Attractions of Argentina

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is one of the great cities of South America - a vibrant, cosmopolitan and culturally fascinating metropolis. It has a strong European influence borne from large scale immigration from Spain, Italy and France and some excellent and grandiose 19th century architecture along its wide avenues. Buenos Aires has several distinctive neighbourhoods. San Telmo is the artists quarter with some great restaurants and bars and a wonderful Sunday market. The Italian barrio of La Boca is famous for its colourfully painted buildings, street tango shows and the passion and spectacle of the football games of the Boca Juniors team. Palermo and Recoleta are the fashionable districts, the latter famous for the grandiose tombs at La Recoleta Cemetery, resting place of Eva Peron. Back in the city centre, Plaza de Mayo is surrounded by important historical buildings including the presidential palace, site of the mass demonstrations in support of Peron in 1945. It is at night when Buenos Aires comes alive though, with the bars, tango shows and nightclubs keeping the city pulsating until the early hours.

Iguazu Falls

Iguazu Falls can lay reasonable claim to being the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. Certainly, the sheer breadth of them, 275 distinct waterfalls across 2.5km, is without parallel while they are higher than Niagara Falls with heights of up to 80 metres. Located at the confluence of the Rio Iguazu and the Rio Alto Parana, the Falls can be viewed from both the Argentine and Brazilian side of the border - the Brazilian side gives great panoramic views, especially of the Devil's Throat area, with the Argentine side allowing you to get closer to the waters from above and below. The single most impressive waterfall is the Devil's Throat, reached on the Green Train or by a hike through the park. After walking across several bridges, you reach a platform right beside the spectacular and deafening cascade of water. Back towards the centre of the park, there are two circuits (Upper and Lower) that allow you to get very close to some of the other falls (Salto Bossetti is a particularly impressive and dampening experience) as well as giving some fantastic panoramic views. Depending on water levels, you can take a boat to Isla San Martin for a different perspective or a speedboat ride right up to the Falls themselves to get properly soaked. Iguazu is truly one of the must-see sights in the world and warrants extensive exploration of the National Park.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Iguazu National Park

Jesuit Mission of San Ignacio Mini

Five Jesuit missions were built in the land of the Guarani Indians in the 17th and 18th centuries, four of these are in present day Argentina and one in Brazil. The ruins at San Ignacio Mini are the best preserved of these. The missions were all laid out in the same pattern with a large open square surrounded by the church, residence of the Fathers and houses of the Indians. The Jesuits purpose was to educate the natives and convert them to Christianity and they also sought to protect them from capture and abuse from Spanish and Portuguese colonists.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Jesuit Missions of the Guaranis: San Ignacio Mini, Santa Ana, Nuestra Señora de Loreto and Santa Maria Mayor (Argentina), Ruins of Sao Miguel das Missoes (Brazil)

Mendoza is one of Argentina's most popular cities for travellers, who are attracted to its laid back atmosphere, wide leafy avenues and lively cafe and bar-laden plazas. The Mendoza region produces 70% of the wine made in Argentina and it's a great place to tour some of the major wineries and do wine tasting, particularly of the Malbec grape unique to Argentina. The spectacular mountainous landscapes around Mendoza are also ideal for trekking and horse riding.

Cordoba is Argentina's second largest city and a university town with a strong colonial history, dating back to its founding in 1573. The Jesuit Block in Cordoba is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising the university built around a central open space with a colonnaded courtyard, the huge domed church of the Society of Jesus with its richly decorated interior and the college. These buildings demonstrate the fusion of European and indigenous culture from this key period in Argentine history. The World Heritage Site also includes the Jesuit estancias of Jesus María and Santa Catalina outside the city. Cordoba's large student population (there are seven universities here) mean the city has a vibrant atmosphere and great nightlife. Just outside Cordoba lies Alta Gracia, where the young Ernesto Guevara lived - his former house has been converted into a museum focusing on his early life.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba

Salta

Salta is Argentina's colonial gem, a 16th century city with some magnificent historical buildings and set in a beautiful region that offers the chance to indulge in many activities. Salta's highlights include the 18th century Cabildo Historico (old town hall) and the 19th century cathedral, both on the main plaza, as well as the 16th century San Bernardo Convent and the gaudy facade of the Iglesia San Francisco with its huge spire. The cable car up to San Bernardo Hill affords superb views over the city and its surrounds. Salta also has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene, particularly in the Balcarce quarter. From Salta, many activities can be arranged in the surrounding area, including white-water rafting, abseiling, bungee jumping, paragliding and horse riding.

