What not to miss in Argentina with one week available?
 

We'll be going to Argentina in early March and stay for two weeks. One of the two weeks we'll spend in B.A. dancing the Tango (love that city) but we don't know what to do during the second (or first) week. The wine coutnry would be nice that time of year (any harvest festivals?) but when and where in the wine country, and then what else to see? Driving to/from Mendoza probably consumes most of a week. Any suggestions as to what to see on the way or what route to take?

Hey, mendoza is great, but I prefer patagonia. It's probably the most beautiful part of Argentina (i've heard salta is nice too, but i've never been) and is great for visiting in all seasons. Also, iguazu falls is a must-see.

if you are looking for stuff to do in BA for a few days-a week, check out this trip report i wrote a while ago. it is good for travelers who will only be in the city for a short time. Enjoy!

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...trip-to-ba.cfm

Cheers!

Messifan, I just read your report and found it highly useful and interesting. What is a parillada, and what's Floralis Generica? ...would like to know to encounter when I'm in Buenos Aires in October. Muchas gracias!

I'd vote for the NW -- click on my name to read our trip report this past November. Ig Falls are spectacular and combing them with the NW would be fantastic.

Can you tell me where you plan to go tango dancing. We are looking to learn Argentinean Tango. We do ballroom but have not done that yet. Will take some preliminary lessons before we go in Feb. Thanks. Carol

It's harder then it looks. Totally different principles than Ballroom. Try youtube and type in Sacada desde el Sanguchito.
We met this nice couple in B.A. and they are good: luisygabriela.com. They work in the de la Rosa studio. If you live in the SF Bay Area, there is a Tango week coming up early July. Intensive training.

By the way Carol, I need to warn you, Argentine Tango is addictive. It cost us about $500 just to learn that distinctive walk. In ballroom, control is shared 50%/50% between the leader and the follower. In Argentine Tango it's 80%/20%. In that "Sacada desde el Sanguchito" video, the woman crosses her legs at 3:35 minutes. She had no choice... Dario made her do it. That's the difference. And if the leader doesn't know how to control the dance, then the learning process is more difficult.

Oh one more thing Carol, don't even think about showing up for a Tango lesson without having first made a visit to the Comme Il Faut shoe store in B.A. 4" to 5" heels are pretty much mandatory.

AndreaO:

Iguazzu Falls is an experience like no other. The Argentinean and Brazillian sides offer different perspectives - both incredible.

It sounds like you might want to peruse a good guide book and then narrow your search. I love Buenos Aires in March - I envy you the fun of the search and the visit.

Enjoy SA, ~MarnieWDC

Eddwarm- glad i could help! You should be very excited for your trip in October, you are going to have a great time (it's impossible not to)!

As for your questions- the "parillada" is a traditional platter of Argentine asado (bbq). It normally has 2 kinds of sausages, tira de asado (ribs), chicken and a whole bunch of other parts of the cow that we normally wouldn't eat (sweetbreads?). even if you are not one to normally eat that kind of thing, it is an argentine tradition and a great thing to try. My first time i was very skeptical, but now i love it!

Also, Floralis Generica is a really cool statue in BA in the middle of a very nice park. It's a great place to go and take pictures, but also to relax and sip on some mate and let the day pass by. here is some more info (in spanish, but with a picture): http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floralis_Generica

Anyways, let me know if you have any more questions.

Cheers!

AndreaO
One week in Buenos Aires and the second in
1Iguazu + Salta or
2Iguazu + Calafate or
3Iguazu + Mendoza.
Dont ever think about driving your car to Mendoza ! No sense when there are excellent night coaches. March is excellent in the 3 destinations being Iguazu the must in the 3 packages.
milla

Do not miss the NW, the landscape is wonderful, although some people say it is gorgeous, others say it is beautiful. Come and see... YOU will NOT regret.
Flintstones

we loved our time recently in mendoza....took the lux bus there from BA, less than 14 hours---first class seating including dinner and breakfast---1/3 the cost of flying...

great new sheraton in mendoza, and also a hyatt, but we loved our B&B---plaza italia B&B... four days is a good amount of time there....

We spent three months in Argentina last year and missed loads!! The highlight for me was the North West around Salta. Iguazu was also good and was the Valdes Peninsualr (to see the whales) although this is a very long way to go in a week!). My biggest regret was not going to Calafate and the glacier region. As has been pointed out by previous poster, using teh excellent bus services not only save money but also time by travelling overnight - vastly preferable to the v.expensive airfares

Wel, Crellston, ou saw a lot, do not regret you can come back... ;oD!

