Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina!
No, just crying because my trip to Argentina is over. Five weeks exploring the vibrant, colorful and spectacular country of Argentina
I’ve had the pleasure of spending the last few weeks traveling and working remotely throughout Argentina. Our DMC partner, Pure! Travel Group opened an office there this past year and I was eager to explore a new country and try out Pure’s new services. And I am so happy I did!
First things first—Argentina is BIG! I mean it is big big. It’s the 8th largest country in the world, has a population of over 45 million people and it’s long. It’s the largest Spanish speaking nation in the world. Since it is so big, it offers so much. It has rainforests, cities, glaciers, lakes, mountains, vineyards; it has “the end of the world” and so much more. To put it simply, it is extremely diverse.
I think the hardest part about planning a trip to Argentina is figuring out what you want to see. Since there are so many sights and topographies, it is important to know what you (or your client) want to experience and how to prioritize it. On this trip I visited Iguazu, El Calafate, Bariloche, Salta, Mendoza, and Buenos Aires. Other popular destinations include Puerto Madryn, Cordoba, and Ushuaia.
Argentina Fast Facts:
Money here is complicated. Using the blue dollar rate will save you and your clients around 50% on purchases. Don’t use a credit card on anything! I could spend 45 minutes ranting about this but trust me when I say using your credit card and ATM card here will cost you.
It’s below the equator so the seasons are switched! December to March is summer, and June through August is winter.
Dinner here is late! Most restaurants wont open for dinner until 8PM and many families dine around 10PM or so.
Every single Argentinian drinks mate. It’s like a tea that is loose leafed and is sipped through a filtered straw. Many people bring hot thermoses with them all over to continue to drink it throughout the day. It’s a huge part of their daily life. Argentinians share the mate with each other and it’s an extremely social part of their being.
Outside of Buenos Aires and Mendoza, the food isn’t as good. Be prepared for meat and potatoes. In Buenos Aires, the food is incredible!
Buenos Aires is the best city EVER. Between the restaurants, parks, tango, greenery, speakeasies, and people, I loved it!
Iguazu
Iguazu—located in northern Argentina and just a two-hour flight from Buenos Aires—is famous for Iguazu Falls! Iguazu Falls is the world’s largest waterfall system and one of the Natural Wonders of the World. Iguazu is in both Argentina and Brazil, though 80% of the falls are in Argentina. Brazil’s side offers a more panoramic view of while the Argentinian side allows you to get closer to them. I only had a day at Iguazu and spent it exploring the Argentinian side which has over 250 waterfalls! Unlike Niagara Falls or even Victoria Falls, you can spend the entire day here viewing different falls, taking all three circuits and having a nice air-conditioned lunch (especially during the summer!). While I didn’t make it to the Brazilian side, it offers a 10-minute helicopter ride over the falls and the Argentinian side offers a boat ride where you’re guaranteed to get drenched. The highlight of a visit to Iguazu is the Falls.
El Calafate
El Calafate is a 3-hour flight from Buenos Aires and a 2-hour flight to Bariloche. El Calafate is home to the most famous glacier of Argentina, Perito Moreno. Perito Moreno Glacier is the heart of Calafate and maybe even all of Patagonia. We did two days of excursions to visit glaciers, which were absolutely gorgeous and we had to constantly convince ourselves that what we were looking at was in fact real.
Highlights include:
A trip to Perito Moreno! You can either go visit the viewing platforms and walk around to see it from different vantage points OR hike Perito Moreno and get on top of the glacier.
A boat ride to visit Glacier Spegazzini for another day of glacier visits.
Walking around the downtown area to enjoy a beer at Cerveceria Patagonia or getting ice cream at the many heladerias.
A day trip to El Chalten for a day of hiking.
Bariloche
Bariloche is in northern Argentina and is known as the “Switzerland” of Argentina It’s a 2-hour flight from Buenos Aires or an hour and 45 minutes from El Calafate. Bariloche is an extremely special place for not only visitors but also Argentinians. It is very common for Argentinians to visit Bariloche when they graduate from high school. It is a stunning city with crystal clear lakes, beautiful mountains, a charming downtown, too many chocolate stores to name, and extreme sports! Either way, when in Bariloche you’ll want to be outside to enjoy the views.
Highlights include:
A day of relaxing at the beach (depending on the season!).
A day of white water rafting, kayaking or even scuba diving!
Hiking day! There are tons of peaks to visit and the best way to visit some is certainly by hiking.
Stay at the famous hotel Llao Llao which is right outside of Bariloche in the midst of gorgeous mountains.
Salta
Salta is in northern Argentina and while it is well known, it is not as well known as other parts of Argentina. Salta is a 2-hour flight from Buenos Aires and a 2-hour flight from Mendoza which can also be easily combined. We spent 3 days here exploring the best of the area and thought it was one of the highlights of the trip. Highlights in Salta included:
A day trip to Salinas Grande, a huge salt flat. While everyone associates salt flats with Bolivia, Argentina has one too. It’s about a 3-hour drive from the city of Salta but certainly worth it! We had the best time taking silly photos and even got to pose in a mate cup!
Close to Salinas Grande is Cerro de los Siete Colores, a mountain of seven colors. It was crazy to see—you could vividly see all of the colors and walking around the mountain showed us all of the colorful rocks from the mountain.
Visit Cafayate! The road trip there is absolutely stunning with beautiful red rocks and scenic points and once you arrive in Cafayate you have hundreds of wineries to visit. The wine is excellent. My favorite wine was made from grapes grown at two different altitudes.
Enjoy the nightlife. Instead of tango shows, there are tons of peñas throughout the city. Pick any restaurant and enjoy a show.
Mendoza
Now let’s talk about wine! Mendoza, Argentina’s wine region and the 8th best wine region in the world, is where travelers can go to enjoy the best glass of Malbec ever. Mendoza is about a 2-hour flight from Buenos Aires and a 1-hour flight from Santiago!
Highlights of Mendoza include:
Wine tours, wine tours, and wine and food pairing tours.
White water rafting or other extreme sports.
A city tour to visit the main square, large and beautiful parks, and the fountains that look like they have wine in them.
Buenos Aires
I am a world traveler, but I have to say that Buenos Aires might be my favorite city. It is a bustling, beautiful city with greenery all around, charming cafes, lively streets, the world’s greatest speakeasy bars, gorgeous parks and botanical gardens, the world’s most fun soccer team—Boca Jr, delicious cuisines, world class museums, and the tango! I spent 4-weeks in Buenos Aires and could write 30 highlights about the city so please reach out if you have questions or would like suggestions.
A small list of highlights include:
A tango show is a MUST! I was enamored.
If you can, go to a Boca Jr soccer game! It’s wild and incredible and the fans are the best fans in the world.
Spend a night of exploring speakeasies in Palermo. My favorites were Uptown and The Hole.
Learn all about Evita and Casa Rosada on a city tour ending with a visit to the famous Recoleta Cemetery.
Enjoy different cuisines. While I loved the steak in Argentina, some of my other favorite meals included Armenian, Sushi, and Italian.
Plan your trip during Carnaval! It’s a BLAST!
When it comes to Argentina, you can’t go wrong and you can only go right. It’s a phenomenal, friendly, and amazing destination. I spent 5 weeks there and could easily have spent more time. The only real recommendation I have is to visit it as soon as you can.
If you have any questions on Argentina or Pure! Travel Group please feel free to reach out to me at jessica@kainyc.com.