Argentina
Travel Guide, climate:
Best:
Spring [Sept-Nov] or autumn [March-May] strike a fine balance
between warmth and clouds, but still no tank tops.
Worst: Jan-Feb. Summertime is hot, humid, expensive and everything's
booked up, but this is the best time for beaches and tank tops.
Winter [May-Sept] is driest in most areas, but also coolest, between
7-15C [45-60F] 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.
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.
More
tour operators offering travel around Argentina can be found in
our listings here: Argentina
Tours
Length
of stay:
Minimum worthwhile stay, not incl. flights [bearing in mind that
this is a looong flight for most English speaking travel
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.
Argentina
Festivals Guide:
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.
Argentina
Activities Guide:
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 travel.
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.
Traveling
Around:
Argentina is a massive country and best locations are widely
spaced so unless you are ready for seriously long distance
bus rides 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 serious travellers.
Visas
Guide:
Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Irish, Australians, New Zealanders
and most other nationalities can get 90 days permit to stay
on arrival at the airport.
Electricity
Guide:
220v, 2 [slim] round pins and/or three flat angled pins [but
a 2 round pin adaptors will be quite sufficient].
Language
Guide:
Spanish - known as Castellano in Latin 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.
Money
Guide:
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.
|
|
Why
Travel to Argentina?
This
huge country 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.
Downside:
- 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.
Argentina
travel highlights:
***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,
badly 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].
***Peninsula Valdés for wildlife,
see left for more info [UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site].
***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're 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 [posh], Miramar [families], Mar de las Pampas [horses]
and Mar Azul.
**Peninsula Valdés centre-east
coast for marine wildlife. See left.
**San Juan and La Rioja provinces sport
weird rocks, paleontological delights, petroglyphs and condors passing
by in Ischigualasto and Talampaya Natural Parks [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.
Cuisine Guide:
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 Guide:
Argentina produces very high quality, stylish shoes, bags
and clothes - particularly leather - at very low cost, so this is
the 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
Guide:
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. See Travel
Health
Safety
Advice:
Crime is no worse in BA's centre than most of the world's big
cities, but don't wear jewellery and stay away from the outer
suburbs. Northeast border cities need some care.
And
if you plan to travel in Argentina you may want to also check
these guides:
Brazil
Travel Guide | Peru
Travel Guide
Ecuador
Travel Guide | Chile Travel Guide
|
