Destination

Argentina

Argentina is the second largest country in South America. Argentina is a hugely varied country from the blistering heat of the Chaco in the north to the storms of Tierra del Fuego in the south. It is one of the few destinations with such varied options of choice to visit. From visiting national parks for an outdoors adventure, seeing the wide range of wildlife from mammals to birds, visiting the huge waterfalls or traveling down the coast of Patagonia.

Visit the heart of Argentina, the capital Buenos Aries has been known as the Paris of South America. It is rich in history and home to the fabulous tango. The streets are full of a fabulous mix of stunning architecture, fine restaurants, great art galleries and a good Latin feel on the streets. It is recommended to have a few days there to appreciate all it and must include a visit to the boutiques and coffee shops.

The Iguazu Falls has the largest flow of water of any waterfall in the world. The Argentina side offers access to 'The Devils Throat', an enormous chasm with a horse-shoe shaped cascade tumbling 80 metres (270 feet) just beneath the viewing platforms. If you are interested in nature, the falls are in sub-tropical rainforest and therefore offer an excellent opportunity to see a wide array of wildlife including caimans and many bird species such as toucans and parrots.

Visit the northwest of Argentina and see the city of Salta. It is a fine choice for colonial architecture, as it was originally constructed as a commercial and military strategic point between Lima in Peru and Buenos Aires. There are many surrounding towns to visit to get a feel for the aristocratic past.

If you want to taste the wine of Argentina, and be at the foot of the Andes, a visit to the beautiful city of Mendoza is a must. Full of vineyards, interesting culture and beautiful countryside.

San Carlos de Bariloche, is an all around the year hit, with skiing options in the winter and outdoor adventures in the summer. It is one of Argentina’s most beautiful regions. With loads of breath-taking landscapes full of forests and lakes, offering a great outdoors experience. With fly-fishing, hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, cycling and golf.

Looking for a cooler experience with glaciers and some of the world’s most challenging peaks, southern Patagonia is the place to go. In the very south of Patagonia lies the city of Ushuaia keeping watch over the Beagle Canal, and the gateway to both Cape Horn and the seventh continent of Antarctica.

When to visit

The climate ranges from subtropical in the north to cold temperatures in Tierra del Fuego in the South. From mid-December to the end of February, Buenos Aires can be extremely hot and humid, with temperatures from 27-35 °C (80-95 °F). The city practically shuts down in late December and early January, as the residents leave on their holidays. Autumn (March-May) is the recommended time to visit as well as Spring (September-October). Northeast Argentina is best visited in Winter (June-August) when its cooler and drier. Winter is a good time to visit Northwest as well, however routes to Chile across the Andes may be closed by snow during this period, so spring and autumn time is recommended too. If you want to visit the Lake District, it is best to do so in Spring and Autumn. Ideally Patagonia (South of Argentina) should be visited in December or February-April, avoiding the winter months.

Argentina Destinations

Buenos Aires

Often referred to as the Paris of South America and home to the fabulous tango, Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan capital and rich in history. This sophisticated city merits several days exploration through the colourful dwellings of La Boca, the shopping district of Recoleta and the tango venues in San Telmo.

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Mendoza

At the foot of the Andes, Mendoza is a dynamic, attractive city surrounded by vineyards and a region known as the land of sun and good wine. Mendoza was completely destroyed by an earthquake and fire in 1861 so the city today is modern with low buildings and wide avenues with many trees, parks and plazas. The main industry in the Mendoza area is wine making. Another important industry is olive oil production. It is the starting point for climbers heading up to Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, or for other mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding and rafting activities. In the winter, skiers come to Mendoza for the city’s easy access to the Andes. From Mendoza you can take one of South America’s great road journeys to Santiago in Chile, along this route there is a good view of Aconcagua.

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Iguazu Falls

Four times wider than Niagara Falls, the mighty Iguazu Falls are the most overwhelmingly magnificent in all of South America. Surrounded by beautiful subtropical rainforest these falls are one of the most impressive natural wonders of the world. Viewed from below, the tumbling water is majestically beautiful in its setting of begonias, orchirds, ferns and palms. Above, the impact of the water hovers a perpetual high cloud of mist in which the sun creates blazing rainbows. Frequently seen in this area are toucans and parrots along with at least 500 different species of butterflies. The falls can be viewed from both the Argentine and Brazilian sides and we recommend a minimum stay of 2 nights so that you appreciate the area and the see the falls from both sides. If you have time we recommend spending a further two nights in the area so you can stay at Yacutinga Lodge in the middle of the rainforest, with activities learning about the Guarani culture, the bird and plant life.

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Salta and the Northern Highlands

This surreally beautiful northwest province punctuated by mountains and canyons also offers first-rate wineries, superb colonial architecture, and miles of open road. Situated in the Lerma Valley, the Hispanic architecture of the city of Salta stands out from other cities in the country. The colonial spirit from the times of the foundation remains in its houses, streets, hundred-year-old monuments and narrow sidewalks surrounded by the nearby Andes mountains.

