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xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 03:12 PM

Back from 2 weeks in Argentina
 
We recently got back from a 2-weeks (first time) Argentina trip, and it was fantastic!!! I will not go into day-by-day details, I really do not have the gift of writing, but I will try to provide some info about our trip, to hopefully help others, the way this board helped me planning.

Our trip: 2 nights in Iguazu, 3 nights in Puerto Madryn, 3 nights in El Calafate, 1 night in El Chatlen and 3 nights in Buenos Aires.

Normally, I plan all our trips myself, with the help of this board and TA. This time, we used WOW Argentina as a travel planning agency, mostly to help with domestic flights coordination and finding an English-speaking guide and driver in Pen. Valdes. They answered all the emails promptly, provided good info and delivered everything they promised.

Flights: We flew Continental from Newark (each time with a stop over in Houston) and Aerolineas in Argentina. Our original CO flight was delayed almost 2 hours, which would have only left us about 30 minutes in Houston, but we went to the airport on time anyway. Luckily, when we got there, there was an earlier Houston flight leaving in about an hour, so we were able to take that one instead and make our connection. We had no problems with any flight, even though we checked our bags each time. I know a lot of people here complain about Aerolineas, canceled or delayed flights, but we really had no problems. Plus, they fed us on all flights, even the short ones. Not a real, full meal, but a sandwich and a cookie, plus drinks, coffee and tea. We liked that, especially on the early morning flights – and considering that CO did not give us any food on the domestic flights.

xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 03:23 PM

Hotels and places we visited:
Sheraton in Iguazu – you cannot beat the location. With only 2 nights, it was great to be in the park. We technically only had a full day and the morning of the second one – we did both the upper and lower circuits, took the train to the Garganta del Diablo and spent some time on the San Martin island (do not miss any of these). We would’ve loved a 3rd night there. Yes, you can “do” the park in a day, but you really need more than that to enjoy it. The nature, birds and butterflies deserve more time. Oh well…next time.
We had dinner both nights at the hotel, and it was fine. The breakfast buffet was very good, too. This is the place to stay at Iguazu, especially for a short stay.

TIP #1: If you stay at the Sheraton, there is no need to book in advance any park activity, you can get tickets for all activities in the hotel’s lobby. Plus, if you book through the hotel and for some reason you do not have time for that activity (like us), you can cancel and get a refund. If you book in advance through a travel agent (like we did), you do not get that refund – even though the guy representing the company offering the activity told us that our travel agent should refund us. WOW Argentina said that all activity booked were not refundable if not taken.

TIP #2: If visiting the San Martin island, do that in the morning. You get the best light for your pictures in the morning.

TIP #3: If you take the boat under the falls, be properly dressed: bathing suit, and water shoes (or take your shoes off after getting on the boat). You really get wet.

xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 03:45 PM

Hotel Teritorio in Puerto Madryn – was fine, but nothing special. We only had dinner there once, and it was ok. The breakfast buffet was disappointing, it only had cereal, yoghurt, bread and jams, a few slices of ham and cheese. One morning it had eggs, but not the second one. No other warm/hot food was offered. The morning we left it was very early, before they started breakfast, and although the receptionist had told us the previous night that the bar would have coffee and croissants early in the morning, that was not the case. Other than that, the hotel room was nice and clean, and the reception staff courteous. The bar attendant had an attitude each time we interacted. I think if we were to go back, we would probably stay elsewhere.

Full day tour of Peninsula Valdes – Our guide was Diego Weigandt, and he was wonderful, we can really recommend him. His English is very good, he is very personable and a careful driver. In Argentina, that’s a great plus, as we soon discovered. He can be contacted at [email protected] or through Argentina Vision, the agency that he works for.
We were picked up early, since the first stop/activity of the day was the whale watch tour in Puerto Madryn. We did see whales, mothers and calves, and we were lucky to have a sunny, windless day, with calm waters.

