San Carlos, Tupungato y Tunuyán are the three districts that form the Valle de Uco (Uco Valley) region, an oasis at the foot of the Mendocinian Andes. The area has an important mountain culture heritage, that comes from the old times of “arrieros” (horsemen that took the cattle to Chile). Part of this heritage is the Piuquenes Pass trail, an old path that crosses the Andes to Santiago de Chile. Charles Darwin and General José de San Martín used this road in the past.
The diversity of activities ranges from to one day, easy horse treks, along streams full of wild life, to demanding rock climbing routes.
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The Uco Valley also has the southermost six thousand meters mountains of the world. Tupungato vulcano is the highest one, with 6570 m.
The Uco Valley also has three Natural Reserves, Laguna del Diamante, Tupungato Park and Manzano Histórico.
The original people of this land found by the Spanish conquest were the Huarpes; but studies mention previous cultures, such as the Viluco and Agrelo cultures. Spanish conqueror Francisco de Villagra found in the Diamante river, in 1551, evidences that could mark the South limit of the Inca empire in Argentinian territory.
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