Quebrada de Humahuaca

The Quebrada de Humahuaca (Humahuaca Gorge) is located in northern Argentina along the valley of the Rio Grande from its source in the High Andes to its confluence with the Rio Leone 150km to the south. It has been a major cultural and trade route for thousands of years, known as the Camino Inca, and was used for 200 years to transport the silver mined at Potosi back to Spain. The valley features traces of several historical periods, from prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities, to the Inca Empire of the 15th and 16th centuries and the fight for independence in the 19th and 20th centuries. The scenery is this region is spectacular and the villages of Purmamarca, Humahuaca and Uquia are picturesque settlements in beautiful mountainous settings.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Quebrada de Humahuaca

Aconcagua at 6962 metres is the highest mountain outside the Himalayas and summiting the peak is one of the great trekking challenges in the world. Whilst not a technically demanding climb, the combination of high altitude, extreme temperatures and weather conditions and a long 12 hour climb to the summit make it a difficult experience that requires a high level of fitness and stamina. The whole trek will take the better part of 3 weeks to complete, which will include several days for acclimatisation, training excursions and equipment carrying. From the trailhead, there is a trek to the base camp at Plaza de Mulas (4350m). After resting here, there are staggered moves up to Plaza Canada (4950m), Nido de Condores (5500m) and White Rocks (5980m), with load carrying ascents preceding the final move between camps. The 12 hour summit is attempted from White Rocks at first light and rewarded with stunning views down the South Face and as far away as the Pacific Ocean on a clear day.

Ischigualasto and Talampaya Natural Parks are located in north-western Argentina and cover some 2,750 km². They contain the most complete continental fossil record known from the Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago) with a wide range of ancestors of mammals, dinosaurs and plants revealing the evolution of vertebrates and the nature of palaeo-environments during this period.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ischigualasto / Talampaya Natural Parks

The Tren a las Nubes, or Train to the Clouds, is a spectacular rail journey from the northwestern Argentine city of Salta to Chile across the Andes mountains. Built between 1920 and 1948 it originally served the borax mines in the area but is now a tourist heritage railway, having been reopened in 2008 after several years of renovation. Leaving Salta the train makes numerous switchbacks and spirals as it ascends the Quebrada del Toro before reaching the Altiplano at 4,220 metres, making it the third highest railway in the world. The line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels and 13 viaducts, the most impressive of which is the La Polvorilla, a curved viaduct which is 224 metres long and rises 70 metres above a broad desert canyon, an incredible engineering achievement. The train runs between April and November, taking 15 hours to do the 434km round trip.

Bariloche

Bariloche is located on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi and surrounded by the mountains, lakes and national parks of the Lake District. The landscape attracted many Swiss and German settlers, whose legacy is most notable in the huge number of chocolate factories and shops in the town. There are numerous hills near the town, which can be climbed on foot or chairlift, which offer spectacular views of the mountains and lakes of the area, in particular Cerro Campanario, 17km out of town. The national parks offer a range of outdoor activities, ranging from skiing (in season) to trekking, biking and kayaking while the town itself is a wonderful and picturesque spot to relax for a few days, with some great bars and restaurants.

The Península Valdés is located on Argentina's east coast in the province of Chubut. Covering 4,000 km², the peninsula has a 400km coastline with a variety of landscapes and habitats - gulfs, rocky cliffs, shallow bays, lagoons, mudflats, beaches and sand dunes. The peninsula is one of the most important wildlife reserves in South America, which can be explored from a base in the Welsh-influenced town of Trelew. Boat trips to the southern Golfo Nuevo between October and December allow you to see southern right whales, about 1,500 of whom come here each year to breed. There are over 1,000 southern elephant seals, in their only South American colony. The coastal area of Punta Tombo is the largest continental nesting ground of Magellanic penguin, with about 40,000 active nests in five colonies. The trail here allows you to walk through large numbers of the penguins to observe their behaviour up close. Other marine mammals on the peninsula include orcas and southern sea lions in addition to land mammals like guanacos, rheas and red foxes.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Península Valdés