There was one thing I was not happy about: the prior day had been very windy, and the whale watch boats did not go out to sea. The day we were there, because the weather conditions were so good, the company that organized our whale watch tour allowed that the boat be loaded over its maximum capacity. This was a safety issue and even with safety vests, I was worried. I asked WOW Argentina about the company’s name, but I am still waiting for that information. If I ever get it, I will let you know.

We stopped for lunch at Faro Punta Delgada (good lunch), where we also saw the elephant seals colony. They were a lot of fun to watch. Plus, all the sea birds…I was in heaven.

I have to add, Diego was amazing at spotting wild life, even when driving. No idea how he does it, but we saw rheas, maras, burrowing owls, an armadillo, guanacos, tinamous, even a tarantula.

Full day to Punta Tombo, to see the penguins colony – Same guide, also with an early start. Another long day, but very enjoyable. We learned a lot about the Welsh history and community. It’s amazing how they transformed the desert into fertile land. In the afternoon, we stopped at a Tea Room in Gaiman, and had delicious tea and a huge variety of home-made cookies. That was a great dinner :)

Scarlett Dec 7th, 2010 04:28 PM

This is great, waiting for me ! :)

koala Dec 7th, 2010 04:38 PM

Thanks xyz99! We are planning a very similar trip.

Did you eat anywhere else that was good in Puerto Madryn? Did you happen to see anyone kayaking in the waters off Puerto Madryn?

xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 05:44 PM

koala,
Unfortunately, no. We were there for 3 nights only, and only ate at the hotel the 1st night. The 2nd day, we had a late lunch, around 2-3 pm at Punta Delgada, and we ate so much, we could not eat dinner at night.

A few words about the Patagonian Lamb dish: I don’t know where you are coming from (with a screen name like that, Australia maybe?) but do not expect a fancy lamb dish, on a pretty decorated plate. They roast the entire lamb (whole), and then chop it into pieces. You get a huge portion of pieces, both meat and bones. No idea what cuts, it’s a lottery I suppose, but it is very good. Especially the part that was against the fire, I don’t think it is the skin, but you get what I try to say, that is very seasoned and crisp.
At Punta Delgada, they had a fixed price lunch menu, that included an appetizer (empanadas), a choice for the main dish (we picked the Patagonian lamb for 2, and I don’t remember what the other choice was) and flan for dessert, which was absolutely delicious. They also serve beer and wine, and have a regular menu. But the fix menu was very good and affordable.
The 3rd night we dined on cookies at the Tea House.

I did not see anyone kayaking at P.Madryn, but we saw people parasailing and others getting ready for diving. Diego told us that diving with whales not allowed, but diving with sealions was, and there are quite a few companies organizing scuba diving with sea lions.

xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 06:16 PM

Hotel Design in El Calafate – while out of town, it is easy to get there, and the view is totally worth it. The room was nice, clean, the breakfast buffet adequate and the staff courteous. What we did not like: dinner at the hotel restaurant. We only went to town once (dinner at La Tablita, very good), but we were too tired after the full days spent outside on the other 3 nights, when we decided to have dinner at the hotel. Bad decision, each time. The fish and pastas were ok (just ok), but all meat dishes were poorly prepared, and the service not great. Plus, sooo overpriced…..do yourself a favor, go to town for dinner, even if you are tired.

Full day tour to Estancia Cristina in El Calafate (can’t find my papers to see which company organized it) – a great day. This trip was recommended by WOW Argentina, and we were happy they did. The scenery at the estancia is out of this world.
We had lunch there; for about $26 we got appetizer, entrée (choice of pasta or lamb stew – we had the stew, and it was delicious), wine plus desert and coffee. The lunch there is a new option, and you need to pay in advance, so inquire before, I highly recommend it.
After lunch, we did the 4x4 tour, which takes you to see the face of the Upsala Glacier – amazing! The catamaran trip on lake Argentina, where you can see floating glaciers and ice-capped mountains was also a highlight. Overall, a highly recommended day trip.

