in Palermo.
  • Roundtrip Transfers to/from the meeting point not included.
  • Difficulty: Low / Medium, but the activities are done at a peaceful and relaxing pace.
  • Total biking time: 2-3 hs
  • Total paddling time: 1.5 hs
  • Private service available upon request.
  • Weather: Only in the event of pouring rain will biking trips be cancelled or delayed
  • Minimum Age Requirement: 12 years and older. Ages 18 and under accompanied by an adult.

INCLUDES

  • Bike, helmet & Kayak.
  • Mate and snacks.
  • Lunch in Tigre (asado).
  • Bottle of water.
  • Roundtrip train tickets.
  • Insurance.
  • English speaking guide (ask for other languages).