2 1/2 weeks Argentina/Brazil Itinerary
 

I'm planning a trip for 4 girls in our twenties to Argentina and Brazil in July... working from a budget.

Our plan is to do:

Buenos Aires ~5 days... possibly take ferry to Uruguay??

Cordoba (3 nights)

Iguazu Falls (1-2 nights)

Belo Horizonte (2-3 nights)

Rio de Janiero(4 days)

Any advice? What's the best way to get to the Falls from Cordoba? Is Mendoza in July worth trying to work in? Any other cities that we can't miss?? Thanks!

Are you using Belo Horizonte as a base to go to the Colonial towns like Ouro Preto? There isn't a lot to interest tourists in BH itself, apart from Pampulha on the outskirts which is the Oscar Niemeyer designed area.

we have a contact that lives in Belo Horizonte taht we are trying to meet up with... any other suggestions?

From Belo Horizonte, it's a nice day trip to Ouro Preto which has beautiful Baroque churches. We just took the inter-city bus to Ouro Preto but there are tours to the different cities (Tiradentes, Congonhas, Marianna). BH itself is a fairly busy city with great restaurants.

If you have time I'd suggest visiting Salvador in Bahia to get a taste of Afro-Brazilian culture. The travelling is more difficult there, as you are hassled quite a lot by beggars and to buy things, but it is worth it.

I really like Sao Paulo: great restaurants, galleries, museums shops and bars.

I have been researching a similar trip and have found that to get from Cordoba to the falls via bus is about $50 and 20 hours, and by air it is about $290. and 5 hours as you have to connect thru BA. I think it is similar from the falls to Rio.