Hi all,
I am a frequent poster on the Europe and Asia boards but we're looking to take our first trip to South America. We would be traveling with another couple, and the four of us are in our late twenties/early thirties.

We're looking at 8-9 days and a general itinerary of BA, Wine Country, and Iguazu Falls. Is that possible?

What is the best time of year to make that trip? We'd prefer to avoid hot weather but don't need snow either.

Any favorite trip reports you can link to this post?

Thank you very much.
Liz

You will be awfully rushed to do BA, Iguazu and Wine Country (I assume you mean Mendoza?) in 8 or 9 days. You will need at least one night in Iguazu, preferable two....and a minimum of two nights in Mendoza, preferably more depending on which vineyards you plan to visit....BA is possible in three days, preferably more....If you could manage two weeks you could pace your trip to take in the sites you plan to see...if not, my suggestion is to do Buenos Aires and one of the oteher locations.

November and March are the best times to visit in my opinion....the weather is too cold in July/August and too hot in Jan/Feb....

Thank you drdawggy.

We may be able to stay for two weeks, but our friends cannot. Perhaps we'll visit all three and our friends will stick to two places.

I appreciate your post-- I will be purchasing a guidebook and be doing a lot more research!

Liz: a favorite recent trip report is: "10 Days in Buenos Aires: Magellan's 40th Birthday Solo Trip Report".

There are many more, such as "Trip Report for May 2008 (Buenos Aires & Salta and surroundings) - Part I" and following chapters.

We recently returned from our first trip to Argentina. We spent three fantastic nights at Iguazu Falls and stayed at the Sheraton. We had a falls view room and it was well worth it. We used Cintia at wowargentina.com for the flights, transport and hotel bookings.
The falls are amazing. We notice several tour groups spending only 15-30 minutes at the various overlooks. We were "on our own" and spent hours enjoying the wonder of Iguazu. We also went on "The Grand Adventure" which include a brief ride into the rain forest to board a high-powered motor boat that takes you practically into the falls. You will get wet---really wet. There are many opportunities for photo taking, but when the boat operator tells you to put away the camera---do it. You are provided a large rubber water proof bag. You will love the falls.

I returned last night from my sixth trip to Iguazu Falls. My wife and I took our daughter and son-in-law. Neither had ever been to Argentina before and we considered Iguazu THE one must-see spot outside of BA. Like MnJ, we stayed at the Sheraton for the convenience of being inside the national park and the luxury of doing our own tours at our own pace! We did the Gran Aventura tour...and, as MnJ notes, it is amazing...Another great tour is with Iguazu Forest...rapelling and zip line adventure in the jungle...at a bargain price of 80 pesos...

avrooster- Thank you. I did read both of those trip reports, and others too! There is a wealth of information on this board.

MnJ- Sounds amazing!! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I am a budding amateur photographer and am excited about the amazing photo opportunities. I will be sure to put it away when told to



drdawggy-
Thanks for posting again, and welcome home. Can I ask you the approximate price of flights from BA to the Falls? From looking around it seems like they are $350-$400pp, is that about right?


We are settling in on a trip somewhere Sept-Nov 2009, which is a long way away, but the first time our friends will be able to go. I know Tim and I will surely visit the Falls, whether with or without our friends. (We can probably stay a few days longer than they can.)

Tim and Liz: you can check the cost of flights within Argentina by going to

http://www.lan.com/country_selector.html

and/or

http://www.aerolineas.com.ar/home.asp

<<November and March are the best times to visit in my opinion....the weather is too cold in July/August and too hot in Jan/Feb....>>

Would the end of March, beginning of April be as comfortable as November? We'd also be going south to do a cruise from Punta Arenas.

Thank you.

T&L---karen and I are also working on argentina, but we are going in april, 2009....we have our flights there and back and res (FF) at the sheraton for 3 nites...

bob

Luisah:

If you will have the time,while at Punta Arenas, Chile, look into a day tour to Isla Magdalena. This is a penguin reserve. [I never found it on a map.]

You will be able to see the penguin up close while staying on the path as you are requested to do.

The boat ride there was in an open boat after a long bus ride, not too comfortable but the trip was well worth while. Don't miss it.

Woodie.

PS. From Chile we went to Argentina and in my opinion, Argentina surpasses Chile as a tourist' place to visit.