Hi All,
Planning a trip to Argentina for September and due to overwhelm, I am a little bamboozled by all the possibilities!!
Here is a very rough idea of the possible itinerary:
Day 1 Arrive BA evening
Day 2 BA
Day 3 BA
Day4 BA
Day 5 Fly to Bariloche
Day 6 Bariloche
Day 7 Bariloche
Day 8 Fly to Mendoza
Day 9 Mendoza
Day 10 Fly to Iguazu
Day 11 Iguazu
Day 12 Fly to Rio
Day 13 Rio
Day 14 Rio
Day 15 Fly home

I know this is probably a bit hectic and that there is lots that I am missing out on. But time is limited. We love food and wine, mountainous scenery with lakes, vibrant cafe culture, colonial towns and a little bit of beach at the end. Do I have that covered in the above? A bit gutted to miss Salta and Perito Morena but we will get a flavour for the country with what we will cover, I am hoping.
It's our first foray in to South America. One of our favourite holidays ever was to South Africa and I know that they are completely different countries but I am hoping to emulate some of that in this trip. We loved the "world in one country" aspect of SA and the fabulous wine, food and lodgings were to die for. It was like 3 or 4 holidays in one!! And we always find that the holidays where we are on the move are the most memorable!
We really want to include the wine part but would consider options other than Mendoza if it was possible to combine with lovely scenery and nice lodgings.
Any comments/suggestions would be welcome!
Thanks so much

Having spent quite a lot of time in both South Africa and Argentina I would agree that they are both amazing countries, but they are very different. I don't think you will find the attractions quite so concentrated in Argentina as in SA as the distances involved are vast. With that in mind I would strongly counsel spending some time with rome2rio or google maps to check out the "real" journey times between each of those locations. Also bear in mind that air travel in Argentina is prone to delays, cancellations and alterations.

Asfar as your list of destinations is concerned, all are great (though I am not that keen on Mendoza). My concern re Bariloche in September would be the weather (I dont think it is the season for Perito Moreno anyway!). An alternative could well be Salta. I you dropped both Bariloche and Mendoza (which would be my choice) ) that would be just about enough time to self drive a figure of eight circuit of the region- Salta -Cachi-Cafayate- Salta- Purmamarca/Salinas Grande-Salta. It may be a little rushed but there is a huge amount to see not also in those towns but also in between, the scenery is arguably even better that SA! If wine is a major interest then spend extra time in Cafayate where there are some world class vineyards and the town is packed with bodegas where you can sample the produce. The food in the region is also pretty amazing.

There are direct flight from Salta to Iguazu so no need to connect through BA.

Anyway, just a few thoughts. Enjoy Argentina , its a wonderful country!

Thanks so much Catch23- that is exactly the kind of advice I’m looking for. Had some reservations about Mendoza so was hoping for a possible alternative that might include good scenery and possible wine tasting. The Salta/Cafayte option sounds good. The self drive option may not be suitable for us but that gives me a great starting point for research. Really appreciate your help and am definitely going to tweak my itinerary accordingly. Thank you!!