Full day to Perito Moreno and mini-trekking. No words can express the view of the glacier, you just have to see it. The excursion was organized by Hielo y Aventura, and it was fantastic. The guides for mini-trekking were great, nobody was rushed, and we all had a great time. Walking with crampons is not hard, but you need good shoes, preferably with ankle support and a sturdy sole. The only regret of that day: that we were only allowed 1 hour at the balconies. We could’ve stayed there for hours, just watching the glacier.

xyz99 Dec 7th, 2010 06:20 PM

Oh, before I forget: 2 things that bothered us at Hotel Design:
1) Terrible pillows – high and hard
2) The coffee – it was the only place where we could not drink the coffee in the morning, it was burned, bitter…in a country where generally coffee was good.
But let’s not forget, the view was great.

owlwoman Dec 8th, 2010 06:21 AM

Hi, glad to see you made it to AR, sounds like you had a great trip, our next one will include the whales....: :) hope all is well with you.

Sounds like you had a nice time in El Calafate, how did you like the mini-trekking? It didn't appeal to us, but loved the three glacier boat trip. We had some good meals in town, too bad you didn't make it there more.

Looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip!

xyz99 Dec 9th, 2010 04:24 PM

OW,
Our decision to visit Argentina (and now that I think of it, Costa Rica, too) had a lot to do with your pictures and recommendations. So thanks, we loved them both, and would go back in a second.

We actually liked the mini-trekking – the weather that day was gorgeous, sunny and calm, with no wind; and I know now how rare that is in those parts. Only wished I had better shoes, wearing the crampons over sneakers was hard. Some sort of hiking shoes would’ve been better.

koala Dec 11th, 2010 12:08 PM

xyz99,

I'm not Australian actually, though I'd consider that a compliment. I'm just a koala lover and our first international trip was to Australia many years ago.

Wondering if I could ask you for some additional advice. We are also going to El Calafate, but we only have one day in El Calafte as we are spending the rest of the time hiking near Fitz Roy. We were considering just a boat trip to see Perito Moreno glacier that day as we have done glacier trekking a couple times before. How does Perito Moreno compare to the Upsala glacier? Would we be able to do the Estancia Cristina day trip and still make our 8:30PM flight that day?

xyz99 Dec 11th, 2010 02:15 PM

Koala,
I see, you are in Denver. We are considering Denver as one of several options for retirement. Who knows?
Anyway, both the Perito Moreno and the Estancia Cristina are day trips – since you only have one day in El Calafate, you need to pick one.

My choice would be the Perito Moreno, and make sure it takes you to the Balconies. The glacier is right there, in your face, and the view (and the glacier’s sound effects) amazing. The view of Upsala from the Estancia Cristina tour is from a distance. Still spectacular, but not that powerful.
The tour from Estancia Cristina brought us back to our hotel in El Calafate late, maybe around 6:30-7pm, so I don’t think you could do that tour, and still make your flight.

Hope this helped, let me know if you have more questions.

koala Dec 11th, 2010 02:34 PM

Thanks xyz99, that was really helpful!

xyz99 Dec 11th, 2010 03:59 PM

We took a trip overnight, by bus to El Chalten. It’s about a 3 hrs drive, maybe 4 with a coffee/bathroom in the middle. The scenery is beautiful, so it the time passed quickly.
We were very lucky weather-wise the first day. We got there around lunch, and in the afternoon we had scheduled a tour to Lago del Desierto. The drive there is very bumpy, maybe about an hour, and the hike up also about an hour, but the lake view at the top is amazing. Highly recommended.
We had 3 good meals in El Chalten: lunch the first day (best meal of the trip, even though we were the only customers) at Ruca Mahuia; dinner at El Muro, and lunch the next day at La Tapera. Not all restaurants there take credit cards, but there is an ATM right at the entrance in town.
Unfortunately, the following day the weather turned bad, it rained and it was very (I mean, very) windy. We were hoping for more hiking there, the mountains are gorgeous.