Crossing the Andes

The lake districts of Chile and Argentina are beautiful regions with mountain lakes, national parks and the peaks of the Andes mountains contributing to make it an area of outstanding natural beauty. One of the great ways of experiencing this is to take the trip from Bariloche in Argentina to Puerto Varas in Chile across the Andes. This journey comprises boat trips across three lakes and four road journeys connecting them and the destinations. From Bariloche, the first boat is boarded at Puerto Panuelo to sail along Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Blest. A short drive takes you to Puerto Alegre for a short cruise on Lake Frias to Puerto Frias. Here you pass through Argentine customs and drive through the beautiful Perez Rosales National Park to Peulla, officially crossing the border en route. From Peulla, the final boat ride across Lake Todos los Santos takes you to Petrohue, where you drive to the destination of Puerto Varas on the shores of the stunning Lake Llanquihue. The trip also runs in reverse from Puerto Varas to Bariloche along the same route.

El Chalten / Fitzroy Mountains

The Fitzroy Mountains are dramatic peaks located at the northern end of Los Glaciares National Park. From a base in the frontier town of El Chalten, there are excellent trekking trails around the mountains, in particular to the base camps of Cerro Fitz Roy (3441m) and Cerro Torre (3102m). From the base camps, the views of these peaks, which attract international climbers, are spectacular and often shrouded in cloud. Laguna de los Tres is also an excellent destination, where the three main peaks of the range are reflected in the waters of the glacial lake. El Chalten is also a good base to explore the nearby glaciers, in particular the Viedma Glacier reached by a boat trip across Lake Viedma. Here you can don crampons for a trek across the surreal ice-scapes of the glacier and for the adventurous, grab a couple of ice-picks and attempt to climb a sheer wall of ice on the glacier.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Los Glaciares

El Calafate / Perito Moreno Glacier

Located at the southern end of Los Glaciares National Park, El Calafate is a busy seasonal town that is a base to explore the region, in particular the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier. One of the few glaciers in the world still expanding, Perito Moreno is an astonishing site and one of the highlights of South America. The glacier is over 30km long and 5km wide at its leading edge where it rise to between 60 and 80 metres in height. Inside the park, there are extensive walkways at several levels on the peninsula opposite the glacier's snout to which it advances and often nearly attaches. Here, you can get very close to the wall of ice and regularly hear thunderous cracks as great chunks of the glacier fall off and splash into the water. Other options of experiencing the glacier include boat trips to its base or a glacier walk with crampons and pick-axes.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Los Glaciares

Cueva de las Manos

Cueva de las Manos, or Cave of the Hands, is a fascinating collection of cave art located in the valley of the Rio Pinturas in the Patagonian steppe. Estimated to be between 9,500 and 13,500 years old, the art include thousands of stencilled outlines of human hands in addition to paintings of animals like guanacos and hunting scenes. The cave art is remarkably well preserved given its age and is likely to have been produced by ancestors of the hunter-gather communities of Patagonia encountered by the first European settlers.

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Cueva de las Manos, Río Pinturas

Tierra del Fuego National Park

Tierra del Fuego National Park was set up in 1960 and covers 63,000 km² of the island known as the 'Land of Fire'. The park consists of lakes, forest and tundra, set against a backdrop of ragged mountain peaks. The are open to the public includes several relatively easy hiking trails which provide a gentle introduction to the more challenging trekking in Patagonia. The coastal trail to and from Ensenada Bay is perhaps the most beautiful in the park. There is much wildlife in the park to watch out for, including Patagonian grey foxes, guanacos, sea otters, condors and other birds. The park is also the site where the great Pan-American Road ends, having begun far north in Alaska. An old steam train known as 'Tren del Fin del Mundo', which was used to transport prisoners to the penal colony in Ushuaia, can also be found in the park.

Ushuaia

Ushuaia is located on the island of Tierra del Fuego, across the Straits of Magellan from the South American continent, and claims to be the world's southernmost city. Formed as a penal colony in the early 20th century, Ushuaia today is a start or finishing point for tours of Patagonia and Antarctica. The city is located on the Beagle Channel, to the south, and surrounded by the peaks of the Fuegian Alps on all other sides, which are snow-covered all year round. The old prison houses a museum on life in the penal colony and a maritime museum exploring voyages to the Antarctic. Down at the harbour, a boat ride on the Beagle Channel gives the chance to see sea-lions and numerous bird species such as albatross and cormorant as well as Les Eclereurs Lighthouse Islands. In the hills behind Ushuaia, you can trek and chairlift to the Martial Glacier for superb views of the town and the Beagle Channel.