What's on in Mendoza, Argentina through the year

Busy — Summer holidays in Argentina, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Aconcagua season and permits (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, Summer holidays in Argentina

• Nature

  Grape harvest

  15 Feb – 15 Apr · usually

  Picking runs from mid-February into April, earliest in the warm east and latest up in the Uco Valley. Wineries run harvest lunches and the roads out to Lujan and Vistalba are full of trucks.

• Festival

  Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia

  25 Feb – 10 Mar · usuallyMajor festivalCrowdedBook early

  The province crowns a harvest queen in a Greek theatre in the hills with fireworks over the city, after a week of parades and blessings. Hotels are booked out a year ahead for the Saturday. Source ↗

Still on: Aconcagua season and permits (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Peak crowds — Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia, Summer holidays in Argentina

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Grape harvest (15 Feb – 15 Apr (usually)), Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia (25 Feb – 10 Mar (usually)), Aconcagua season and permits (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Vineyards turning

  10 Apr – 20 May · usuallyAutumn colour

  The vines go yellow and red after the picking, with the Andes white behind them, and the wineries are quiet enough to walk into. It is the photograph everyone associates with the province.

Still on: Grape harvest (15 Feb – 15 Apr (usually)), Aconcagua season and permits (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Zonda wind

  1 May – 31 Oct · usuallyWind season

  A dry wind off the Andes that arrives as a wall of dust, takes the temperature up sharply within the hour and puts the province on alert. Schools send children home and flights divert. Source ↗

Still on: Vineyards turning (10 Apr – 20 May (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Closure

  Pass to Chile shuts in snow

  1 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyRisk

  The Cristo Redentor crossing closes for a day or three whenever a front puts snow on the pass, most often between June and September. Buses to Santiago wait it out at Uspallata. Source ↗

Still on: Zonda wind (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Winter recess in Argentina, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Zonda wind (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Pass to Chile shuts in snow (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Zonda wind (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Pass to Chile shuts in snow (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Zonda wind (1 May – 31 Oct (usually)), Pass to Chile shuts in snow (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually))

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Zonda wind (1 May – 31 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Rule

  Aconcagua season and permits

  1 Nov – 30 AprTrail seasonBook early

  The provincial park opens on 1 November and shuts at the end of April, with day trekking from mid-November to about 10 April. Every entry needs a permit, bought before you leave the city. Source ↗

Busy — Summer holidays in Argentina, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Aconcagua season and permits (1 Nov – 30 Apr)