Potrerillos is a town located 69 km from the city of Mendoza, on the Cordillera de los Andes. It is accessed by the national route No. 7, which connects with Chile.
Historically in the Los Potrerillos Gorge there were indigenous settlements that gathered in the summer time in “Los Morteritos” where the “Chamanes” prepared concoctions in mortars made in the stone of the mountain. With time this old settlement was consolidated in fifths with agricultural production from the implementation of the Station of the FFCC at the end of the IXX century. The construction and paving of the route allowed the arrival of temporary population and the construction of weekend houses, so the center was extended from the loteo of rural lands for residential use, in the sectors furthest from the route principal.
Nowadays, Potrerillos has a rich periphery and tourist infrastructure composed of category hotels, restaurants, food shops, chocolate shops, tea houses, grocery stores, adventure tourism companies and even a craft beer factory. the completion of the dam made it one of the great water and tourist exploits of the country.
Within the valley, the towns of El Salto, Valle del Sol, Vallecitos and Las Vegas stand out. The latter is a small tourist village from where you can access the Cordón del Plata circuit, with peaks of eternal snow almost within reach of your hands.
Some of the tourist attractions in the area are the Archaeological Museum that has remains of ancient indigenous cultures of the area, the Cultural Center and the Popular Library Armando Tejada Gómez. There there are also craft fairs where you can buy regional handicrafts. The Nursery and Farm in Valle del Sol and the Church of San José de la Montaña, a spectacular work to visit in the Mesón de Valle del Sol, is new and has as an attraction the spectacular mountain views that can be seen.
The climatic conditions of the zone are very variable according to the season of the year. The average temperature is 7.6 ° C, with a large thermal amplitude that can reach a minimum temperature -15 ° C in the month of August and a maximum of 29 ° C in January. As for the winds, in summer, when the high pressure centers occupy their southernmost position, droughts occur, but in the autumn the west winds begin, causing nival rainfall from March to October. The average speed of the winds is 9.5 km / hr.
In the Andean Corridor, on the Mendoza River, the Potrerillos reservoir is located, at a height of 1380 meters above sea level, extending over an area of 1,500 hectares with 14 km long and almost 3 meters wide. The dam is a structure of rocks and clay, with a concrete front. It is 116 meters high and 395 meters long at its coronation. It has been specially designed to attenuate the floods, modulate the irrigation of the North oasis and generate energy, contributing in an accessory way to the tourist exploitation of the area. Its hydroelectric power plant produces approximately sixty percent of the energy consumed by the province, even supplying other parts of the country.
The importance of this space lies in a great tourist and recreational potential at an international level that the Potrerillos Dam and its majestic reservoir have brought with them, in addition to the paradisiacal landscape that comes in harmony with the mountains. Clubs, sports equipment, services, adventure tourism proposals and nautical sports, among which stand out rowing and sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, water skiing, canoeing, sailing and fishing with various boats.
The high season for water sports goes from October to December, with excellent temperatures and an average of 3 to 5 days of winds of 15 knots. January is regular, with only 1 to 2 days of wind, while February to May and June to September are very good months, with 2 to 4 days of winds. In the winter months the water is so cold that it is not recommended to practice it. The best winds are given near the wall, with 10 and 20 constant knots, between 12:30 and 17 hs., Connoisseurs mark.
While in Potrerillos it is forbidden to swim due to the geographical characteristics of the area, with steep slopes and mud areas that represent a great risk; and unlike El Carrizal, jet skis are also prohibited. For this reason, there is a specially planned and marked area to sail on board a ship or board.
However Potrerillos is synonymous with adventure tourism, that’s why in the area there are different companies that offer services and activities. An extensive zip line crosses the Mendoza River, a 1400-meter canopy circuit, places to rappel downhill, horseback riding, trekking, mountain biking, rappelling and climbing.
As for fishing, the Potrerillos dike has several types of fish, including rainbow trout and brown trout.
Within what are the high mountain circuits, Potrerillos is the starting point for several tourist destinations in the area: the Uspallata area, where you can visit Las Bóvedas, then the Puente del Inca and the Horcones lagoon, and the attractive Main, of course: the majestic Aconcagua, located in the homonymous Provincial Park.
