Uspallata: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Uspallata is a green oasis at about 1,900 m, a poplar-lined crossroads on the old road between Mendoza and Chile. In 1996 Hollywood chose this valley to play Tibet in Seven Years in Tibet, and the bare, coloured hills explain why. This short loop covers the village and the sights just around it. Half a day by car, with short walks; the light is best in the late afternoon.
A short history of Uspallata
Uspallata is a village in a wide valley between mountains in Mendoza Province, on the old road from Argentina to Chile. The Inca built a road here in the 15th century, and in the Spanish period furnaces for smelting metals were set up in the valley, whose vaults still stand. In 1817 a column of San Martín's Army of the Andes passed through the area on its way to liberate Chile. The bare, colourful landscape of the valley stood in for Tibet in the 1997 film Seven Years in Tibet.
The ten best sights in Uspallata
1Las BóvedasDomed adobe furnaces from colonial times, now a small museum; 5 minutes north
2Nuestra Señora del Carmen de CuyoThe village church on the main avenue, named for the patroness of the Army of the Andes
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3Cerro Tunduqueral
Rock carvings on a low hill; climb the short path at the end of the day
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4Tambo de Ranchillos
Stone foundations of an Inca waystation, 15 minutes west
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5Paramillos Jesuit ruins
Colonial mining ruins on the high road to Villavicencio
6Hotel VillavicencioThe grand spa hotel on the mineral-water label, closed but visitable from outside
7Monumento CanotaA memorial of the Army of the Andes on the old road to Mendoza
8Plaza General San MartínThe village square; shade, benches and the cafés around it
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9Virgen Inmaculada viewpoint
A short drive up for the view over the whole valley
10Cerro Siete ColoresStriped hills of red, green and purple, best in late light
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Uspallata →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Uspallata:
Free walking tours in Uspallata
Tibet in the Andes
Uspallata is a green oasis at about 1,900 m, a poplar-lined crossroads on the old road between Mendoza and Chile. In 1996 Hollywood chose this valley to play Tibet in Seven Years in Tibet, and the bare, coloured hills explain why. This short loop covers the village and the sights just around it. Half a day by car, with short walks; the light is best in the late afternoon.
- Plaza General San Martín · Seven Years in Tibet, with Brad Pitt, was filmed mostly in Argentina because shooting in Tibet itself was impossible; the Uspallata valley stood in for the Tibetan plateau, and a café on the main avenue is named El Tibet.
- Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Cuyo · San Martín named the Virgin of Carmen of Cuyo patroness of the Army of the Andes in January 1817, before the crossing, and left his general's baton at her feet in Mendoza.
- Las Bóvedas · These domed adobe chambers were built in colonial times to smelt silver and lead from the Paramillos mines. Tradition holds that during the war of independence they were used to make supplies for the Army of the Andes; they are now a national historic monument.
- Virgen Inmaculada viewpoint · From here the whole valley shows its shape: a wide, flat floor between the Precordillera to the east and the main Andes to the west, which is why the old roads always came through Uspallata.
- Cerro Tunduqueral · The rocks on this hill carry petroglyphs, geometric figures and footprints pecked into the stone by the people who lived in the valley before the Inca arrived. Signs ask visitors to keep off the carved surfaces.
- Cerro Siete Colores · The bands of colour are layers of sediment and volcanic rock, each with different minerals: iron gives the reds and purples, copper and other minerals the greens.
Darwin's road
The gravel road north-east from Uspallata climbs over the Precordillera to Villavicencio and down to Mendoza, the way travellers came before the river road was built. Charles Darwin rode it in 1835 and found something here that changed his ideas about the age of the Andes. Allow a full day with stops; the road is unpaved and high, so check conditions after rain or snow.
- Paramillos Jesuit ruins · Silver, lead and copper were mined at Paramillos from the colonial period, and the Jesuits ran workings here until the order was expelled from Spanish America in 1767.
- Paramillos mines · Near these mines Darwin found a group of fossil trees still standing upright in the rock, high in the Precordillera. He realised they had grown on a shore, been buried under the sea, and then lifted with the mountains — evidence of how far the land had risen.
- Caracoles de Villavicencio · Provincial Route 52 drops in a long series of hairpins below Villavicencio, and it is known locally as the Camino del Año, the road of the year, for the 365 bends it is said to have.
- Hotel Villavicencio · The spa hotel opened in 1940 and closed in the late 1970s. Its picture — the white building against the mountains — has been on the labels of Villavicencio mineral water for decades, so most Argentines know it without ever having seen it.
- Villavicencio viewpoint · The hotel stands inside a nature reserve of the same name, created to protect the springs that feed the bottling plant and the guanacos and condors of the Precordillera.
