Potrerillos Reservoir, Termas de Cacheuta Hot Springs & Río Mendoza Guide

Less than an hour's drive (38 to 50 kilometres south-west) from downtown Mendoza along Scenic Ruta Provincial 82 and Ruta Nacional 7, the Río Mendoza carves a deep granitic canyon between the Precordillera and the snow-covered Cordón del Plata. Here, natural geothermal springs and a vast turquoise mountain lake create Mendoza's favourite year-round outdoor playground: Cacheuta and Potrerillos.

1. Termas de Cacheuta: Canyon-Side Granite Thermal Pools & Suspension Bridge

Tucked inside the rocky gorge of the Río Mendoza at 1,245 metres, Cacheuta sits atop subterranean geothermal faults where snowmelt filters deep underground, heats against granitic rock, and resurfaces at temperatures between 35°C and 50°C:

• Two Distinct Ways to Experience the Springs: Visitors can choose between two separate complexes side by side. The historic Hotel & Spa Termas de Cacheuta offers an adults-oriented full-day TermaSpa experience (requiring advance reservation) featuring a circuit of more than ten outdoor natural stone pools tiered directly above the rushing river, a geothermal vaporarium grotto, mineral mud therapy (fangoterapia), and a midday criollo wood-fired buffet. Next door, the larger Parque de Agua Termas de Cacheuta welcomes families and walk-in visitors with multi-temperature thermal pools, lazy rivers, and picnic grills (quinchos).
• The 140-Metre Cacheuta Pedestrian Suspension Bridge: Before or after your soak, walk across the swaying 140-metre Puente Colgante de Cacheuta spanning the Río Mendoza gorge for views of the old 19th-century Transandine railway station and surrounding red-granite cliffs.

2. Dique y Embalse Potrerillos & Río Mendoza White-Water Rafting

• Passing Through the Cacheuta-Potrerillos Tunnel to the Turquoise Lake: Driving through the dramatic 420-metre highway tunnel blasted directly through the mountain ridge at Cacheuta suddenly reveals the dazzling 1,500-hectare expanse of the Embalse Potrerillos (1,380 metres), inaugurated in 2001. Because motorized powerboats are banned to protect the watershed, its calm, glacial-turquoise waters mirror the 5,000-to-6,000-metre peaks of Cerro Plata and Cerro Tupungato, making it ideal for sea kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, windsurfing, and sailing.
• White-Water Rafting, Ziplining & Mountain Villages (Vallecitos): Below the dam in Potrerillos, adventure outfitters run half-day white-water rafting trips down the Río Mendoza rapids (Class II to III in autumn/winter and thrilling Class III to IV during the November-to-March summer snowmelt), alongside canopy ziplines across the river gorge and high-altitude hikes at nearby Vallecitos.