On top of the world in the Andes

After driving my rental car three hours up the harrowing dirt road to Barreal, a pint-size village at the foot of the Andes, I thought my challenges behind the wheel were over. Wrong. Now I had to dodge the wandering residents of Barreal, who obviously preferred the town's only paved road to the sidewalk that ran alongside it. I slowed the car to a crawl, waved hesitantly to a stranger and felt the languor of Barreal creep over me.

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Why Barreal?

Beyond town I could see the towering, snowcapped peaks of the Andes. For adventure travelers, the Andes are Argentina's main draw. Most people head straight for the better-known peaks in Mendoza province, but you can stray off to Barreal in San Juan province and have the hills and this beautiful little base town almost entirely to yourself.

Stand-in for the Himalayas

Barreal sits in the spectacular Calingasta Valley, a dramatic smear of scenic butter between the Andes to the west and the barren, multicolored Andean Precordillera to the east. To give you an idea of the scenery, if you were to drive 60 miles south, you would pass through the area where director Jean-Jacques Annaud filmed "Seven Years in Tibet." (Those weren't the Himalayas Brad Pitt was smiling beneath.)

Take a peak

From town, views of the Cordillera de Ansilta -- a stretch of the Andes with seven majestic peaks ranging from 16,929 feet to 19,420 feet -- are astonishing. To the south, 22,974-foot Cerro Aconcagua and 18,750-foot Volcan Tupungato are visible. Closer to Barreal stands the massive Cerro Mercedario, topping out at 22,341 feet.

Climbing access

Although most foreign mountaineers busy themselves trying to bag Aconcagua in Mendoza province, climbers in the know seek out the more technically challenging mountains outside Barreal. About 31 miles from town, the outpost of Las Hornillas provides climbing access to the Cordon de la Ramada, which alone boasts five peaks higher than 19,800 feet, including Mercedario. Barreal native Ramon Ossa is a highly recommended mountain guide; contact him at Cabanas Dona Pipa, 011-54-264-844-1004, www.fortunaviajes.com.ar. They specialize in weeklong horseback trips into the mountains that include accommodations and meals.

Sailing at 60 mph