Argentina
Why go?
Argentina is immense, wild and incredibly welcoming. Spectacularly
beautiful and utterly untouched, it’s one of the very few
places in the world where you can explore extreme landscapes from
the comfort of luxurious small hotels and welcoming estancias,
combining your hunger for wilderness with a taste for fine food and
wine. There are tropical rainforests, immense glaciers, ancient
archaeological sites and snow-capped mountain ranges, shimmering
salt flats, vast plains, and high altitude deserts; stylish cities
like Buenos Aires, where chic boutiques and bars abound, and
pioneer towns like Ushuaia at the very end of the world. The
infrastructure is great for tourists, most people speak English,
and swift internal flights make it easy to travel around, so you
could combine two or three regions in a three week stay.
And the dramatic landscapes are mirrored in the dramatic people.
Argentines are amazingly friendly and welcoming to foreigners
(no-one will mention the Falklands war!) and they do hospitality in
style. Now recovering from economic collapse, the Argentines are
making the most of their country’s assets. There are superb
places to stay for adventurers and connoisseurs alike; from chic
boutique hotels to rustic estancias – and many are
amazingly inexpensive. If you can learn a little Spanish,
you’ll make friends for life. So stay longer than you think,
and really escape from it all.
Any Downsides?
You just can’t see it all in one trip. The distances are
huge, and the contrasts of landscapes are extreme. So take time to
explore each area, rather than cram in too much and feel rushed or
overwhelmed. Adapt to the slower pace of life in Patagonia and the
Andes, and be spontaneous with chance encounters: Argentines are
very sociable and love to welcome strangers. Avoid the peak summer
month of January if you can, when Argentines, Brazilians and
Chileans travel en masse. Book flights ahead throughout the summer,
and in Easter and July holidays.
Argentina is very safe, but take care wandering the streets of
Buenos Aires. Leave flashy jewellery and cameras in your hotel
room, and take radio taxis everywhere: they’re cheap and
reliable. There are no major health risks, but be up to date with
your tetanus and hepatitis A and B vaccines. Take insect repellent
to Iguazú, los Esteros del Iberá or the cloudforests
of the northwest. Malaria is rare, but check the current situation:
it’s probably not worth taking the tablets. Tap water is fine
to drink in Buenos Aires city, but drink bottled water elsewhere.
What's where?
- Argentine Patagonia: Wild, windswept, and unimaginably vast. Explore Southern Patagonia’s glaciers, the Atlantic coast’s wildlife or the end of the world in Ushuaia Read More >>
- Buenos Aires: Chic bars, superb restaurants, opulent baroque architecture, the melancholic sound of tango and Evita’s balcony at the Casa Rosada in Plaza de Mayo Read More >>
- Iguazu & Northeast: A lush region dominated by the immense falls but also home to subtropical rainforests, Jesuit ruins and a haven of wildlife in Esteros del Ibera Read More >>
- Mendoza: Snow-capped Andes, superb skiing, wonderful walking, the Valley of the Moon, emerald vineyards - and prize-winning wines to wow your senses! Read More >>
- Salta & Northwest: Another Argentina altogether - Andean cloud forest, shimmering salt flats, colonial cities, high altitude desert, pre-Incan ruins, empanadas & wines Read More >>
- The Lake District: Argentina’s most beautiful region of forest-clad Andes, jagged peaks, valleys, lakes and rivers. Heaven for hikers, with endless views and no crowds Read More >>
Current Weather – Time
Buenos Aires:
Click image for forecast