Argentina, the land of glaciers, tango, parrilladas and great wine!
- Alba
- Feb 12, 2017
- 6 min read
It's probably difficult to picture this amazing country without falling into stereotypes. Yes, the steaks and meats are indeed as good as any and the wine...what could I say about the wine? Excuse me France and Spain, but Argentinian wines are amongst the best I have tried so far!
We had started thinking about going to South America around November, my partner had already been in Argentina before so it hadn’t really crossed my mind. Instead, I had been rambling on about a trip to Costa Rica and Nicaragua. After some pre-planning we dismissed the idea and last minute we bought a return ticket to Buenos Aires. Exciting! Finally I would get to accomplish a desire to see Patagonia at its best.
Argentina is a very comprehensive country from the visitor point of view and it has lot to offer. Firstly, there is tropical weather in the North, scattered by wonderful rainforest. The region is home to the native guarani people, inhabiting as far as Paraguay, Brazil and parts of Uruguay and Bolivia. The region is called ‘Misiones’, missions, named after the Jesuit missions established in 1610 under Spanish Royal protection to Christianise the native population. A good movie to learn a bit more about this area is the 1986 film "The Mission" with Robert De Niro, Jeremy Irons and Liam Neeson.
The Argentinian East Midlands host the majority of the vineyards in the region named Mendoza which gives its name to most wines in Argentina. Mendoza is just at the foothills of the Andean mountains and offers a splendid landscape and a unique wine tasting experience.
Further North in Jujuy, a dazzling rocky landscape awaits as it makes its way into the Chilean Atacama desert just across the border. Salt flats in Salinas Grandes and colourful formations in Quebrada de Humahuaca are some of the appeals.
And Patagonia, I just can't describe it with enough justice! It’s a vast region that covers pretty much half of both Chilean and Argentinian territories. It contains the biggest reserve of fresh water in the world and some of the most astonishing landscapes you will ever see. From guanacos in the mountains, Maguellanic penguins in Punta Arenas or whales in the cold waters of Ushuaia, glaciers, peaks, and the Pampa, nature has been generous with this part of the world and so it will be with the visitor that decides to head south. Don't miss my post about Patagonia here
April is a good season to visit Argentina. Approaching Autumn season in the southern continent there are still good opportunites to explore Patagonia at its fullest and engage in some hiking to admire its most vivid landscapes.
Likewise, you will find mild temperatures in Buenos Aires and somewhat bearable conditions if you are heading North to the rainforest, where storms are frequent every time of the year.
Being honest with the time available to us our must see destinations included Patagonia, Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls. When you put them on the map you realise that they are actually quite far away from each other. It takes almost 4 hours flight from Buenos Aires to Patagonia and around 1.5h from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, so flying is essential if you don't want to waste full days on the road.
Here is our 2-week itinerary plan to Argentina, whilst this may not be the most suitable for you it worked really well for us:
Day 1. Flight London to Bs As via Madrid
Day 2. Buenos Aires
Day 3 - Day 7: Patagonia
Day 8: Flight Calafate to Bs As
Day 9: Buenos Aires
Day 10 - Day 12: Iguazu Falls
Day 13: Buenos Aires
Day 14: Flight Bs As to London via Madrid
If you want to know more about each destination, press the following links:
Buenos Aires
Iguazu
The reason we had non-consecutive days to visit Buenos Aires was that there is no direct flight from El Calafate to Iguazu. Most of the national flights go via Buenos Airesso we decided to give ourselves a rest and make our stopover longer. Although I initially had reservations about this, it ended up being a great idea! We had plenty of time to see the main sights (I say the main because Bs As is actually huge) without feeling rushed.
There are two airports in Bs As:
- Ministro Pistarini International Airport: or more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport. This is the main hub for international flights and the most likely place where you will arrive from your city of origin. Although a motorway connects the city to the airport, which is located about 30 Km away, the best option is to hire a transport service within the airport premises. It is not recommended to travel by any mean of transport offered outside the terminal as they are most likely to be illegal and therefore not safe. These are the shuttle options you will find inside the terminal:
a) Minibuses Tienda León: This company operates from and to Ezeiza and you can either book it as you arrive in the airport or online if you want to ensure a seat at a certain time. We did go for the first option and it was actually pretty easy to find. Before you come out of the passenger area, all the stands that offer transport service are aligned at the exit. The buses depart frequently and take travelers to the city centre or, to the Jorge Newbery Airport from where the internal flights depart. The one-way ticket is around 10 euros. If you require more info, click here
b) Taxis. The safest way to book your service is inside the terminal at the company taxi desks. The price can be around 25 to 30 euros as a pre-paid fixed fee to go to the city centre or the city airport of Jorge Newbury, known as Aeroparque.
c) Public transport: Contrary to what I am accustomed in Europe, I would not say the airport is well connected by public transport. However, if you really are short in budget you can grab a bus outside the terminal for 30 pesos, a mere 2 Euros fare. The downsides: you will need to leave the airport, move with your luggage outside and wait at the stop. The buses are called ‘colectivos’ in Argentina, number 8 and 51 go from the airport to the city and they can take between 1.5h to 2h. You need to tell the driver your destination and ask him to advise you of your stop. It is not a recommended option but it is very affordable. If you carry a lot of luggage, just forget about it because you won't be let on board, ‘colectivos’ are used by citizens to move around to their jobs or homes, so no luggage racks available.
- Aeroparque Jorge Newbury: This airport is literally at the centre of Bs As and the transport links are actually quite good. We were staying in San Telmo and on our journeys to the airport we experienced both the public bus and the taxi. Taxis can cost around 7 eur from San Telmo and perhaps 10 eur if you are staying somewhere a little bit further away. The bus is also an easy option, though again large amounts of luggage are not possible. On one occasion, whilst coming back from the airport on the bus we got absolutely cramped inside as we went past the financial district and a lot of people got on the bus at peak time, no different than the metro or tube at peak time! You will have to check which number is the one you need to catch depending on where you are staying.
If you are traveling by bus you will be required to use the smart card SUBE which you can buy and top up at kiosks around the city, stations and at the airport. Bus drivers do not accept cash!!
As internal flights go, whilst there are other airlines out there, we only experienced Aerolineas Argentinas. This is the national airline and a pretty good one. Everything went smoothly for us and all I can say is that the timing and the service is good.
Hope that post is useful and serves to help you plan your next trip to Argentina!!! Follow the next posts for more insights on my trip xx
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