San Juan

San Juan is the capital of a dry, sunny province where irrigation channels have made an oasis of vineyards and olive groves. The city was almost entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 1944, and it is a modern place of wide streets and shade trees. Its wineries make some of the country's best Syrah. West of the city, the Dique de Ullum holds a lake in the mountains, and to the east, at Vallecito, the shrine of the Difunta Correa draws pilgrims and drivers from all over Argentina.

San Juan is usually a stop of a night between Mendoza and Ischigualasto, or the start of the routes west to Barreal and north to Rodeo. A day goes on the wineries and the dam; the shrine is on the road to the Valle de la Luna.

Spring and autumn are the most pleasant. Summer is very hot and winter dry, with cold nights.