How to: Mess Around in Mendoza

Chelsey’s Backpacking Guide for Mendoza, Argentina

CHELSEYS FIVE KEY POINTERS (to any backpacker in Argentina (more specifically) from the USA):

1. Hostel World or booking.com for every single booking!
2. T-mobile (covers you internationally so there's no need to change your phone number or pay extra fees)
3. Charles Schwab Debit Card! No foreign transaction fees and every time you take money out of an ATM you get the ATM rebate fee back at the end of every month! BEST TRAVEL CARD THERE IS! NO STRESS ABOUT LOSING MONEY WHEN USING ATMS!
4. Use ONLY AND ALWAYS Western Union for cash pullouts (double the rate with USD.) Easy to make an account and even easier to send yourself money to pick up.
5. LOCAL MUST TRYS: cafe con leche y dos medialunas, alfajors, mate, local malbac wine (especially in mendoza)

Face to the pillow?

• Fuxia Hostel: Great, clean, and spacious! VERY comfy beds. stayed here for a few nights then moved to the hostel (mentioned below) for volunteering.

• Central Hostel: VOLUNTEER HERE FOR 3 WEEKS!! This spot was my first volunteering experience and all I gotta say is WOW. I fell in love with a 33-year-old Brazilian who was also volunteering there…This place felt like your typical hostel vibes. If you want to mess around hard I recommend volunteering here. They are always accepting people and the hours are either 7–2 am or 2–10 pm working at the reception. Breakfast included! Big shared dorm rooms, no curtains, shared bathrooms throughout the hostel, big kitchen, backyard, BBQS. The staff here are fun and it's a family-owned business. They put on a BBQ twice a week for the guests with unlimited wine and food. I looked forward to the BBQ so much. I met wonderful individuals and made impactful connections with the staff and guests. If you go, you must tell Luca or Gustavo (the owners/managers) that Chelsey sent you!!!!

unlimited asado, salads, vino, vibes

Need to hit the gym?

• Cigma Gimnasio: Down the street from Hostel Central and insanely cheap for a month's pass. I paid $16 USD for an entire month. multi-leveled gym with showers. It’s no gym from the US but it suited me so well. Instructors are there to ask questions for different workouts but I personally zone in and use FORM.

• Indigo Yoga: Great spot for Ashtanga yoga with qualified instructors. Organic food store in front.

Activities:

• DIY BIKE WINERY TOUR: Take the bus (with your SUBE card) and go to Maipu Bike Rentals. Here, you will get a bike and a map of all the wineries you can go to. I recommend this bike rental specifically because when you return the bike (already pretty tipsy) you get free wine with music for an hour with all the people who rented bikes that day from this company. The manager is hysterical. Everybody in Argentina pretty much just wants the tourists to have fun and love their country ❤

Try the empanadas from Viña el Cerno! 10/10

road tripping around mendoza

• Cañon Del Atuel: Through the hostel Fuxia I booked a tour through the mountains of San Rafael. Personally, it was gorgeous but I wouldn't recommend spending the money on this tour. You’re in the car the majority of the day. Better to rent a car with some people in your hostel or camp out there for a night.

• Puente del Inca: COOOOOL spot to see the Inca bridge and other local spots. Tours are offered there but again, I recommend renting a car and exploring the whole area with a few people!

• Cerro Arco: The hike was OK (uphill the entire time) but the jamon sandwich and QHAPAQ artisanal cerveza at Puerta de la Quebrada after the hike was all the heck worth it!

• Parque de Aqua Termal — Termas Cachueta: Fun water park with thermal baths! In a great area that has amazing asado as well as bungee jumping activities* (included below). Do some bungee jumping, go for the thermal baths, and indulge in some authentic asado and wine all in one day!

• Puenting Mendoza*: crazyyy bungee jumping off a bridge in a canyon. We got to go twice with the first time being that you jump and swing with the rope connected from your chest versus the second time you jump and the ropes are connected at your feet. BOTH so scary but worth it in the end!!!!
• WABI FUN CLUB: Fun night club that goes till the morning. We had to pay a little to get in but it was worth it!!!! Only open on Friday and Saturday

• Mercado Central: Big market with a ton of different local cuisines, wines, fruit, food, juices, etc…insanely cheap!
• Dragon Bowling Mendoza: Grab some new friends from the hostel and hit the bowling alley!!!! so much fun!!! The loser has to buy everyone beer!

• Parque General San Martin: Big park with a ton of activity and a market on Sunday!

• Las Lenas Mountains: If you go during the winter, I recommend taking a night bus to ski here for a day or two. You can sleep here for one night and take the bus back the next day at night so you get in two days of skiing! It’s all you need! You can rent everything at the mountain and seriously, get ready for a sick apres ski till night.

Cafe/Drink/Dinner spots:

• El Faro Bistro: Go here for a sunset drink! The wine and views are divine.
• Govinda Food: Vegetarian buffet and you pay by the kilo. You will get so much food for such little money you’ll honestly be confused. Spots like these are all over Argentina and they're incredible!
• Vegetariano Nutri Verde: ANOTHER great buffet per kilo spot! only open during lunchtime
• CABAÑA: This is a chocolate shop but connected is a cafe. I would go here all the time. GET the cafe XXL! It was an amazing GIANT cup of coffee for so cheap! And you're in a chocolate store that plays great throwback songs!

cafe XXL

• Don Otto: Chill spot for dinner! A ton of variety. Great empanadas, beers, and burgers.
• Don Panzon empanadas: easily some of the best empanadas I had in my entire time in Argentina…

alfajors

• Aqui hay Dragones: HARRY POTTER GAME ROOM THEMED CAFE!!! Creative spot for writing, wifi, coffee, etc…
• Fran Coffee Makers: yummy coffee spot with sweet treats! everything in the cafe is green and so was my bedroom growing up so it felt like home to me ❤ hahaha

Grocery store:

• Carrefour Market: Open every day except Sundays

wine is as cheap as water if not, cheaper!

marvelous malbec

May you let your heart steer the route and be patient while the universe brings you all you desire! HAVE THE BEST TIME IN MENDOZA AND USE THIS GUIDE! I WOULD NEVAA STEER YA WRONG❤

XOXO,

CHELLY GIRLLLL