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.

LA BANDADA RANCH IN THE PAMPAS, BUENOS AIRES

A working estancia close to the city, perfect for a relaxing stay or a countryside day, living the essence of the spirit of the Pampas.

La Bandada, formerly known as Candelaria del Monte, is a 250 acres fully working farm just one hour and a half from Buenos Aires. Its current name means The Flock, and as it implies, this is an exceptional place for birdwatching. Such is that the lodging rooms bear names of birds that are frequently seen on the ranch.

The house was built in the 70’s and until today keeps the typical colonial style of XIXth century, painted in reddish colors. A paved patio introduces the road to the main entrance of the house, and once inside, a long and wide windowed corridor takes you to the rooms and a very spacious living and dining room at the end, with fireplaces and furnished with detail and care. Big windows overview the park and the swimming pool. One of the most notorious architectural details is the roof made of bricks.

La Bandada offers a countryside day with barbecue, and also 1 to 4 night stays, with full or half board and activities. There are only seven guest rooms, all very comfy and colonial, with a variety of layouts. There are three private suites and two apartments with two bedrooms and a bathroom each. The total occupancy can be up to 14 people, making it a great place to book and enjoy privately.

The house is surrounded by a 24 acres park, full of a variety of very old trees, including centenarian platanus, oak trees, acacias, pines, Chilean myrtles, laurels and casuarinas. It is very pleasant to go for a walk around, visit the orchard, the henhouse, the corrals with goats, horses and other farm animals. 

There’s also a self-guided birdwatching circuit. You just have to take the binoculars and the Bird’s Guide, and follow a checklist of the most common birds in the area that will help you to look for and identify hummingbirds, cardinals, horneros, herons, storks, sparrows, tropical screech oils, southern screamers, coscoroba swans, black necked swans, woodpeckers, fork tailed flycatchers, and a variety of over 15 ducks, such as cinnamon teal, yellow billed pintail, white-faced whistling duck and southern wigeon.

Besides taking advantage of the swimming pool (in summer season) and riding a bike, among other activities, it is possible to book a two hour polo lesson to experience one of the most famous sports in Argentina. You will learn how to play and get a taste of what playing polo is like, in the unique scenery of the Pampas.

Horses are a very important part of life of the farms and here you can ride along a path full of centennials trees until reaching the endless grasslands of the pampas. There are very well trained and easygoing horses, so you can enjoy a ride whether you have any previous experience or not. 

If you are interested in local music, a «guitarreada» is the best way to experience how argentines enjoy a traditional barbecue evening by the fire. Folk music like chamame, zambas, gatos and escondidos are performed by a group of musicians that play the guitar, drums, accordion and violin. This is an experience that operates on demand only.

No countryside experience is complete without the specific gastronomic service. Mariana Dacruz is the inhouse chef, and with vast experience in Patagonia and abroad, this 30 year-old chef is the kitchen’s soul at the estancia. All the dishes she creates include seasonal vegetables from the orchard, which can actually be collected by yourself. Also, the best pieces of meat are chosen to be part of the typical asados.

If you would like to discover the behind the scenes of the kitchen, it’s possible to book a cooking class with Mariana, where she will teach you about traditional Argentine cooking methods, ingredients and seasonal tastes. You can choose from a variety of recipes, such as empanadas, fried pastries and fritters. What you cook, will be served in your next meal.

La Bandada offers a full countryside experience. Visiting or staying here will bring you a sense of tranquility, peace and serenity. You will feel that time runs slower and that the rest of the world seems further and further away. The sound of the pampas with its fauna, windmills, breeze…the smell of the grass and of humid soil of the rain to come…little by little, immerse yourself into the Argentina country spirit!

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Full Board stay: Includes: Lodging with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Non-alcoholic beverages. Activities: use of facilities, 1 hour horseback riding, bikes at disposal, swimming pool. Not included: Alcoholic beverages. Transfers. Extra services (laundry, use of telephone, etc.). Additional experiences. Tips.
  • Half Board stay: Includes: Lodging with breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner. Non-alcoholic beverages. Activities: use of facilities and swimming pool. Not included: Alcoholic beverages. Transfers. Extra services (laundry, use of telephone, etc.). Lunch. Horseback and bike rides. Additional experiences. Tips.
  • Countryside Day (from 11 am to 4 pm): Includes: Welcome reception with empanadas and wine. Lunch: barbecue with chorizo, two meat cuts, grilled vegetables and salads, traditional dessert and coffee. Non-alcoholic beverages. Afternoon tea with creole pastries. Guided horseback ride or hike, and other country activities. Not included: Alcoholic beverages. Transfers. Additional experiences. Lodging or other meals. Use of facilities, horseback and bike rides, swimming pool.
  • Additional experiences with extra cost (available for stays and countryside day): Polo lesson. Guided birdwatching circuit. Visit to San Miguel del Monte town. Massage service. Live folk music (guitarreada). Folk dance live show. 