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Bariloche

Argentina’s Lake District is a beautiful area of glacial lakes, emerald forests and extinct snow-capped volcanoes. Often compared to the picture-perfect scenery of Switzerland because of its clean, crisp air, abundance of flowers and glittering waters and by the chalet-style architecture established by the early German and Swiss settlers, this region nonetheless has very distinct flavour that is all its own.

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Peninsula Valdés

Located on the northeast of Chubut province 77 km from Puerto Madryn. With elephant seal and sea lion colonies, breeding grounds for the Southern right whales, penguin colonies, dolphins, guanacos, rheas, armadillos and Patagonian hares, the Peninsula Valdes is a spectacular region for wildlife. Whales can be seen from June to December, particularly interesting with their young during September and October. Orcas can be seen attacking seals in February and March. The sea lion breeding season is from late December to late January but visiting is good up to late April. Elephant seals can be seen all year round, the best time is September and October during the breeding season. Penguin viewing can be carried out between September and March and dolphins can be seen between July and March. Land animals and birds can be seen all year round.

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Los Glaciares National Park

Venture into the ice-capped wilderness of Argentine Patagonia. This park of 4,460 square kilometres is the second largest in Argentina and is covered by ice fields from which 13 major glaciers descend into two lakes, Lake Argentino and Lake Viedma. Close to the lakeside resort of El Calafate are several towering glaciers, which creak and moan as they deliver icebergs into the lakes below. To see this, almost within touching distance, is one of nature’s most incredible experiences. The Park is a popular with trekkers and climbers during the summer months. El Calafate is linked by road with Puerto Natales allowing easy access to Torres del Paine National Park in Chile.

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Tierra del Fuego

At the very end of the world and at the Southern end of Patagonia lies its last remaining wilderness, the island of Tierra del Fuego.

The eastern half belongs to Chile, the western half to Argentina. The Chilean side is an almost wild expanse of sheep farms and mountains, dotted with remote lagoons, including Lago Blanco which offers the world’s best fly fishing. The only settlement on the Chilean side is the tiny town of Porvenir.

In contrast, the Argentine side boasts a welcoming city with a splendid setting: Ushuaia, which nestles below the mighty Darwin Range at the very end of the Andes. The city looks out over the green Beagle Channel with the rugged peaks of Isla Navarino beyond. The brightly coloured houses look like toys against the dramatic back drop of the snow covered Cerro Martial to the north. Although the town has expanded in recent years, sprawling along the coast, it still retains the atmosphere of a pioneer town, isolated and expectant. Along to the east, along a beautiful stretch of coastline is the historic estancia of Harberton, which you can reach by a boat trip along the Beagle Channel, viewing islands of basking fur seals along the way.

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Argentina Highlights & Itineraries

Andean Circuit

Explore the Andes from central Chile and work your way down to the Chilean Lake District before you cross the land border with Argentina to reach Bariloche, where you'll spend a night, followed by a flight to Buenos Aires for a couple of nights.

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Carménère, Malbec and Tannat

Discover the prominent wines of Chile, Argentina and Uruguay on this 12-day tour covering Santiago (Chile), Mendoza and Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Colonia del Sacramento (Uruguay).

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Journey to the Glaciers

Patagonia is a vast and scarcely-populated wilderness of outstanding natural beauty which straddles the Andean border of southern Chile and Argentina. It is a primeval land of towering granite peaks, frontier-bending expanses of windswept pampa pitted with sparkling glacial lakes, and a huge domed sky which can be egg-shell blue calm or torn apart by angry clouds. This adventurous and economical private holiday will introduce you to this most extraordinary landscape, bookended by a few days in the two cosmopolitan capitals, Santiago and Buenos Aires.

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Naturally Argentina

We highly recommend our 7-night Amazon River Expedition Cruise on the Aria Amazon where you may experience our most luxurious and comprehensive Amazon journey among the Amazon River’s two powerful tributaries: the Marañon and the Ucayali, as well as several hidden black water lakes.

Kayak, canoe and swim in these unspoiled black waters, keeping eyes peeled for the Amazon’s legendary pink dolphins.

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Andean Triangle

Spend 15 days across Chile, Bolivia and Argentina as you explore the Andean plateau across these countries.

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Explore Patagonia

Your trip begins and ends in cosmopolitan Buenos Aires, considered to be Latin America's most European city, with its wide boulevards, colonial architecture and café society. Fly onto the Alpine-style resort town of Bariloche in the lake district, where you can explore the snow-dusted mountains, lakes and evergreen forests along gentle walking trails. From here you continue south to the windswept landscape of Patagonia, where you get up close to the vast Perito Moreno Glacier, which calves huge chunks of ice into the water below. El Chaltén is the jumping off point for explorations of the Fitz Roy region of Patagonia, which offers you the chance to admire some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on the continent.

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