Mendoza/Argentina

Located at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, Mendoza has long been recognized as the safe and clean city at the center of Argentine wine country. Mendoza is the fourth largest city in Argentina with a population of over one million inhabitants and also accommodates several American foreign exchange programs. Foreigners and Argentines alike are attracted to the city of Mendoza for its theater, shopping, museums, artisan fairs and nightlife embellished by the dramatic backdrop provided by the mountains surrounding the city.

Mendoza is best known as the wine capital of Argentina with numerous bodegas of varying sizes. Many surrounding the city open their doors to visitors for wine tastings and bodega tours. Argentina’s wine is one of the country’s best-kept secrets and a vital ingredient to its citizens’ daily lives; while Argentina is the fourth in the world in wine production – only after Italy, France and Spain – it is only the seventeenth in export.

Most important to the regional economy of Mendoza are favorable conditions for wine production. Weather systems moving across the Pacific hit the Andes Mountains and, while it rains in Santiago, Chile, the vineyards of Mendoza can count on more than 300 days of sunshine annually. Accordingly, the climate in Mendoza is similar to that of northern California, with very dry summers and wetter winter months. The average temperatures for January are 35 °C (95 °F) during daytime and 23 °C (73 °F) at night with very little humidity. Average temperature for July range from 12 °C (53 °F) in the daytime to 3 °C (38 °F) at night. While snowfall is unusual in the city proper, the snowcapped Andes Mountains provide visitors with impressive skiing conditions.

To those interested in skiing, the Western Hemisphere’s highest peak, Mount Aconcagua stands 6962 meters tall (22,841 feet) is only a three-hour ride away from the city center. As an example of the ample skiing options surrounding Mendoza, the Penitentes winter resort located on Mount Aconcagua occupies at present more than 300 hectares of ski-able surface. The best dry and compact powder snow during most of the season is distributed into 28 runs of different lengths and drops for beginner, advanced and expert skiers. Several runs have been approved by the FASA (Argentine Federation of Ski and Andinism) and the FIS (International Ski Federation) and are the stage for various competitions. For thrill-seekers, Mendoza offers more than just exceptional skiing. The mountains and rivers open Mendoza to a plethora of summer and wintertime activities including hang-gliding, rafting, horseback riding and trekking.

For all these reasons, Mendoza has slowly become the western epicenter of Argentine tourism. ICLA will allow students to explore the city of Mendoza and the surrounding area with an eye focused on cultural, linguistic and professional integration into this unique Argentine city.