EXPLORA HOTEL IN EL CHALTÉN OPENING SEPTEMBER 2020

With views to the Electric Valley and the Marconi Glacier, explora El Chaltén will open its doors in September 2020. 

17 km away from El Chaltén and within the heart of Los Huemules private reserve, the lodge will be a headquarters from which to explore a world-renowned destination for those who love nature and trekking.

All the programs that the lodge will offer will include accommodation, transfers to and from the airport, meals and beverages, and a selection of exploration routes designed by their own outdoors team.

 

There will be Standard and Suite rooms with the typical design of the ancient Argentinean Patagonia estancias. Comfortable, luminous and spacious they promise to ensure the travelers’ deep rest. 

The hotel will offer more than 30 activities for every level of difficulty and skills, including overlands, trekking, ice hikes and rock climbing, all as diverse as the El Chaltén surroundings.

One of the places to be explored will be Los Glaciares National Park, with vast ice fields and the world-renowned Perito Moreno Glacier. Also, the Southern Patagonia Mountain Range, Mount Fitz-Roy, the towering heights of the area, and the surroundings of the Los Huemules Natural Reserve, in addition to the Patagonia forest and its rich wildlife.

The explorations may cover a full day or half a day, in groups of no more than eight travelers accompanied by a bilingual guide trained at explora’s Guide School. 

To complete and improve even more the guests’ experience, the hotel will provide a full spa service with hydromassages, sauna, and a massage room especially designed to enjoy the views; a gastronomic experience that has the Argentinean Patagonia as inspiration for the menu, offering different lunch and dinner options that fully renew on a daily basis; bars to enjoy a drink after an active day and a shop with local crafts and literature.

To be able to deeply discover this environment and fully enjoy the activities, it’s recommended a stay between four and six nights. Bookings are available now!

 

ACTIVITIES AND HISTORY AT CORRENTOSO HOTEL IN PATAGONIA

The oldest hotel in Patagonia provides an upgraded guest experience including some activities during the travelers stay. 

Founded in 1917 by Primo Capraro and Rosa Maier, one of the first pioneer couple of Patagonia, Correntoso Lake & River Hotel was born as a fishermen refuge and grew to become a perfect exponent of the hospitality industry. 

Today, being part of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, it complies with all the standards of international excellence without losing the essence of those adventurers who came to the region so many years ago.

Located in Villa La Angostura at the mouth of Correntoso River in its union with Nahuel Huapi Lake, the hotel offers amazing views of the Andes Mountain Range and the National Park Nahuel Huapi.

Included with the accommodation rate, there is a wide range of tours and activities between historic and virgin places to enjoy the lake, mountain and forest through outdoor activities that respect nature, and indoor ones to relax on the premises. 

All of them are supervised by the hotel staff and are organized on a daily basis subject to weather conditions. Guests should enroll at the reception desk the previous day and may also be coordinated privately in the surroundings.

These are the activities included to improve the passenger experience:

Hike to the old bridge: A very easy trek. We meet at the lobby and start hiking, observing the ornamental species of the gardens, matched with the local flora in the neighborhood of Villa Correntoso, which is also part of the tour, eventually reaching a lookout point with great views of the two lakes that surround the hotel.

Ayur yoga class: An activity based on an open system that matches the lessons learned from the most ancient yogic tradition, the Nathas Siddhas, with the principles of Ayurveda, a traditional medical science from India.

Wine tasting: Thanks to the expertise of Mercedes, Correntoso’s sommelier and local host, you will taste various grape wine varieties, from diverse regions and for all tastes, in a cozy environment. You don’t need to be an expert in wines; it is just a space to know a little bit more about an icon of our culture.

Sailing on Doña Emma: We depart from the dock of the hotel towards Brazo Rincón, Última Esperanza and Machete. Sailing on Inalco and Arauco bays, Paradón de las Gaviotas and Menéndez Island.

100 years hike: The history of Correntoso is very rich and interesting. Joined by a host, go across the gardens and saloons of the most ancient hotel of Patagonia, observing the details and anecdotes of the first settlers. Learn about the different building stages and the challenges faced by the hotel during more than a hundred years of history.

Besides, short sailings to Fray Menendez Island, guided treks to the river, painting demonstrations, talks about the local flora and fauna, are some of the activities that will be included in the accommodation rate at Correntoso Lake & River Hotel.

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Guests at Correntoso may request any activity at the front desk, free of charge. There are also other activities upon request, with an extra charge.
  • Activities are subject to weather conditions and may vary without notice.
  • All activities are available in English and Spanish.