Buenos Aires – was our least favorite. Actually, and I apologize in advance to all Buenos Aires lovers, we did not like the city. It has wide avenues, nice architecture, but not a lot more to offer. We took a city tour, hoping to get an overview of what the city has to offer, so we could go back to areas we liked more. Unfortunately, we did not see any area we “had to” go back. It was sad, as I had great expectations.
True, we generally prefer country-side to cities, but nevertheless, we loved London, Paris, Vienna, Florence, etc. Buenos Aires is just…(IMHO again) a city without personality.
In all honesty, we liked a few things: the tango show, the jacaranda trees that were in bloom all over the city (why don’t they plant those in NYC?) and a trip to the Costanera Sur ecological reserve. It was a nice, relaxing place to be after the traffic and pollution of BA.
We stayed in Racoleta, and we never felt unsafe. We were careful, but not more than we would be at home or in any other big city.

Another thing that impressed me (call me weird) all over Argentina: the bathroom cleanliness. They were all spotless, even in the middle of nowhere or up high in the mountains.
Overall, we loved Argentina, we would love to go back, and with a valid 10 years visa, we actually may.

owlwoman Dec 13th, 2010 08:32 AM

We called the wind in El Chaltan "the extreme wind", we had never experienced anything like it!

Enjoyed the rest of the report, where are you off to next? Agree with you about BA, I like the city, but don't feel a need to spend a lot of time there (I do like the shopping/prices though). We have comparable neighborhoods in NYC, albeit, without the older architecture.

xyz99 Dec 13th, 2010 03:28 PM

You are so right, we never experienced wind like in El Chalten – ever. But I’m glad we went there to see the mountains. Someday we’ll even get to TDP.

I don’t like shopping, so even the good prices and the deals were lost on me. I don’t even go into stores when travelling…

Next is Mexico with my MIL this spring, Yellowstone in the summer with DH, Belize in 2012 and France in 2013. Do I plan ahead, or what? :)
What about you?

flintstones Dec 15th, 2010 04:08 PM

Hope you can enjoy the rest of Argentina in the future. YOu still have to see the NW of Argentina!!!!!
SAlta and Jujuy are wonderful provinces, you would love it!
Warm regards,
Flintatones

Graziella5b Dec 16th, 2010 04:57 AM

i read what XYZ99 indirectly implies or may be directly and was shocked because I use WOW
often, I visit Argentina twice a year at least because of family links and always take advantage to add through WOW visits to Chile, Uruguay,Brazil and different regions of Argentina, and they have always gone beyond their duty to refund me when circumstances had merited it. I am sure other users of WOW have had similar experiences.
For this reason , upon reading this post I wrote an email to Cintia,one of the owners of WOW
Argentina, asking her for a clarification, I needed to know because we are about to buy from WOW. a Peru trip including visiting the Island of Pasqua.
She mentioned to me some facts that certainly reassured me 100%.
Basically in cases like this, if the pax agrees, they sell excursions at a discounted pre paid price .In the case of Iguazu: 25% off.
It seems it is the equivalent of booking a prepaid discounted hotel reservation, one can get a much better deal but no refund or canceling.
I do not work for WOW or have any interest in WOW except that I am thankful for the dedication and service Wow have provided me through several years of buying services from them.. Personally I am very satisfied of their honesty and professional care.

kathym11 Dec 16th, 2010 11:43 AM

Thanks xyz99! Our trip was fantastic too!
We just returned from an absolutely fabulous trip to Argentina and Chile. After seeing so many recommendations in this forum and others we contacted WOWArgentina. We are seasoned travelers and like to plan our trips on our own, but it was a pleasure to sit back and turn it over to the professionals. Mattias and Cintia listened to our preferences and tailored the trip accordingly. Every recommendation they made was spot on and we noticed how Wow kept in touch with our guides to make sure everything was going well. I forgot my camera in the car that dropped us at the airport in Ushuaia and Wow quickly contacted the local agency. 15 minutes later a driver was at the airport with my camera. They work with outstanding local suppliers! It was the smoothest trip we have ever taken, without any glitches.

xyz99 Dec 16th, 2010 02:31 PM

flinstones,
Argentina is a big and beautiful country, we will come back to see other areas, now that we have a 10-years visa.

cathy,
I think I would’ve had a heart attack if I had left my camera in the car…I don’t think I would’ve survived the 15 minutes. Glad you enjoyed AR as much as we did.


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