Argentina Main Attractions
Patagonian Landscapes, award winning wine, romantic Buenos Aires...
Buenos Aires: Assuming that you need no encouragement to visit the city of Buenos Aires, we’ll tell you instead why we like it so much. Our idea of a perfect day in the Argentinian capital would involve a great deal of people-watching of 
the famously beautiful ‘porteños’. Leaving our stylish boutique hotel to begin the day at a pavement café, we’d move on to photograph the famous balcony of the Casa Rosada, wander around the cemetery where Eva Perón is buried, and might catch the flea market in San Telmo if timings were right. Refreshed by a maté or a cerveza, a tour of the colourful bohemian district of La Boca would be followed by a stroll down the wide leafy boulevards of Recoleta or a spot of shopping in trendy Palermo Soho. As for how to pass the evening? Steak, red wine and a tango show… or a football game… or the theatre…
Iguazu Falls: Move over Niagara and Victoria, these falls are the real deal. Viewed from either the Argentinian or Brazilian sides, they lend themselves uniquely well to spectators because the wide body of water is split by islands into over 200 separate falls and there are walkways and boat rides galore. The Devil’s Throat is the largest of the falls and therefore a highlight on the Argentinian side, and it is possible to stay in a hotel within the National Park 
itself, even overlooking the falls. We recommend at least two nights to enable trips across the border for the different aspect that this provides.
Esteros del Iberá: Tucked up in the north east corner of the country, just south of Iguazu, are Argentina’s wildlife-rich Iberá wetlands; this country’s equivalent of Brazil’s Pantanal and second in size only to them. From your remote eco-lodge you’ll float down rivers and through mangroves, surrounded by astounding numbers of birds and the capybara, anaconda and even the jaguar. This area is also rich in culture; visit the ruined churches and living quarters of the Jesuit missions that were so influential here.
Mendoza: A pleasant city with good hotels, accessible by road over the Andes from Santiago, Chile, or via short flight within Argentina from Buenos Aires, urban Mendoza’s appeal is of course dwarfed by the vineyards that surround it. The scenery is beautiful; the mountainous backdrop bringing to mind the Franschhoek area of South Africa, the climate is mild, sunny and reliable, and several wineries offer charming accommodation too. If you’ve over-indulged on the Malbec, you could always change the pace 
and climb Aconcagua; the continent’s highest mountain, just on the border with Chile west of Mendoza.
Estancias: For your slice of rural Argentina, nothing beats a stay in an estancia, or working ranch. Here you’ll see the breathtaking horsemanship of the iconic gaucho at work, herding cattle, or accompanying you on a gallop across the plains. Estancias are dotted around the country but our favourites are in the vast pampas grasslands just outside Buenos Aires, near Cordoba in the central sierra, and, for an altogether more rugged experience, in Patagonia.
These homesteads tend to belong to wealthy landowners, and have fascinating histories dating back several hundred years, often involving aristocracy. The best estancias are still family homes, with meals taken around the communal table, ancestors’ portraits on the walls, and several generations working the farm or exercising the polo ponies.
Within a few hours of leaving Buenos Aires, you can be checking into your chosen estancia; playing polo, swimming in the outdoor pool, or relaxing with a glass and the aroma of that night’s superlative beef
sizzling on the asado – so much more than a barbeque. In Cordoba and Patagonia, rides of up to a week can be arranged, with comfortable overnight camping and the most pristine of landscapes to roam through.
Salta & the Northwest: Flying northwest of Buenos Aires into the parched territory around the city of Salta lands you in a very different world from the one you left behind. Salta itself is a delightful colonial city of pretty churches, shady plazas and boutique hotels, but the landscape around it is one of gorges, cacti, dusty roads and sand cliffs. Breathtaking country to drive through, this area is much less visited than some other parts of Argentina and you really do feel a long way from urban civilisation as you visit the small town of Purmamarca or some of the world’s highest vineyards around Cachi and Cafayate.
Patagonia: In northern Patagonia, the town of San Carlos de Bariloche sits on the shore of one of the many beautiful bodies of water that give the Lake District its name. Its range of hotels is excellent and activities include hiking in summer, skiing in winter, and admiring the spectacular views of snow-capped volcanoes and shimmering lakes all year long.
Across the country, the Valdés Peninsula and the area around Trelew and Puerto Madryn is the spot for whale watching from your boat, penguin colonies and the Welsh town of Gaiman.
The showiest highlight of Argentina’s side of the southern Patagonian region is undoubtedly the Perito Moreno Glacier, reported to be the only ice wall in the world still advancing. Vast, noisy and awe-inspiring, the Perito Moreno can be visited from the town of El Calafate, or from a hotel overlooking the glacier itself. Further north, the trekking capital of El Chaltén is the starting point for routes around the Fitzroy mountain range, and down as far south as it’s possible to go without getting wet, the city of Ushuaia boasts the world’s most southerly pub
