San Rafael and Atuel Canyon
Description
We started at 7:00 a.m. looking for passengers at the hotels in the city of Mendoza, and it took us approximately 45 minutes to look for them all. We travel through Mendoza along Route 40 towards the south. We will travel for 3 hours from the time we leave Mendoza until we arrive in San Rafael. There the excursion takes place, visiting the City of San Rafael, the historical area known as Villa 25 de Mayo, the incredible geological formation of the Atuel Canyon and the Valle Grande reservoir/dam (the most important of the Atuel River). At this last point you have free time to take a catamaran or rafting ride or have lunch (both optional activities at an extra cost).
Tour Options
Itinerary
We start looking for passengers in the City of Mendoza starting at 7:00am. For 45 minutes we will pick up passengers from hotels in the city of Mendoza. Starting at approximately 7:45am we will depart on a trip to the municipality of San Rafael, a trip with an approximate duration of 3 hours 15 minutes.
We will visit the historical area known as Villa 25 de Mayo, a very small town in the municipality of San Rafael.
Travelers will tour this geological formation, one of the few in Argentina, appreciating its colors and beauty.
Valle Grande dazzles us with its photographable landscapes. It is the ideal stop for lunch or an optional activity: such as a catamaran ride or rafting (optional activities with extra cost).
We visited the most developed city in the south of Mendoza, taking a small city tour of this town.
We begin the return from San Rafael to the City of Mendoza at approximately 6:00pm to arrive at your hotels at 9:00pm. We will make technical stops along the way.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotels in the City of Mendoza (CP 5500)
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(33)
Very good impression, San Rafael is a beautiful city; since we stayed several days we could observe the kindness of its inhabitants, in shops of different areas and even when we asked some direction to go. The road that borders the Atuel Canyon is mostly ripio and saws, go with caution , bring comfortable clothes and water
It is a very interesting hike through beautiful landscapes, but the distance from Mendoza makes it quite tiring to do in a single day.
Reading the references about San Rafael it strikes me that they do not mention as a tourist place Villa el Nihuil, which begins the famous Canyon del Atuel, which with its beautiful lake of turquoise waters allows sports such as: kitesurfing, windsurfing, jet skiing, canoeing, swimming. Its dunes through a prime of the Dakar, offers the thrill of touring one of the best Dunes in the world by motorcycle, quadricycle, UTV or 4x4, the wonderful fauna of Andean flamingos and diversity of birds, next to a small Villa that radiates tranquility, do not forget to promote and visit it!!
The journey from Mendoza is too long for what one finally knows. The Guide was very good and made it informative and enjoyable, but I think the destination does not merit as many hours of travel on the bus. When you arrive, the views are beautiful, but I don't think they justify the trip.
The city is beautiful, French style, with wide streets and very clean. And the places to visit filled my soul with joy. Atuel Canyon, Valle Grande, Los Reinos, La Villa 25 de Mayo. Etc
Excellent walk, it is beautiful relaxing very nice place, attention , good food and sports , total adventure. I totally recommend it I was delighted with the place.
Feedback I would like to give a feedback on the tour to Actuel Canyon. We loved the Guide and the driver. And we'd have ⁇ the ride a lot more if we hadn't had the luck of being the last to pick up the van. That is why we have the last seats left in the last row. These are small seats, tight and almost windowless. The distance to the front seat is minimal. During the descent to the canyon, we could not see or hear even half of what the Guide was commenting on. It was extremely frustrating, and there was nothing we could do. Another passenger came to the point of taking a picture of what they were seeing to show us. The fact is that we paid the same as the other passengers who were sitting with space and window. And that's not fair. Anyone sitting in the back of the van has an uncomfortable and rather limited experience. And paying the normal price. There is no way to ignore the fact that this is a very big difference. Maybe you shouldn't sell the 4 seats in the bottom and charge a little more than the other places. Who goes to the bottom doesn't choose. The bottom line is that he chooses those who are collected last. And that was our misfortune. We came back with the feeling that we would have to go again to be able to enjoy the experience fully. Unfortunately.
Atuel Canyon, an encounter with nature, both the river and the dam. On the dam, kayaking between the mountain entrances is a must. Also the zip line over the water, and rafting, all recommended.
Both San Rafael (city) and the Atuel Canyon are 10 points. To get from San Rafael to the Canyon there are 2 impeccable routes, it is convenient to go on one and return on the other. There are many cabins in San Rafael to stay.
Very good experience, super friendly guides always willing to answer questions about the place. The activities were organized in a way that we could enjoy them without feeling rushed
