The city of San Luis is situated on the banks of Rio Chorrillos at the foot of the Punta de los Venados, part of Las Sierras de San Luis, hence its inhabitants are nicknamed “puntanos”. It is also capital of the San Luis province. Or some call it the Puerta del Cuyo, in other words the gateway to the province of Mendoza. San Luis was founded in 1594 but never really flourished until the railways arrived in the late 19th century.

It’s an attractive little city with lovely colonial style architecture and houses built around plant-filled patios. At the centre is Plaza Pringles, lush with subtropical plants and fabulous palm trees and surrounded by great ice-cream parlours, cafes and bars. A couple of blocks away is Plaza Independencia where the city’s oldest building stands, the Convento San Domingo.

Some 120 km northwest of San Luis is the Parque Nacional Sierra de las Quijadas. Here you'll find the Potrero de la Aguada, a fabulous red sandstone canyon, the sides of which have been molded into bizarre shapes through years of erosion. The park is also rich in dinosaur fossils, many of which are on display at the Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional de San Luis, while the Museo Provincial Dora Ochoa de Masramon has the largest fossilized spider specimen in the world, which measures one metre in diameter.

Some 30 km west of San Luis in the village of Balde are the hot springs of Los Tamarindos and some 20 km to the north is the Potrero de los Funes where you can admire the condors in graceful flight.