My husband and I are going to Argentina for a month, arriving November 7, 2012. We have been to Chile and Peru and especially loved Torres del Paine. In Chile, we drove much of the Pan-American Highway one month after the big 2010 earthquake. We are outdoors enthusiasts but enjoy interesting cities as well. I speak some Spanish. We have our USA-BA roundtrip air tickets (frequent flier), but have booked no internal flights in Argentina yet. Here is my tentative plan:
Buenos Aires-3 nights with a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay
El Calafate and El Chalten-7 nights
Bariloche-4 nights
Mendoza-3 nights
NW area-7 nights including a 6 night bike tour starting in Tucuman and ending in Salta
Iguazu-2 nights
Buenos Aires-1 night

Here are my questions:
Would it be a good idea to drive between Bariloche and Mendoza and Tucuman, rather than fly?
Should we stay 7 nights in Bariloche and pass on going to Mendoza? We have been to many wine growing areas and will visit wineries around Cafayate.
Should we extend BA to 4 nights in the beginning of the trip?
How important is it to make hotel and air reservations now?
Other suggestions?

Thank You!

- If you choose to drive Bariloche-Mendoza, it would take at least two days as I remeber it being an 18 hour overnight bus journey. Why not also do an overnight bus? They are very comfortable and, touch wood, are usually very safe. A good place to drive if you are keen on doing so is the lakes around Bariloche.

- Mendoza is lovely but it is very wine focused and Salta/Cafayate is probably a nicer wine region. Nonetheless I would go there. Horse riding in the Andes is recommended. For me, 7 nights in Bariloche would have been too much.

- Yes, extend your stay in BA and take a night off EC/EC. Two nights in El Calafate is plenty, assuming you are "just" there to see the glacier.

- Not hugely important I would say.

- Travel on overnight buses to save time and money. They are very comfortable and humane. One steak between two can often suffice in a restaurant. Make sure to visit both sides of Iguazu Falls (i.e. Br and Arg). If you are young, up for a laugh and not too much of a wine snob, then Mr. Hugos bike tour of the Mendoza vineyards is a great laugh.

Thank you pgriffin for your thoughtful response. We do like to hike and that is the reason for the extended stay in EC/EC. I checked out Mr. Hugo and his bike tour looks like great fun. We are in our sixties but cycle regularly, so I think we could handle the tour.

Do I need to book ahead for the overnight buses?

I agree with pgriffin's suggestions re using teh bus where possible. We spent 3 months in Argentian and used teh bus extensively and were very impresses with both the reliablity and comfort. Paying the extra to go in Ejecutivo class or "full cama" with lie flat beds (think 1st class on a good airline) is well worth the extra coast and much cheaper than hiring a car or flying.

The distances are vast so do not underestimate the time involved but travelling overnight makes it a lot easier, plus you save on accommodation costs. we tended to book a couple of days in advance for ejecutivo and didn't have any problems getting seats. You will probably be ok buying tickets on the day but the chances are you will only get a seat in "semi-cama".

Our longest trip was from Peninsula Valdez (there to see the whales) to San Lorenzo in Mendoza which took around 20 hours, Salta to Iguazu 17 hours.

I am impressed that you are taking a bike tour around Salta - we spent a week in the region driving and our small car was struggling with the altitude at times particularly around Salineras Grande.

I was not terribly impressed with Mendoza as a place to visit and would leave that part out if visiting again but would not add the time to Bariloche - maybe include the seven lakes area or San martin de Los Andes or Peninsular Valdes if into wildlife.
Some photos of these places on our blog (entries 70 onwards)

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blo...ai/1/tpod.html

Finally, I would second the previous poster's suggestion to visit both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the falls as the views are entirely different but do be aware that if you are a US citizen the visa fees can be very expensive.

You are very welcome!

As far as I know, and based on my 5 weeks in the country, you do not need to book ahead for the overnight buses. Rather just go down to the bus station a day or two before your departure day and buy the ticket for your preferred time. Obviously if there is some big event on or if it is in the peak of high season then the earlier the better but there is no need to do any online booking before you leave your home country. That would be counter productive too as you may wish to linger a bit longer in a plce that you like than originally planned.

Thank all of you for your help.

Does anyone have experience with the Misiones region? I have heard about jungle lodges in this region that have excellent wildlife (bird and butterfly) viewing. I am not sure that there is a compelling reason to visit the missions themselves, but perhaps you know if there is a reason to linger in this area?

Anyone have an idea about what the visa fees are currently for an American going to Brazil at Iguazu?

We live at 7,000 feet, so we hope that the cycling trip in the NW will not leave us gasping for air. There is always the sag wagon if it is too bad.

I am thinking about using the overnight buses along the Andes but maybe fly from Salta to Iguazu as there is a direct flight

Steamboat - I am in process of getting my Brazilian visa for a trip to the Amazon next month. Visa cost is now $160 and since you live in CO you will need to apply through the Houston consulate. You'll need to use a visa processing agency with processing fees ranging from $50 - $100 plus your overnight shipment costs both ways. Final tally - $298 which is why I never got one for my two trips to Iguazu. The Argentine side was just fine!

The visa is good for 10 years and I do not believe there is any kind of a "day trip" visa.

Be sure to book the full cama seats on buses. We could only get semi-cama and they were nothing special. Domestic airfare rose about 30% in February but I would still prefer to fly Salta/Iguazu.

Hi Colibri: Your information is priceless! Thank you.