Potrerillos

Potrerillos is a dam on the Mendoza river, an hour from the city on the road to Chile, and the reservoir it created sits at around 1,400 metres in a bowl of dry, folded mountains, its water an improbable turquoise against brown slopes. It has become the province's water playground: kitesurfers and windsurfers use the afternoon wind, sailing and kayaking work in the mornings, and rafting operators run the Mendoza river both above and below the lake with grades that vary through the season with snowmelt. Around the shore are campsites, beach clubs, cabins and restaurants, and the villages of Potrerillos and El Salto lie in poplar groves above, with trails leading into the mountains behind.

What you actually see

• The turquoise reservoir - the dam lake among bare pre-cordillera mountains.
• The rafting river - the Mendoza above and below the dam.
• The wind sports - kitesurfing and windsurfing on the afternoon breeze.
• The mountain villages - Potrerillos and El Salto in poplar groves.

When to go

October to April; rafting is strongest from November to February when snowmelt raises the river. Wind for kiting builds in the afternoon. Winter is cold and most water activities stop. Weekends bring heavy crowds from Mendoza.

Honest expectations

Water levels fluctuate substantially with dam management and can leave wide muddy margins. The shoreline is developed unevenly, with some good spots and some scruffy ones. Summer heat is intense and shade is scarce.

Nearby

Cacheuta and its hot springs lie downstream; Uspallata is west on the RN7.