Travel to Argentina

Argentina

is a fabulous wild country

and surprisingly well-priced

fabulous overland expeditions and remote estancias

Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world and a place of great scenic diversity.

Although dominated by the seemingly endless pampas grasslands and the sparse windswept steppes of Patagonia, around the fringes the landscapes are wonderful and diverse.
Starting in the sub-tropical northeast, the country shares the incredible Iguazú Falls with Brazil, surrounded by a rainforest inhabited by macaws, tapirs and jaguars.

Over in the northeast corner, the Salta region contains an eclectic mix of scenic wineries, amazing geology, indigenous cultures and the extreme volcanic scenery of the high Andes.
Moving south down the Andes, the cities of Cordoba and Mendoza are home to rural estancias, offering classic gaucho horse-riding and winery experiences.

About half way down the country we hit Bariloche, the Switzerland of South America, with mountain hiking, skiing and more horse-riding options.

Then right down towards the bottom of the continent, we reach the vast, dramatic and Patagonian scenery of Los Glaciares, followed by the remote port of Ushuaia, start point for cruises around Cape Horn and down to Antarctica.

Finally we work our way back up the Patagonian coast to reach Península Valdés, a famous location for marine mammals, where orcas famously swim up onto the beaches to catch seal pups.

All of this is centred on the vibrant capital of Buenos Aires, famously renowned for passionate football, intense tango dancing and succulent beef.

One particular theme that’s worth highlighting is the preponderance of authentic estancias (working farms) that are open to guests and provide a wonderful window on the ongoing pioneer spirit and intense rural pride that makes this country tick.

To visit all the best locations at a reasonable pace would take around 30-40 nights, so there’s some difficult decisions to make when trimming that down to a more manageable duration. Our advice is usually to stick to two or three regions, to give yourself enough time to get off the beaten track and really experience the place properly.

Of course there’s also the temptation to combine with other countries. If you’re focused on Patagonia in the deep south, then there are very strong reasons to combine with Chile. If you are in the northwest, then there is the possibility to combine with the Atacama Desert areas of Chile and Bolivia. If you’re visiting the Iguazú Falls then it’s tempting to go looking for jaguars in the Pantanal and maybe visit the beaches of Rio de Janeiro. That’s before we even consider Peru and the Galapagos.

There’s a whole lot to see in South America and, whilst we can see the validity of a quick trip around the main highlights to get you started, the bottom line is that you probably need to think in terms of three, four or more trips to explore the continent properly. At least one of those trips should probably be focused mainly on Argentina.

Argentina is the second largest country in South America.

The coastal capital, Buenos Aires, is both historic and hectic.

Here you will encounter the nation's three great passions of tango ...

In the sub-tropical north, the impressive Iguazú Falls are a major attraction ...

... with the surrounding Atlantic rainforest hosting a good range of exotic species.

A little further south, the Iberá Wetlands are presently being restored ...

... and look set to become a haven for a wide range of indigenous animals.

Heading southwest, we hit the traditional farmlands of the Cordoba area ...

... where life is centred around all things equestrian.

In the remote northwest corner, the Salta region contains some incredible mountain scenery ...

The landscapes of the high Andes are truly epic.

The indigeous culture up here remains strong and deep-rooted.

There are also some very pleasant high altitude winelands in the foothills.

Around 700km south down the Andes, the winelands of Mendoza are much larger and more commercial.

Another 700km south, about half way down the country, we hit the Lake District ...

... centred on the remarkably Germanic town of Bariloche ...

... with options for mountain hiking ...

... and skiing during the May-Sep winter season.

Another 1000km south, we hit the pioneer landscapes of Patagonia ...

... centred on the remarkable landscapes of Los Glaciares National Park ...

... where there are simply epic options for hiking and horseback riding.

In the far south, we reach the functional port of Ushuaia ...

... surrounded by some impressive sub-Polar landscapes ...

... and further options for skiing during May-Sep.

Ushuaia is the main departure point for cruises around Cape Horn and down to Antarctica.

The Cape Horn cruises provide access to some very impressive and remote landscapes.

About half way up the eastern coast, we reach Península Valdés ...

... one of the richest areas for marine wildlife in the world ...

... home to colonies of enormous sea lions.

This is famously the location where orcas beach themselves when hunting seal pups during Oct-Dec and Mar-Apr.

Generally speaking, Argentina is usually best visited during the during Oct-Apr southern summer.

Gallery

Map

Argentina has one main port of entry for international flights, namely the capital Buenos Aires, which is situated on the coast, in the northeast corner of the country.

Most visitors tend to simply transit through Buenos Aires to properly start their trip somewhere else around the county, with Iguazú Falls being a very popular first stop.

It’s actually often more convenient to reach Iguazú Falls via Sao Paulo in Brazil, connecting to the airport on the north side of the falls and crossing the border to start an Argentina trip from there.

When combining Argentina and Chile in trips, there are international flights across the border between Mendoza and Santiago, but otherwise this connection is usually done by road.

When combining with Peru there are flights from Buenos Aires, Cordoba and Iguazú Sur to Lima, but (frustratingly) usually no direct flights to Cusco.

Internal flights

All of the key regions within Argentina can be accessed by frequent, reliable and cheap internal flights from Buenos Aires.

It’s also reasonably easy to connect places around the country without having to route back through Buenos Aires. There’s a very useful connection across the north of the country between Iguazú Sur and Salta. It’s also usually possible to route up and down the Andes between Salta, Cordoba, Bariloche, Los Glaciares and Ushuaia. There are even occasional direct connections between the latter two and the Península Valdés.

Road connections

Within each region the majority of connections are made by private road transfers.

In a few locations, these overland routes extend over multiple days to become private guided overland safaris, most notably in the Salta region to the northwest.

We also regularly connect by road across the border into Chile, from Los Glaciares to Torres del Paine, Mendoza to Santiago and Salta to both San Pedro de Atacama and up into Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

We do not recommend the use of any public road transport such as buses, coaches or taxis.

Boat connections

We occasionally use ferry boat services to cross the Andes between Bariloche and the Los Lagos area of Chile.

Boat cruises

The very southernmost part of Patagonia, around Tierra del Fuego and Cape Horn, are best explored by means of short 3-5 night cruises. There’s a number of excellent boats working these routes, offering the chance to explore remote fjords, glaciers, islands and forests, all of which are described in the Ushuaia section.

There is also a wide range of cruises heading south from Ushuaia to Antarctica.