bailey6325

Good morning!

DH and I are planning a trip to Argentina for late December/early January of this year. We're taking advantage of our companies closing during that time period for the holidays. I have a couple of initial planning questions regarding flights and itinerary. I'm kinda stuck with my planning and I'm hoping you'll be able to give me a kick in the right direction.

I've found direct flights out of Dulles to Buenos Aires for $1700 pp - leaving Dec 27 and coming back on Jan 8. What are your thoughts about these tickets? I've been keeping my eyes on fares for the past few months and I haven't found anything for less. I also love the fact that it's direct and only 10 1/2 hours.

At this point, it looks like we'll have about 10 nights or so in Argentina. How would you recommend that I split it up? From reading online and guide books, I feel that Buenos Aires, Colonia, and Patagonia are must-sees. I've made these decisions based on the weather and our interests. It seems like Salta may be too hot at that time and we're fascinated with the Patagonia area. I don't know how to begin with Patagonia. Do you have flight recommendations and itinerary suggestions - I would love to see the glaciers.

I appreciate any help you can offer. Thank you in advance.

Jen

avrooster

Hi, Bailey & DH!

Here's my "kick in the right direction"! LOL!!!

Not an expert on the subject, but, if you want a direct flight at that time of the year (quite popular), I feel you may well be unable to get anything cheaper.

Buenos Aires is, obviously a must-see.

avrooster

Hi, Bailey & DH!

Here's my "kick in the right direction"! LOL!!!

Not an expert on the subject, but, if you want a direct flight at that time of the year (quite popular), I feel you may well be unable to get anything cheaper.

Buenos Aires is, obviously, a must-see. You could award it maybe four nights, out of your possible 10.

I don't think Colonia is a must-see at all.

Patagonia is, particularly at that time of the year. You could go to Bariloche or Villa La Angostura and to Calafate, where the famous Perito Moreno glacier is located.

Fly LAN, is possible.

You may not find it easy to obtain hotel reservations at the most popular places, for your travel dates. If so, post here for ideas.

Have a great time in our country.

avrooster

My first reply is obviously incomplete. The system misbehaved. LOL!!!

tptr

<<<<Author: avrooster
Date: 10/07/2008, 10:35 am

My first reply is obviously incomplete. The system misbehaved. LOL!!!>>>>

I just think avrooster misbehaved!
tptr

bailey6325

LOL

Thank you for your replies. I think I'll go ahead and purchase the tickets. Sounds like I'll have us stay the first 2 or so nights in Buenos Aires as well as the last 2 or so nights. Then, we'll fly down to Patagonia and spend the middle 5 or 6 nights there. How's that sound for a start?

Now, I have to figure out where to spent our time in Patagonia...

Thank you so much. I'll probably be back with my questions once I do more research.

avrooster

Great start!

I already mentioned a few places you can research.

bailey6325

Yes, I agree - you've given me a great place to start. I'm looking into them right now and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions Thank you.

avrooster

BTW, Jen, when I said: "Fly LAN, is possible.", I meant: "Fly LAN IF possible".

soulskier

Jen, consider flying into Bariloche and spending your time in Nortern Patagonia and the Lakes district. There is a ton to do, here are some ideas.
http://barilochevacationrental.com/activities.php
Suerte!

victoriasefue

I have heard lovely things about El Chalten and El Calafate... the photos are unbelievable!

wanttogo

Jen:

Argentina is wonderful. You will have a great time! We travelled there a few years ago in early December and it remains a favorite trip. The memories of
Patagonia will be with me always, particularly the Petito Moreno.

We arranged our trip through Lost World Adventures in Atlanta (Andrew
Gilcrest). I highly recommend this agency for Latin American travel. Take a look at their website, www.lostworldadventures.com.
We took the most general itinerary and, although not a group tour, we were often picked up in the morning by a bus or van for the day's activities. We did customize our trip to stay longer in Buenos Aires at the end.

The agency can probably also book airline tickets from Dulles for you. We purchased those on our own.

Pat

Skiergirl

Been to Argentina 4 times and own an apt in BA. Definitely spend AT LEAST 4-5 days in BA. Then personally I would go to Bariloche and Mendoza. I have been to Igauzu Falls (during a drought so it sucked) and Salta which was boring (IMHO-I'm allowed!).

bailey6325

I really appreciate all of your replies. I bought the tickets last night, so that's taken care of. Right now, I'm pretty sure that we'll spend the first 2-3 nights in BA as well as the last 2-3 nights. With the 5-6 nights in between - I'm trying to figure out what's possible to see in Patagonia. Right now, we really want to atleast see the Perito Moreno glacier - how do you suggest we spend our remaining time in Patagonia? Is it possible to see both northern and southern areas? I don't have a good understanding yet about the logistics required to get around those areas. I'd rather not spend too much time on the plane...

avrooster

Jen, about your: "Is it possible to see both northern and southern areas?", do you mean northern and southern areas of Patagonia or of our country?

If you mean Patagonia, the answer is yes.

If you mean our country, the answer would be "not in that time frame", IMHO, as you say you'd "rather not spend too much time on the plane".

bailey6325

Yes, I mean within Patagonia. Right now, I'm basically trying to figure out how to best spend our time within Patagonia.

avrooster

Well, like I said before, I suggest Bariloche or Villa La Angostura, besides Calafate.

soulskier

Aerolineas flys Bariloche-El Calafate non stop. Could be a nice 1-2 punch.