- Monumento Canota · The memorial marks Canota, where in January 1817 the column under Juan Gregorio de Las Heras parted from the main army to cross the Andes by the Uspallata road while San Martín took a longer pass to the north.
Along the Mendoza river
Route 7 follows the Mendoza river through the main road valley of the central Andes, the same line used by the Inca, the colonial mule trains and the Transandine railway. This route goes west a little way into the mountains, then east down the river to the reservoir and the hot springs. Count about 150 km in total; it can be split into two half days.
- Tambo de Ranchillos · Ranchillos was a tambo, a waystation on the Qhapaq Ñan, the Inca road network that ran the length of the Andes. The Argentine sections of the road, including sites in Mendoza, were inscribed by UNESCO in 2014.
- Picheuta Bridge · In January 1817 Las Heras' vanguard clashed with royalist troops at Picheuta, one of the first fights of the campaign that freed Chile.
- Polvaredas · The name means dust clouds; the hamlet grew up as a stop on the Transandine railway, which ran beside the road here until 1984.
- Potrerillos · When the Potrerillos dam filled in the early 2000s, part of the old village and a stretch of the former Route 7 went under the water, and the road was rebuilt higher up the slope.
- Potrerillos Dam · The dam on the Mendoza river was completed in 2003. It stores snowmelt for the vineyards and the city of Mendoza and generates electricity, and the river below it is the centre of the province's rafting.
- Termas de Cacheuta · Hot springs rise beside the Mendoza river here, and a spa has used them since the early 20th century, when a Transandine railway stop brought visitors from the city.
Getting to Uspallata and getting around
- Uspallata Bus Terminal · Buses to Mendoza (about 2 hours) and on to Chile stop here
- Uspallata Aerodrome · A small airfield with no scheduled flights; Mendoza airport is about two hours away
Cheap eats in Uspallata
Uspallata is the last proper supply stop before the climb to the border, and its food is roadside Argentina: empanadas, milanesas, pizza and, above all, parrilla, grilled meat by the kilo. Breakfast is coffee with medialunas. Prices are in Argentine pesos and change quickly; carry cash, as card machines and signal can fail.
- El Tibet · Coffee, medialunas and sandwiches on the main avenue, around ARS 3,000-8,000
- Casita Suiza · Cakes and coffee, around ARS 4,000-7,000
- Panadería El Toto · Bread and facturas by the dozen, around ARS 1,000-5,000
- Café Aconcagua · Coffee and toasted sandwiches on Route 7, around ARS 4,000-8,000
- Rio · Snacks by the bus terminal, around ARS 2,000-6,000
Museums in Uspallata
- Las Bóvedas · Colonial smelting domes with a small museum
- Tambo de Ranchillos · Inca waystation on the Qhapaq Ñan
- Cerro Tunduqueral · Pre-Inca petroglyphs on a hill
- Hotel Villavicencio · The spa hotel from the water label
- Monumento Canota · Army of the Andes memorial on Route 52
Nature and day trips near Uspallata
- Cerro Siete Colores · Striped hills just east of the village
- Paramillos mines · High mining ground where Darwin found fossil trees
- Caracoles de Villavicencio · Hairpin road with views to the plains
- Potrerillos Dam · Turquoise reservoir; rafting on the river below
- Villavicencio viewpoint · Watch for condors over the reserve
Things to do in Uspallata with kids
- Termas de Cacheuta · Warm pools and water slides by the river
- Potrerillos Dam · Gentle rafting sections for older children
- Cerro Tunduqueral · A treasure hunt for carved footprints
- Virgen Inmaculada viewpoint · A quick climb for the big view
- Plaza General San Martín · Playground and ice cream in the shade
Where to eat in Uspallata
- Parrilla El Angel · Grilled meat by the terminal
- Parrillada El Rancho · Asado and Mendoza wine in the village
- Nos Sobran Los Motivos · Home cooking and pasta on a quiet street
- Las Estancia de Elias · Roadside grill south of the village
- Parador Camionero · The truckers' stop: big plates, low prices
- San Cayetano · Simple Argentine dishes on Route 7
Frequently asked questions about Uspallata
What is there to see in Uspallata?
The top sights in Uspallata are Las Bóvedas, Nuestra Señora del Carmen de Cuyo and Cerro Tunduqueral. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Uspallata?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Uspallata without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Uspallata?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Uspallata, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Tibet in the Andes.
How do you get to Uspallata and get around?
The main ways are Uspallata Bus Terminal and Uspallata Aerodrome. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Uspallata, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Uspallata that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Uspallata for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.