Argentina Travel Guide
South America

17 Argentina Tours from the South America travel specialists. Nature, culture, cruises, glaciers, Patagonia treks and Chile too! Patagonia Panorama; A Taste; End of the World; Iguazu and Rainforest; Awesome Argentina

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Why holiday in Argentina?

This huge country, second only to Brazil in South America, contains climates ranging from tropical jungle thru desert and snow-capped Andes to barren Patagonia and the end of the world, containing some of the world's most stunning natural wonders and a wide selection of activities during which to enjoy them.
Argentina has a down-at-heel but relatively sophisticated, energetic capital buzzing with people of south European stock, excellent soccer and rugby and fine dining - which you can afford thanks to incredibly low prices.

Downsides
• local culture is hardly exotic.
• city traffic is hectic, noisy and polluting.
• city pavements (sidewalks) sport ankle-snapping potholes, dog doo, or often both.
• widespread poverty is common, restrained begging too. Unusually, we recommend giving beggars a few centavos(cents), most really are hard up.

Best weather in northern Argentina

Spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) strike a fine balance between warmth and clouds.
Worst: January-February. Summertime is hot, humid, expensive and everything's booked up, but this is the best time for beaches and tank tops.
Winter (May-September) is driest in most areas, but also coolest, between 7C-15C (45F-60F) in Buenos Aires, so this time would be best if holidays mean skiing, the north country and/or general sightseeing, but don't think beaches, tank tops or Patagonia.

Best weather in Patagonia (southern region)

The best time to visit Patagonia is October - March, spring and summer months in Argentina when it's great for hiking, mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, rafting, hunting and golfing.
June - October are Patagonia's wintersports months with the best month being January and the best location being Bariloche.

This is the eighth largest country in the world so summarizing weather conditions is tricky, but one thing we should point out, this is mostly not a hot country, with temperatures rarely over 30C (85F) except in the far north.
Argentina holidays are around January, Easter and July, so transport and accommodation become a problem then.

Length of stay
Minimum worthwhile stay, not incl. flights (bearing in mind that this is a looong flight for most English speaking folk): 2 weeks. 4 days in Buenos Aires, 5 days (flight) in Patagonia for glaciers and mountain hikes, 2 days (flight) to Iguazu Falls, and a few days northwest around Salta for Andean culture (flight), deserts and canyons, or skip that and hydrofoil into Uruguay for a quick look at Colonia, the beaches or Montevideo, the capital.

Main attractions

***Buenos Aires. The capital is terrific for urban spacemen but a bit short on wow! sights. There is the touristy but quaint Caminito district, evocative cafés and restaurants, fantastic tombs in Cementario de la Recoleta, including Evita's, the 'Pink Palace', grand architecture and not much else unless you head for the suburban playground of Tigre or take a quick trip to Colonia, Uruguay.

***Glaciers National Park, Patagonia, in the southwest: near El Calafate, for glacier views especially of Perito Moreno glacier and ice walks or icy cruises or El Chalten for stunning short and long mountain hikes (UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site) to Mt. Fitzroy, Cerro Torre and more.

***San Carlos de Bariloche is sadly overdeveloped but gateway to activities galore in the spectacular surroundings of Argentina's Lake District. The Seven Lakes Scenic Route is recommended. Hiking, riding, climbing, fishing, skiing, eating chocolate or heading for Patagonia or Chile, Bariloche gets you there.

***Mendoza is a pleasant town on the doorstep of some magnificent mountains, home to excellent wines and en route to Santiago, Chile.

***Iguazu National Park northeast for massive waterfalls, wildlife and plants (UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site abd a good place to head for a neighbouring South American country - Brazil or Paraguay).

*** Peninsula Valdés for wildlife, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site but down the road near Puerto Madryn the penguin colony at Punto Tombo is massive, probably bigger than anywhere outside the antarctic. It's an easy taxi ride from Trelew. Other animals generally seen at Valdes and Punto Tombo are rhea (small ostriches), guanacos (small llamas), armadillos. Southern Right Whales can be seen from Valdes in season but also from El Doradillo beach near Puerto Madryn.
The Ecocentro in Puerto Madryn is a fair museum that only opens in the afternoons and then a bit erratically. It has good views, interesting information about local marine life and cool interactive pools that are fun for children but unless you're really interested in marine biology or you're traveling with kids it's not the most exciting excursion.
Punta Loma, 20 minutes south of Puerto Madryn, also offers a terrific viewpoint for wildlife watching at low tide, especially sea lions.
Gaiman town is a cute little Welsh settlement nearby that offers tourists very expensive Welsh teas.

***Ushuaia, Patagonia, the world's most southerly town (3,580 kms from BA), offers terrific scenery, hiking, fishing, scenic boat trips, marine wildlife, dog-sledding and skiing (in winter) from a pleasant, if over-touristy town.
Also boats to the Antarctic.

**Cordoba, the country's lively second city has friendly people and a better collection of colonial architecture than BA; partly a World Cultural Heritage Site.

**Beaches: Mar del Plata is overbuilt and tacky but has picturesque surroundings and monster beaches that go into overdrive December-February. There's fishing and horse riding as well as beach activities; 400kms (250 miles) from the capital.
On both sides are prettier, more peaceful or exclusive resorts, such as Pinamar (up-market), Miramar (families), Mar de las Pampas (horses) and Mar Azul.

**San Juan and La Rioja provinces sport weird rocks, paleontological delights, petroglyphs and condors passing by in Ischigualasto and Talampaya National Park, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

*Jujuy province in the far northwest contains adobe towns embraced by multicoloured landscapes around Salta and Quebrada de Humahuaca (UNESCO World Cultural Landscape).

