Argentina Information

Ever since Argentina started to recover from its economic crisis in 2001, Buenos Aires has opened its arms to tourists and the city has become a friendly spot to learn about an extraordinary culture, stroll along captivating streets, and enjoy good food and excellent wines. Its architecture (a mixture of the Spanish colonies and 21st century metropolis), and its vibrant cultural life have lead to frequent comparisons to European capitals such as Paris and Madrid.

Cordoba is a peaceful city at the heart of Argentina. Cordoba is the second biggest city in the country and unites history and present, with a mixture of colonial buildings, Jesuitical cathedrals and a vibrant night life, created by thousands of students who attend its public university, one of the country’s most recognized ones.

Mendoza is one of Argentina’s most important provinces. A couple of centuries ago national hero José de San Martin settled down in Mendoza and planned his campaigns to liberate Peru and Chile, which border the province to the West. Today, thanks to its natural wonders, Mendoza is one of the country’s principal tourist attractions with stunning landscapes of mountains, rivers and geological figures. Wine tours have also become very popular as there are almost 550 vineyards lying all across the province.

Salta is a tranquil city that lies in the north west of the country. Surrounded by dry rocky deserts to the west, wild green jungles to the northeast and wine vineyards down south, in Cafayate, Salta retains the charm of an age-old colonial outpost. Traditional Indian festivities take place in the small villages in the outer areas while huge European style basilicas stand prominently in the center of Salta. Famous to the region is the train in the 4,200 meter high Tren de las Nubes (Train to the Clouds).

The city of Bariloche is one Argentina’s classic tourist poles. Fixed between three big lakes and the highest mountains in the region, the list of things to do here is endless. Biking, horse riding, or just walking and breathing. But its absolute highlight is skiing during the winter season: the Cerro Catedral resort attracts visitors from all over South America. Bariloche is also famous for its chocolates, fruit marmalades, smoked delicatessen products and homebrewed beers.

Up North, only meters away from the border with Brazil and Paraguay, Argentina keeps one of its most precious natural gifts – the Iguassu Falls. The falls are within the Iguazú National Park, 17 kilometers away from Puerto Iguazú, the city that hosts almost all the hotels, restaurants, and tourist services. The park holds not only the catwalks from which the falls can be seen close by, but also a subtropical jungle environment, where a big variety of wild flora and fauna is conserved.

Whales, dolphins, penguins, sea lions, and thousands of different kinds of fish meet in the Peninsula Valdez, almost 1,400 kilometers away from Buenos Aires, and show their surprising nature to tourists from all over the world. From scuba diving in Puerto Madryn, Argentina’s divers’ Mecca, to going out on a boat from Puerto Piramides to see whales a few meters away, the area has much to offer. Here, where calm and crystal waters keep wild life at ease.

El Calafate, a small city that grew dramatically in the last years after the opening of its airport in 2000, is the main tourist pole of the area and is surrounded by magnificent estancias, who open their doors to visitors. Not far away is El Chaltén, a mountain village with a population of only 300 persons, that many call the National Capital of Trekking. The amazing Perito Moreno Glacier dominates the area and over the past decade has become one of the main attractions among visitors who come to South America.

Ushuaia is often referred to as the end of the world and is commonly described as the southerly most city on the planet. On the southest point of the province of Tierra del Fuego, lying on a bay on the shores of the Beagle Channel, which unites the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific, Ushuaia is a pleasant city to walk through forests and mountains, an interesting place to learn about its peculiar history, and an adventurous site to practice snow sports. Boat tours, fishing, trekking and an extraordinary sea food are also part of this far South experience.