The Lowdown
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What:
A two-week trip, staying in four very different parts of Argentina, where you’ll have time to explore each area.
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Who For:
We’ve designed this trip for a couple, but like every itinerary we devise, we can change each facet to suit you whether it’s a family holiday, group of friends travelling together or a solo trip.
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When To Go:
If including Patagonia in an itinerary like this one, we’d recommend avoiding winter and visiting Argentina between October to March. Peak season is December to March which can get busy.
We think a country like Argentina deserves time and attention, so we’ve created an itinerary of three and four nights in four locations so you can delve deeper into its diversity of sights, not just the main hotspots. We’ve also added a variety of accommodation types so you can see breadth of what Argentina offers, although when you talk to us, we can match you precisely with the type of property you would like.
Highlights
• Stay in four very different parts of Argentina over two weeks, exploring at your own pace
• Soak up Buenos Aires’ vibrancy from arty barrios to atmospheric cemeteries
• Have dinner at a legendary tango club in San Telmo, Buenos Aires
• Experience the isolated beauty of Patagonia and hike around mountains and national parks
• Cruise into a glacier and admire its high, icy walls
• Enjoy tasting malbec and other fine wines in Mendoza, Argentina’s wine-growing region
• Marvel at the Iguazu Falls from several vantage points
• Explore the Atlantic rainforest, hiking the jungle and kayaking remote tributaries
BUZZY BUENOS AIRES
DAY 1-4
Flying directly into Buenos Aires you’ll be greeted by one of South America’s most buzzing and thriving cities. Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires is a portside city characterised by a mix of vibrant culture, rich history and a European influence.
For four days, you’ll explore the capital with a mix of activities. A guided walking tour will help you get your bearings, and you can meet some of the city’s oldest residents in the Recoleta Cemetery including the famous Eva Peron, the wife of Argentine President Juan Perón. La Boca is the arty barrio with its vibrant murals and artists at work. Exploring San Telmo, Argentina’s oldest barrio, you can browse antique market stalls and, in the evening, let us book you in for one of Argentina’s most evocative evenings – dinner at a revered tango club where accomplished dancers bring this tradition to life with verve.
"The gateway to Argentina, Buenos Aires is known for its thriving culture and buzzing nightlife."
STAY: Cassa La Page Art Hotel
Located in the San Telmo barrio of Buenos Aires, this comfortable hotel fuses art, history and a museum as well as a friendly welcome and spacious, bright suites for you to lay your head at the end of a busy day exploring Buenos Aires. The historic hotel has roots back as far as 1580 when it was a mere plot of land, today it houses a fascinating collection of colonial archaeology recovered from Buenos Aires.
REMOTE PATAGONIA
Day 5 - 7
From Buenos Aires you will fly down to El Calafate in Argentinian Patagonia to experience a completely different side to Argentina. Wild and windswept, Argentina’s most southerly tip is a land of glacial lakes, jagged mountains, ice fields, gushing rivers and pristine beauty, all around.
Ideal for those that like to get away from it all, the remote landscapes of Patagonia make for awe-inspiring adventures in the great outdoors, and particularly suit active travellers who love to explore on foot. With three nights here you can enjoy a variety of hikes around the mountain ranges and national parks, taking you far off the beaten track and you can also access the landscapes by mountain bike, four-wheel drive or on horseback. The Perito Moreno Glacier can be discovered by boat; cruising alongside the high glacier walls is an unforgettable experience and the boat can also drop you off to trek on the ice using crampons.
"Patagonia's ice-laden landscapes contrast beautifully with the gushing falls, colourful cities and wine country of your trip."
STAY: Eolo Patagonia
Cradled by the foothills of the mighty Andes Mountains, Eolo offers complete isolation in Patagonia, whilst at the same time giving you a comfortable base where you will be very well looked after. The team at Eolo will take care of your every need, including your daily excursions with expert guides so you can really get the best out of your stunning location.
MENDOZA & MALBEC
Day 8 -10
Change up your location once again with a flight into the heart of Argentina’s wine-growing region – Mendoza, located in Cuyo in the centre of Argentina, near the border with Chile. Framed by the Andes Mountains, Mendoza is presided over by Mount Aconcagua, the highest point in the Americas.
Mendoza itself is a charming colonial and art deco town, easy to wander around with its wide streets, parks with tinkling fountains, artisan shops and open plazas, and a couple of interesting museums including the Modern Art Museum and the Museo Historico General San Martin. But sooner or later, you’ll find your eye drawn to the landscapes of endless vines that provide the region with its robust reds including the famous Argentinian malbec. You’ll taste this and plenty of other whites and reds on a full day tour of the Central Valley, stopping for lunch and tastings at wineries. With a few extra days, you may like to cycle or horse ride to the backdrop of the snow-capped Andes, hike the rocky landscapes of the Parque Provincial National Park or treat yourself to a steak dinner in one of Mendoza’s traditional tavernas, with delicious red wine of course.
Traditional rural pleasures characterise your stay in Argentina's wine country, alongside sampling malbecs from the plentiful wineries."
STAY: Finca Adalgisa
This authentic wine hotel is in fact an old Malbec vineyard and is located right in the heart of the Mendoza Wine Route. Here you can partake in traditional Mendoza pastimes such as wine tasting in the small winery, drinking yerba mate tea, cooking with the chef to make empanadas and enjoying an authentic Argentinian asado (barbecue). With just 11 rooms, a garden and leafy pool area, it’s easy to relax at Finca Adalgisa.
MIGHTY FALLS
Day 10 - 13
The final chapter of your Argentine trip will be at the mighty Iguazu Falls, a cascading curtain of water that thunders over a precipice, banked by jungle on each side. There are numerous ways in which to take in the scenery. Wander the wooden walkways to a series of viewpoints; take a speedboat ride to the base of the falls, surging through cauldrons of frothing white water to Devil’s Throat, or rise above it all on a helicopter flight which offers unrivalled views of the falls from the air.
As you’ll be here for a few days, you can take in the falls at different times of day, plus you may like to head with a guide into the encircling Atlantic rainforest to spot wildlife such as tapirs, monkeys and puma. Another great activity is kayaking trip along the Parana River that separates Argentina and Paraguay, a remote stretch of water punctuated by a few fishermen and hemmed in by steep banks of thick jungle; take a turn down a tributary to find a waterfall and a clear pool for swimming. Relish these last few days before your homeward bound journey via Buenos Aires.
"As well as admiring the mesmerising Iguazu Falls, use your time here to explore the wildlife-rich Atlantic rainforest."
STAY: Awasi Iguazu
The finale of your Argentinian itinerary is a showstopper stay at Awasi Iguazu, where service, excursions and guiding are of the very highest quality. What is also an advantage is that Awasi help you get the most out of your experience, whether that’s rising at dawn to get you to the Devil’s Throat viewing platform before any other visitors or the day-to-day briefings with your private guide to determine the best activities for the day. A splurge at the end of your trip, Awasi Iguazu will not disappoint.
