Argentinean tango: recommendations for travels in Argentina

[fan]

Hi All,

After a lot of hemming and hawing, i booked a trip to argentina for 3 weeks from 23 December to 11 January. Looking for recos on what to do - I like nature, culture, beaches, food (but I'm not a wine lover, so I'll skip mendoza). Any and all recos would be very welcome!

Thanks!

Fan

[Squibble]

First, read up as much as you can (fiction and non-fiction) before you go. Three non-fiction books I can recommend on Patagonia are In Patagonia, by Bruce Chatwin. Dusk on the Campo, by Sarah Mansfield Taber, by Anne Whitehead. You should also read some Borges.

In terms of guidebooks, I recommend The Rough Guide. The Footprint series is also very good for South American countries.

In Buenos Aires, there are good museums and restaurants, but the most important thing is to walk, walk, and walk, not just in the center and Recoleta, where everyone goes, but neighborhoods like San Telmo (seedy), La Boca (seedier), Palermo (chic), and Chico Palermo (even more chic).

Make sure to go across the River Plate for at least a day trip to La Colonia, and possibly a night there and a night or two in Montevideo. The old town fo La Colonia is a UNESCO World Heritage site, full of eighteenth-century Portuguese and Spanish architecture.

To the north, there is, of course, Iguazu and the beautiful waterfalls. You should stay at the falls if possible because the towns on either side of the river there are nothing remarkable. The Brazilian side of the falls is quite small, with spectacular views, but the Argentinean side has miles of footpaths for exploration. It's possible to do a three-country tour in one day, also going to the Itaipu Dam (one big crime against nature) and Ciudad del Este (Tijuana with duty-free shops), but the falls are what make the trip worth doing.

There are two important nature reserves on the eastern coast of Northern Patagonia: the Valdes Peninsula (noteworthy at the time you will be there for its seal population) and Ponto Tomba (a very large penguin colony). These can be seen on day trips out of Peurto Madryn, Trelew, or Rawson.

The area around Bariloche in western Central Patagonia is also famous for its nearby wilderness areas.

Farther south, is the truly spectacular Los Glaciares National Park, with the famous Perito Moreno glaciar and good hiking around El Chalten and Cerro Torre. The Torres del Paine National Park, just over the border in Chilean Patagonia, is perhaps even more spectacular.

If you are traveling on your own and want to see the national parks of southern Patagonia, I would recommend you consider going with an adventure travel group. This can be arranged with a company based either in North America or South America. Feel free to send me a private message if you want to no more about this.

Two few things to know about Argentinean food:

First, the beef can be delicious, but always order it jugoso (rare), or it will be cooked amost to a crisp.

Second, Argentinean (and Uruguayan) ice cream is delicious and especially refreshing on a sweltering January afternoon.

Have a great trip!

[fan]

ahhhh, thank you so much!!! keep em coming!

[D&Sfan4ever]

Hi
I'm so glad you decided to come to my country!
Don't you dare skipping Mendoza, it's a beautifull place, Mendoza tourism go and see the Aconcagua, America's highest mountain, you can go rafting, rappeling and all sorts of outdoor activities there.
Buenos Aires is a given, of course, you can take a bus that takes you to a lot of important historical and cultural places in the city, like the barrios of San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo and La Boca, and museums like The Malba, but if you can spare an extra day, go to the Delta del Tigre, it's beautifull and only 40' minutes by train from the center of Buenos Aires.
Of course, you should go to the Patagonia, at the very least to the Perito Moreno Glaciar and to Usuhaia "the city at the end of the world".
The north of Argentina is also very nice, but nothing new if you have already visited places like Peru or Bolivia, except maybe for the jungles at the Salta province.
Oh, I was forgetting, go to the Iguazu falls, I went there a year ago and loved them.
I am sure I'm forgetting a lot of the great places to visit here
As far as food, you have to have a proper asado, and a locro would also be great.
Beaches...well...I have 2 confess, we do not have anything like the caribean beaches, but the ones at Pinamar or Mar del Plata are not bad.

If you need anything, send me a PM and I'll see what I can do.

I hope this helps you.