The home of the sultry tango - and also a land of wide open spaces, towering mountains and volcanoes, rainforests, desert, glaciers, and much of legendary Patagonia. Wildlife ranges from penguins to toucans to monkeys. But it is the hospitality of her people that you'll remember most.
Places of Interest
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is a cosmopolitan city known for its sophisticated residents - "porteños", its café culture, and the tango. You will find interesting architecture, shopping, handicrafts from the provinces, good theater and music - Teatro Colón is world renown -- and excellent museums. If you are there on a Sunday you must spend time at the Silver Market on Dorrego Plaza in San Telmo.
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Estancias
Discover Argentina by staying in estancias, or ranches, sampling a traditional way of life. The great agricultural wealth of Argentina is found in the network of ranches that cover practically the whole country. Some of the owners welcome guests to sample a traditional way of life. Each region has completely different types of ranches, adapting to the environment and to its historic heritage. While visiting an estancia you may participate in the activities of the estancia - horseback riding, walking, or relaxing by the swimming pool. In addition, estancias are often located near other attractions - offering explorations into towns, villages, mountain retreats, or resort areas with watersports. You will share your meals and conversation with members of the family and other guests. Estancias near Estancias Aires in the Pampas are usually grand European-style mansions placed in the heart of the rich humid plains of the pampas. These seemingly endless grasslands are dotted with lakes, ponds, and wetlands and have a surprising abundance of wildlife, including diverse bird life. These estancias generally breed cattle and horses, especially for polo.
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Iguazú Falls & Northeast
Iguazú Falls One of the world's most spectacular waterfalls, Iguazú Falls has more than 200 different waterfalls crashing over a 230 foot basalt cliff. In this protected sub-tropical rainforest you'll see many species of butterflies, plants (orchids in October) birds, and wildlife. You must see the falls from both sides (Argentina and Brazil)!
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Bariloche & the Lake District
Argentina's Lake District is filled with brilliant blue glacier lakes, snow-capped volcanoes, and lushly forested mountains. Bariloche is a well-developed resort town with good restaurants and shopping. Outside of town you'll find great hiking, fishing, and horseback riding!
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Los Glaciares
Perito Moreno is the largest of more than 300 glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park, and it's one of the few in the world still advancing! Patagonian wildlife also abound here - guanaco, flamingo, rhea, and condors, to name a few.
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Tierra del Fuego
Here you have arrived at the end of the world! Ushuaia has a real pioneer character. Be sure to visit the "museum at the End of the World" and also sample the local king crabs. Consider a visit to Estancia Harberton (made famous in Bridges') The Uttermost Part of the Earth," for a glimpse of the early settlers' lifestyle
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Peninsula Valdés
On the northeastern corner of Patagonia's Atlantic coast, you'll find typical Patagonian scenery of arid steppes, large estancias, and isolated towns. The ocean is a brilliant blue. This region is home to penguins, southern right whales, elephant seals, and sea lions. Stop in Gaiman for a traditional Welsh tea and to learn the story of the sturdy Welsh colonists who arrived in the late 1800's.
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Northwest Argentina
The high Andean altiplano is harshly beautiful, with striking rock formations and gorges where it is said "God created his palette." Here you may find pleasant colonial cities, small Indian villages, and archeological sites that reveal only some of the secrets of the Incas and those who stood against them. Visit here between March and December.
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Mendoza
Located in a major wine-growing region of Argentina, Mendoza is a modern city with a colonial heart -- the streets are lined with trees and bordered by the canals built to bring water down from the Andes, and there are pleasant plazas. In Mendoza province, the Andes reach their highest point at Mt. Aconcagua (23,000 ft). A "mecca" for mountain climbing with its two "big peaks," the Aconcagua and its eternal rival the imposing Mercedario - this region offers countless possibilities for horseback riding, rafting, trekking and hiking. In addition you may indulge in thermal baths at hot springs and wine tasting in countless wineries, which are becoming famous all over the world.
Some of the most spectacular geological formations and deserts on Earth are to be found in the impressive landscape that encompasses La Rioja, San Juan and Catamarca. Here, the soft earth (mostly sandy red soil), the extremes in temperature and water and wind erosion have wrought curious and impressively beautiful formations over a wide area. These same climatic conditions and the prevailing dryness have helped to preserve important fossil beds such as those found in Ischigualasto (also known as " Valley of the Moon" due to its extra-Earthy air). In the past, the indigenous people adapted marvelously to the rigorous habitat, seeking out its more humid areas to establish their villages and erect their ceremonial centers. Eloquent proofs of this are the many petroglyphs, ritual mortars, and burial grounds found all along the imposing Talampaya Canyon, with its 550-foot-high red sandstone walls.
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Cordoba
Cordoba, in the Andean foothills, was colonized by the Spanish before Buenos Aires and was the cultural center of the region. The first schools and universities were founded here, and today Cordoba is Argentina's second largest city, a bustling commercial center with a lively cultural life. The surrounding hills hide both wildlife and cultural jewels including the wonderfully preserved footsteps of the Jesuits. Added attractions of the area are: painters´or writers´ateliers lost in the hills; peculiar museums isolated in the valleys; pre-Columbian petroglyphs; abandoned gold mines; countless sites for trekking, hiking, cycling, horse riding; stays at luxurious estancias, villages of German, Italian and British immigrants and non-conventional communities which have settled here in search of a more natural, healthy and spiritual existence.
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