Mendoza or Bariloche?
 

I'm planning a 10 day visit to Argentina, most likely in early November but possibly in mid-August. I'm going to spend 4 solid days in Buenos Aires. I have time for travel to one other region and am considering Mendoza/Andes or Bariloche/Lake District.

Could anyone comment on the pros and cons of these two areas in general and more specifically these regions relative to the two possible seasons I can travel (winter and spring)?

Hello, I was just in Argentina in December and loved it. Buenos Aires was awesome. Have you made accomidations in B.A. yet? I would recomend renting an apartment. Spent 5 days there and loved it. We stayed in the recoletta area which was great. We spent 5 days in Villa La Angostura which is a small town about 1 hr from Bariloche. Bariloche is fine but Villa La Angostura was way better. It was alot more beautiful, the crowds were minimal and it did not feel as much like a tourist trap like bariloche did. It was much more quaint, there was a ton of things to do there. But any way we really loved this area in general. It truly is amazing, here is a good website to learn more
http://www.interpatagonia.com/villal...a/index_i.html

In regards to mendoza, we met a guy at the airport who was from Mendoza and he told my wife who is an argentinian that mendoza had really been run down in the last few years. So Good luck with that....I hope this helps.

Hi I would agree with Whirldwid unless you are crazy about wine and vineyards . The area of Bariloche/
Villa La Angostura,( they are on opposite sides of the same huge lake) is absolutely beautiful.
August is Winter there and if you like winter sports it would be an ideal time. The lakes, mountains, forests etc are awesome.
Food is very good and there are a lots of options for accomodations.
People are friendly and prices are very low .From the super luxury LLao LLao Hotel, 20 kms from downtown Bariloche
a member of Leading of the World Hotels group to many other charming smaller hotels both in town and in the country side. Tons of things to do.
If I were you I would go to either Villa la Angostura or Bariloche both are very nice.

Thanks for these helpful replies! One other quick topic -- is it worth the effort to travel to the Iguazu Falls in a trip of this relatively short duration? Is this easy to do in a day trip? 1.5 days? Should I sacrifice time in Buenos Aires and the Lake District for this?

This is a very difficult question to answer, in my opinion, Buenos Aires deserves more than four days, it is a big city, you can do many things there. The lake region needs a few days to get involved and do something like ski, river rafting, or at the very least some boat excursion , there are several organized which are very nice. ....etc.
Iguazu whould require at least one full day, but for me, the bare minimum would be at least one and a half. One full day in the Argentine side, and one morning or afternoon in the Brazilian side. The falls are surely something special. They are enclaved in a huge park, with several paths to follow and there are rubber boats rides too...
Best place to stay in Iguazu to save time is the Sheraton located right inside the Argentine side of the park.
This would be a big asset to save time. From the hotel the view is tremendous too.
I believe that is good to visit places without extreme rush, I always feel that I shall come back one day and see what was not possible in my first try.

I agree with Graziella, as I almost always do.....

If you are not into winter sports, August is not a good time to go to Bariloche. But if you like to ski or just enjoy hot chocolate in front of the fireplace...this is your spot. Beautiful area.


Don't like the cold.
Spend more time at Iguazu, which is much warmer and equally spectacular, in a different sort of way. Or add a day or two to Buenos Aires if the bright lights of big cities are attractive to you.

my husband and I went to Bariloche in December; we spent 2 nights at the Llao Llao and were crazy about it. It is luxurious, but super cheap for what you get due to the strong dollar in Argeninta (around $150 or so per night?), then we were in Villa la Angostura for a night. I don't know about Mendoza/Iguazu falls but can tell you Patagonia in November will be heaven.