Argentinian Honeymoon
 

We're still on the early stage of planning for our honeymoon to Argentina in November (November 12th/13th - December 2nd/3rd). Our rough itinerary is

Nov 13 DC to Buenos Aires
Nov 15 BA to Mendoza
Nov 20 Mendoza to Bariloche
Nov 27 Barliloche to Ushuaia
Dec 1 Ushuaia to BA
Dec 2/Dec 3 BA to DC

We have not booked anything yet, but with how many locations we plan on going to want to make sure we're optimizing our destination/dates. We aren't planning on renting a car, and will be traveling by plane and taxi/shuttles locally.

Any advise on our travel itinerary is greatly appreciated.

I can only say that distances in Argentina are huge, time spent getting here to there , waiting in airports etc will eat up valuable time that would be spent seeing the place instead of the airports.

We were in BA for 10 days on our first visit. We were going to go to a couple of places out of the city, we didn't even see the whole city, only enough to make us want to go back.
So we moved there to live : )

Figure out travel times ... then see what you can live without seeing .. cut down on the list ..

Do you really want to spend seven days in Bariloche? I would use some of that time for El Calafate. I don't know whether it's worth going to Ushaia, I chose not to. I think you would enjoy the wonderful Iguazu falls more.

Of all the places I have visited in Argentina, my least favourite were Bariloche and Mendoza. Nothing particularly wrong with them, I just preferred other places.

That said, in order to get some meaningful comments or suggestions, it would help if you provided some insight as to your interests budgets, accomodation needs etc. Do you prefer cities, countryside, food, culture etc.

Shame you don't plan to drive as that limits you options somewhat. Highlights for us were driving a circular of the northwest from Salta, great food and wines, intersting places to stay, superb scenery. Likewise further south we enjoyed the seven lakes area between San Martin de Los Andes and Bariloche - although that could possible be done by a taxi or driver guide.

Congrats on your forthcoming wedding btw!

Second Crellston on Salta and Jujuy Provinces. I've not been to southern Patagonia or Mendoza so can't comment.

You may also want to consider a couple of days at the Iguazu Falls--one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and a fairly short flight from BA.

Good morning!

I think it’s awesome that you are planning a honeymoon to Argentina. I was just there in Nov/Dec of last year and fell in love with the country. You’ve got quite a bit of time to work with, which is great! I would personally allocate it a bit differently if I were you, to maximize your time in each location. I agree with Crellston that if you could provide a bit more detail as to your particular interests for this trip we all may be able to provide better advice that would suite you and your fiancé.

First of all, Buenos Aires deserves a 3-night stay at least in my opinion. There are tango shows to be seen, many unique neighborhoods to be explored, delicious food to be had, and more! I’d say at least stay 2 nights if you can (and if you arrive in the morning on the first day and plan to start exploring right away) that would give you about 2 full days of exploration. Recoleta, La Boca, and Plaza San Martin are not to be missed! The Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau is my favorite hotel in the city, but Casa Sur Bellini and Legado Mitico are a couple really cute boutique options as well!

Depending on how you arrange the rest of the itinerary, you may want to leave Mendoza as your last, relaxing stop on the way home. I’d check out the best flight schedules, but to me that would be the perfect way to end a trip. 3-4 nights is usually sufficient for most people in Mendoza unless you are a major wine connoisseur. Biking is a great way to get around in Mendoza aside from private winery tours.

Contrary to what others have said, I LOVE Bariloche. I personally was only able to stay 3 nights, but I would have stayed longer if I’d had the time! There is so many things to do in the area if you enjoy stunning vistas and outdoorsy activities like hiking, walking, kayaking, boating, horseback riding, and camping. There are properties like Estancia Peuma Hue which are quite basic in their aesthetic (like a family cabin without all the bells and whistles), but they offer maps with do-it-yourself hiking trails which I really enjoyed! On a return trip I plan to spend a few nights at Peuma Hue doing some of the hikes I didn’t have time for on my last trip and then continuing on to a more luxurious property like Llao Llao (the Moreno/new wing is amazing!) and continuing with guided/more arduous hikes and outdoor adventures. I also visited Ushuaia on my trip (to board Lindblad’s National Geographic Orion to Antarctica), but I would have otherwise much rather spent a couple of nights in El Calafate instead of Ushuaia if I wasn’t continuing to Antarctica. I think I’d eliminate Ushuaia from your itinerary unless you had a specific reason/interest in going there.
Additionally, in late November, something quite off the beaten path that you might consider is visiting Peninsula Valdes. You have opportunities to see Southern Right Whales if that’s of any interest!

Good luck planning and congrats on the upcoming wedding!

Kayla Torgerson