We are planning to fly from BsAs to Bariloche, then on to Calafate. We have 7 nights before our departure for the states from BsAs. Our question is, would it be better to stay in Bar. only and rent a car and go to Villa la Angostura, then on to San Martin de los Andes and not go to Calafate? But we would love to see the glaciers as well. HELP!.
There is so much to see!! We are very excited to be going. Also, has anyone been to Cordoba? We will be in BsAs for 3 nights on the front end of our trip. You all have been so informative!! Melanie
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At what time of the year are you coming?
Hi, and thanks for your reply. We are arriving in BsAs Feb 19 and leaving March 3rd, spending 3 nights in BsAS and 2 nights in Iguazu. It's the next 7 nights that we have to decide on..any help would be greatly appreciated! Mel
All right Mel, here I am!
This is a matter of taste, that's why it is so difficult to give advice about it.
What I would do is fly to Bariloche, rent a car and look around, as you suggest. Research the car rental costs, because unlimited mileage is not standard fare here.
I feel that if you include the glaciers you will spend too much time going from one place to another.
I'll be vacationing in Bariloche at that time, so maybe we can meet. You can write to me at albertovgallo@yahoo.com
You can also write to Santiago Bengolea to slbengo@ciudad.com.ar with this question. Until a couple of days ago he was the LOCAL EXPERT for tripadvisor.com I believe he is now posting on flyertalk.
He offers a boat tour in our Delta. Look it up in www.barbacharters.com.ar
His advice is free. His boat tour obviously is not.
Go ahead and ask me anything else you want.
Good morning and thanks for your input! You might be sorry that you said ask away!! I will emailslbengo and barbacharters.
My husband just put a fly in the ointment..He heard Punte del Este was very nice. Should we even consider that at the end of our trip and take off 2 days from Pat. visit so we can go ther??
I hate to miss the glaciers!
Mel
OK, Mel, as I said, it's a matter of taste.
I know some people like to "DO" a lot of places, just skimming the surface and spending a lot of time in airports. I don't like that. But it's YOUR trip.
Punta del Este is a very nice Uruguayan beach town, more expensive than Argentina.
You have to realize you cannot DO all of it, Buenos Aires, Iguazú, Bariloche, Villa La Angostura, San Martín de los Andes, Calafate and Punta del Este with the time you have. So, you have to choose.
Ask Santiago and he MAY help you make up your mind about which places to choose. While in Buenos Aires, you may enjoy his boat tour.
If you decide to go to the Bariloche area, I'm serious about having you for lunch or dinner at my place, so consider it.
We will certainly be in Bariloche and would love to see you! Thanks for the invite! You are so right about not skimming the surface..so will mull this all over and decide.
You have been really helpful! I did email Santiago.
Mel
All right Mel, you have my e-mail.
I'm planning a similar trip in Nov. What hotel are you staying in BA and how much in us dollars. Thanx alana
We are staying at the Art Hotel in the Recoleta area. It is a small boutique hotel which we like, and the price is right ($65) and it looks charming. If you book early you have a better choice of rooms as some are very small. Look at their web site: www.arthotel.com.ar
We just returned three weeks ago. We much preferred both Calafate and San Martin de los Andes to Bariloche. The Perito Moreno glacier near Calafate is one of the world's great sights. Bariloche struck us as crowded, full of traffic, difficult parking, and with really tacky souvenir shops. We had the only bad restaurant experience of 4 weeks in Argentina and Chile in Bariloche. But San Martin is charming, quiet, beautiful, and with good food and nice people. We'd go back there in a minute.
jeanfromboston's "Bariloche struck us as crowded, full of traffic, difficult parking, and with really tacky souvenir shops." is a perfect example of going to the right place but staying at the wrong place, if you see what I mean.
I have gone several times to the Bariloche area during the last few years and I'm going again in a few days, but I try to NEVER go into town.
In fact, we rent a house on one of the lakes, about an hour out of town and only go near Bariloche to shop for food.
My advice: if you go to Bariloche, do not stay in town and rent a car.
What are your interests? If you're looking for great hiking and outdoor activities, then I can heartily recommend El Calafate (and by extension El Chalten). The Perito Moreno glacier is certainly worth a visit, especially if you take a full day tour that involves a bit of hiking and the boat ride on the lake. You can even take a tour that takes you hiking on the glacier itself. After a full day at Perito Moreno, you could take the bus to El Chalten and stay there a few nights. This small town is the gateway to Parque Nacional Los Glaciares and there are great hikes up into the park with fantastic views.
Here are a few pics:
http://www.pbase.com/escog/argentina
Thank you Jean for your input and thank you all!! Sounds like Bariloche is a "jumping off point" and we will take that under advisement.
I think we don't want to miss Calafate and the glaciers. Not sure if we are much for a lot of hiking, but some would be fine!
El Chalten sounds intriguing too. Thanks!
Avrooster, I heard back from Santaigo and his input was most valuable! Muchas gracias!
Mel
You DO realize the previous post is commercial, don't you?
Um, just out of curiosity, Avrooster, which post do you consider commercial? Not mine, certainly?
I am selling no products or services, nor did I make specific recommendations for any companies. The website I listed is a personal site of my own pictures.
I must apologize for my mistake. Lifelist does NOT sell anything and offers this forum some beautiful pictures.
You should definately not miss the glaciers. It's a must. I just returned this week from Argentina. We spent 12 days in the Patagonia region and just fell in love with it. In Bariloche we did a tour that goes to the Arrayanes Forest and Isla Victoria. The forest is the only one in the world of it's kind. And Isla Victoria is just very beautiful to walk. They have trees from every continent in the world. In El Calafate there are two tours you shouldn't miss. One is the tour of the glaciers. It's a whole day and you get to visit three glaciers plus you get to navigate between icebergs. If you like trekking, you can also do a mini trekking on Perito Moreno. They take you to see the glacier from different views (land, boat, etc.). Then you go to a point where you start your trekking over the glacier. You walk for over 1 hour and a half on ice. While you're on the glacier they give you a glass of whiskey with glacier ice and a chocolate. We also went to Ushuaia. It's the farthest city to the south in the entire world. They have a nice tour you can do on the Beagle Channel (famous because Darwin passed through there when going to the Galapagos). There you can see sea lions and penguins on their natural habitat. In Bariloche, if you stay outside the city, you should at least go there for a few hours (I didn't see much traffic). The Civic Center and the Cathedral are very cute, plus, if you like chocolate, you'll feel you're in heaven with all the stores. There's even a supermarket of chocolate (El Turista).
In El Calafate we stayed in El Mirador del Lago Hotel. It was excellent. They even organize you your picnic luch for the mini trekking over at the Perito.
One trip that I REALLY DON'T RECOMMEND is the crossing of the lakes to Chile. The views are stunning, but the service is the worst. We had one of our worst experiences doing that trip. I'll be posting a message soon about it. It was a nightmare. Otherwise, the tours in Bariloche, El Calafate and Ushuaia are extremely organized.
In Buenos Aires, don't forget to go to the Tortoni Cafe. I always love it. If you need more information on any of these places, I'll me more than glad to answer any questions. Good luck!