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We spent nearly 3 weeks in BA and Iguazu and NE areas of Argentina. This was from T-giving to mid-Dec. of 2008. My daughter was studying there for jr. semester abroad. We did not rent a car nor did we fly anywhere.
Here are some highlights/suggestions:
--Consider renting an apt. while in BA. It is much cheaper than a hotel, and you feel like a real "porteno". I recommend www.byt.com. Great apt. choices in desirable locations throughout BA, and very reasonably priced. We rented two different apts. in Palermo, loved it!
--Iguazu Falls is a must! Spent one night there, at the Sheraton, the only Arg. hotel in the Iguazu park. Our room had a falls view. Pricey but worth it. Iguazu is spectacular and awe inspiring. Be prepared to take LOTS of pictures.
--We stayed 3 nights at Tacuapi Lodge in the Misiones district, NE area of semi-tropical rainforest. Tacuapi is absolutely fabulous, sort of reminds me of something out of Gilligan's Island. Just 4 or 5 cabins, nicely furnished and very "green"; hot water heater fueled with freshly chopped brush from the forest! Includes 3 wonderful meals daily, plus guided hiking thru the rainforest.
--Spent 2 nights in the Ibera Estuary (kind of like the Everglades). Stayed at Ypa Sapukai lodge. Also includes 3 meals and 2 guided boat rides thru the estuary, where we saw lots of animals (capibara and caymens) and birds.
--As for traveling around Argentina, we did not take airplanes. They always seem to be delayed and unreliable. I would recommend the Argentina intercity bus system. Very nice buses with fully reclining seats (turn into beds) in first class, with a bus attendant, movies, and food. From BA to Iguazu, it was 17 hours, but felt more like 4 hours. Slept most of the way. It's the only way to fly!
--We chose not to go to patagonia, and we are glad. Arg is a huge country, and you need to make choices about where you want to visit with the time you have. For us, going to Patag would have meant a long flight, with expected delays it could have been 2 full days traveling RT. There are closer places that are just as beautiful.
--You can't go wrong with food and wine in BA. Meat and steak are religions there! You can get an absolutely awesome steak dinner (all free-range, no hormones), with sides and great wine for $15-20 US! But vegetarians beware, there aren't too many choices other than pasta.
--While in BA, there's tango (see a show in San Telmo), day trips to an estancia (hokey but fun), Tigre (delta region south of BA, get there via train) and day trip via ferry to Colonia Uruguay, a must see!
--Last but not least, if you need a travel agent, you can't do any better than Isabel at Buenos Aires Tours (www.buenosaires-tours.com). She is highly personable, professional, experienced and knows BA and Arg very well. She lives in BA and loves what she does.
Argentina is a beautiful country, and a great value.
jasha7
Our recent trip to BA and Iguazu, Argentina
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Did you book the bus and hotel for Iguazu Falls through Isabel or did you do that by yourself?
jasha, that is www.bytargentina.com.ar
Glad you had such a good time in Argentina.. you sure did a lot !
chau! Scarlett
irecommend: I booked the hotel (sheraton iguazu) directly. Isabel arranged the bus.
Scarlett: You are correct about the website. Thanks for the clarification.
Its www.bytargentina.com
You can have Isabel book the hotel if you want. She ended up saving me enough that it was worth it to me.
Your trip sounds great. Just wanted to note that on two separate trips to Argentina we flew domestically and experienced no delays whatsoever.
Do you think it is necessary to use Isabel to just book the bus? She has written me that she has a flat fee of $200 US for her services.
My advice is to use Isabel to book bus, hotel, day trips from BA or other accommodations around Argentina. I booked apts. in BA myself from the BYT website, very easy. Her fee is well worth it.
Oh, I am already here and with the help of great fodorites have an apartment booked through ByT.
I could probably get the trip booked myself as well quite easily I think now that I have investigated it.
Hi - sounds like a great trip and similar to the one I have planned end of March. Question - did you get any vaccinations, specifically for travel to Iguazu?
Thanks!
Hello! I was in Iguazu in November - it was amazing and the highlight of a 2 week trip. I live in the states and we were "strongly advised" by our doctors to get a Yellow Fever vaccine - we also took malaria pills. My brother, who traveled with us, lives in Santiago, Chile and his doctor told him not to worry about the shots. However, he called me last week and reported that there have been a few Yellow Fever deaths reported in Brazil recently. In light of this, I would recommend the Yellow Fever vaccine before traveling to Iguazu.
Have a wonderful trip!
Jasha
Would you mind providing the names of which apartments you rented in Palermo - there are so many apartments listed on bytargentina...Plus, from other reviews (only a few) - some of the apartments are not so great. Thanks.
I looked at Bytargentina, but decided to use VRBO which is vacation rentals by owners. I have a really good map so I can see where they are and the deals are better, I think. Also you might not need to pay as much in cash. good luck
Any suggestions to which apartment to choose in BA ?
Which "gaucho party" did you go to? Was is at an estancia?
A couple of apartment rental websites
www.buenosaireshabitat.com
www.shortstayinba.com
www.apartmentsba.com
VRBO and Craiglist are also good .. you need to do some homework first and know which neighborhood you might like to be in, the city is so large and there are so many apartments for rent.
I do not eat red meat and I live here and do not eat pasta every day
It is easy to find other things to eat .. there are also many Many Ethnic restaurants as well as a few vegetarian places here..
rowlesjr, I didn't see the "gaucho party" comment but the OP did go to an estancia so that must be it. There are many estancias that the gauchos put on some sort of show. I personally would prefer the ones that you just see them at work .. a show seems to terribly touristy and not at all what they are about .. to me ..
There are estancias that you can visit from BA as a day trip and there are some that you can stay in overnight.. prices are across the board.
Remember... when renting an apartment here, you must pay a deposit and pay in USDollars, cash. Some places are getting easier about PayPal , not sure about credit cards but don't be surprised by if you are required to pay in full in cash.
Another excellent source for information, help and booking tours, guides etc...
http://www.batravelguide.com/
We are using Isabel and so far so good. Going in Feb. My kids found her and were very happy.
Does anyone have Isabel's email/website address, the link to her website provided by the op isn't working.
i have isabels e-mail as: contact@buenosaires-tours.com.ar
This is Isabel's correct website address:
http://www.buenosaires-tours.com.ar
Have a great time in our country.
hpranch and avrooster, thank you.
Agree with a lot of this, but disagree about Patagonia. It's spectacular and unbelievable. If you don't think you'll ever see, or walk on glaciers, in the future, I HIGHLY recommend the trip. We flew to Patagonia as well as to Iguazu, with no significant issues. Hiking amidst the glaciers was one of the peak experiences of my life. Walking on a glacier, being on a boat and seeing icebergs, and watching glaciers calve felt like being in a Disney movie. go south please!!