*Uruguay - a one hour boat trip gets you to the pretty, laid back old town of Colonia. Return to BA or head off to Montevideo or the posh beaches of Punta del Este.

Activities

Tango: a fantastically complex and sensual dance, enjoyed by Argentinians as much as tourists, it's visible all over BA in clubs, in the street and around Plaza Dorrego at weekends. Try to learn it by all means, but it'll be a long job.

Wildlife: most famously visible around the barren cliffs of Peninsula Valdés - seals, elephant seals, killer whales, penguins, guanacos (llamas), but especially southern right whales. Puerto Madryn is the base from which to find a tour or rent a car.
Wildlife is also found in Iguazu Park alongside the waterfalls, Ushuaia and in swampy Ibera Nature Reserve (wetlands) for cayman, capybaras, monkeys and birds.

Activities below are best mainly in the Patagonian Andes, particularly from Los Glaciers National Park in the southwest to Mendoza in the centre-west. Bariloche, El Calafate and El Chalten are the three best activity centres, though Ushuaia is pretty wild too.

Hiking: spectacular hikes, well signposted, long and short, particularly around Bariloche and El Chalten.

Biking: Mendoza and the Lake District are best but mountain bike hire is widely available throughout Patagonia in spite of occasionally fierce winds making for wobbly rides.

Rock/Ice Climbing: fantastic challenges, mostly around El Chalten, Ushuaia and Mendoza; a guide will generally be required. Mt. Aconagua 6,959m, near Mendoza, is the highest.

Horse Riding: this is gaucho country so there are plenty of high quality horses and guides out there. The Pampas are the true home of gauchos - particularly in estancias (ranches) near San Antonio de Areco - but being mainly flat are far less scenic than rides in Patagonia.

Skiing: good powder and sunshine at good prices; mostly resorts around Malargue, the Lake District or San Martin de los Andes, but also in Ushuaia, way south.

Fishing: Sea fishing off Mar del Plata and Necochea or fly fishing (esp. in San Martin de los Andes {Patagonia} or Isla del Cerrito {north}) for trout, salmon, dorado and giant catfish.

Kayaking and Whitewater Rafting: Availability is increasing, especially near Bariloche and San Martin de los Andes.

Low prices and the personal touch from the best local Argentina tour operator: Buenos Aires - Patagonia; Glaciers, Falls, Tango; Best of Patagonia; Argentina Adventurers; Argentina, Chile, Uyuni Salt Flats

Visas

Nationals of the USA, Canada, Western European, Australia and New Zealand are granted 90 day tourist visas on arrival (assuming the passport is valid for 6 months and has free pages) but US citizens arriving at airports must pay a substantial entry fee of US$ 160 which is valid for ten years and allows for multiple visits to the country. What a rip-off!

Getting Around

Argentina is a massive country and the best attractions are widely spaced so get ready for seriously long distance bus rides on seriously comfortable buses with hot meals, wine and lay-flat seats! But book well in advance or domestic flights will be necessary. These are efficient and reasonably priced but buy an airpass to get the best deals.
Chile is a natural additional destination for many travellers in South America and Bariloche one direct route to get there.

Food

Porteños eat late so getting a table at 8pm-9pm should be no problem. Before that time only cheap eats may be available.

Argentinian food basically means meat, huge portions of freshly killed cow grilled to perfection and eaten in digestion-challeging mass, or as a snack sandwich (lomito).

Steaks are superb so BA is perfect for confirmed carnivores, but what else is on offer?
Cheap eats tend towards good pizzas, terrible pastas, ham and cheese sandwiches, various quality stuffed pies (empanadas) or fast food, but for those who can spare a few pesos more, Buenos Aires is home to a mass of superb foreign restaurants that deliver all kinds of cuisine - including vegetarian (e.g. Spanish tapas, Japanese, Thai, Middle-Eastern) - that anyone holding dollars/euros can easily afford.

Shopping:
Argentina produces very high quality, stylish shoes, bags and clothes - particularly leather - at very low cost, so this is Latin America's best place to do serious fashion shopping if you have room in your luggage. Jewellery and woolen goods are also excellent. Regular souvenirs of all types can be found around any tourist area.

Health:
No huge problems here, though the tropical north (i.e. not BA) can deliver dengue fever via mosquitoes, so keep the buzzers off you. Also be careful of AMS (Altitude Sickness) when hiking above 3,000m.

Safety:
Crime is no worse in BA's centre than most of the world's big cities, but don't wear obvious bling, stay away from the outer suburbs and take only official taxis. More on BA safety.

Money:
Argentina is extremely cheap, apart from hotels - $10 for a fine dinner with drinks and $4 for a 20 minute taxi ride.
ATMs all around, $ cash is king and accepted instead of pesos. Travellers cheques can be a little hard to change and the rate is poor.

Festivals:
February or March, Wine Harvest Festival, Mendoza, a few days. Parades and various folk events in honour of Mendoza's raisin d'etre, wine.
March or April, Easter, unusually for a Latin Catholic culture, no big deal.
May 25, Revolution Day, with a military parade in BA.
Nov 12 or thereabouts, Tradition Day, with some Gaucho celebrations near BA but especially in San Antonio de Areco.

Visas:
Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders and most other nationalities can get 90 days permit to stay on arrival at the airport.

Electricity:
220v, 2 (slim) round pins and/or three flat angled pins (but a 2 round pin adaptors will be quite sufficient).

Language:
Spanish - known as Castellano in Latin/South America. It's an easy language so learn the basics, they will be useful though locals know some English. Some basic food vocabulary is vital.

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