Do not miss Iguazú, unforgettable experience and it takes 2 or 3 nights to see the main things

Thanks for the great input. All good ideas. We're debating. One observation was that, looking at the pictures on Google Earth, most of the pictures could have been taken in California. And some pictures of Iguazú could have been at Niagara Falls. We're probably jaded... California is a hard act to follow. Based on those pictures, Mendoza doesn't even look as good as the Napa and Sonoma wine areas.

Yes, there are similarities to the USA - I've been to Niagra Falls and it can't compare to IF other than both being waterfalls. And the SW of USA is not unlike NW Argentina. However, again the NW Argentina is more dramatic and of course, the culture is very different. Haven't been to Mendoza so can't comment on that area. As a frequent visitor and one who loves CA, I will be very surprised if you don't find Argentina very different from CA.

It's true there are similar landscapes but as yestravel said, Niagara falls can't compare to Iguazú. We have 275 falls, whilst Niagara has only 3. Nature is all over, from the moment you enter the National park you will see the red land (literally red, like the colour of bricks), the amazing fauna from coatis, colourful butterflies to bencejos (birds that live under the falls). Besides the park is enormous!!! from the plane you can see a huge mass of green area, with red lines in the middle (the roads) and the most important fall of all: the Devil's Throat. To give you an idea of how huge the Park is I can tell you that the main means of transport is the ecological train...
I'm an Argentinian citizen so I will always vote for you to come to our falls! Anyway, it's up to you. I hope I've helped you picture the scenery so you decide to come

sofi_2506: I want to see all of Argentina, no question about it. In fact, I'd like to sell my villa and buy two apartments, one here and one there, and spend October thru March in Argentina and April thru September in California. For this upcoming trip we are now leaning toward exploring B.A. in some depth and taking day trips, like spending a day and buying a Capybara goucho belt with a silver ornament from some silver smith in San Antonio de Areco.

Your idea is terrific! I love Buenos Aires from October to March, it's summer holidays, the city is quiet, not too much traffic. And if you want to go to the beach you can choose the Buenos Aires coast or go to the south, to the patagonian beaches. I love spring-summer season in Argentina!

Andrea you, as Crellston, would choose the NW for sure!!!1
You should come to the NW, Salta and JUJUY area. Very varied and porbably you stay here.
Warm regards,
Flintstones

I am looking for places to learn the tango and go to a beginner's milonga. Will be in BA mid Feb. Not having much luck. ALso do not speak Spanish so prefer ENglish. Any suggestions.

My husband and I just returned from Salta and Buenos Aires, and I would strongly recommend the NW to pair with BA. It's a really unique experience, off the beaten track and spectacularly beautiful (you're in the moutains, but also in dramatic canyons with other-worldly rock formations)...and Cafayate has wine producers and tastings available!

Sofi-2506, which beaches would you recommend at the very peak of summer vacation time? We'd like to experience a beach, but we would be there during the first week of January. We thought about Punta del Este or Mar del Plata, but it all seems so crowded and expensive. Any suggestions? Thanks!

seeksocean, during the peak of summer vacation, you will have a very hard time finding anywhere at the beach to stay. Even the most high priced places are taken. Imagine NYC and the Hamptons .. anyone who can, leaves town for the beaches. Punta is like the Riviera and not only costly but not that many places to stay. Mar del Plata is about 4 hours from BA and also packed with people .. maybe not as expensive as Punta de Este but probably as crowded if not more.
In this matter, you must book way ahead .. and not expect low prices.

I would head towards Bariloche or somewhere cooler and greener myself. Although I am not famous for being a hiker or outdoorsy girl, I dream of lolling on a deck and looking out over tree tops to the lake below and maybe having a nice long walk on a hill somewhere lol... nothing to strenuous but all that fresh clean air and cool nights ..sigh ...

AndreaO ... if you haven't seen it, there is a poster named Marcie who went to San Antonio de Areco and posted a great trip report .. she combined that visit with a stay at a wonderful estancia.. look for her name and see if you can find the report .. it is a very enjoyable read : )

I'm not sure, but I think Scarlett may mean a report by marnieWDC who did report on that.

seeksocean: summer time in Mar del Plata is FULL of people. Not recommended. Like my mother says you have to line up even to go to the bathroom!!! This is absolutely not true, but it gives you an idea of how crowded it is.
Punta del Este might be better, it is also a little bit crowded but it's better to go during summer than during the rest of the year when there isn't much to do. Other beaches in Argentina would be Mar de las Pampas, Pinamar or Cariló which are more upscale areas, they are not sooo crowded and you can spend the day in the woods nearby.
Another option is what Scarlett said, going south to Bariloche. I haven't gone there during summer but there are lots of people that go during this time of the year. The Lake District is an amazing area that can be visited all year round, no matter if it is hot or cold, you can enjoy yourself anyway.
Regarding hotel reservations and money, as you are visiting these destinations during high season it is expected to be hard to find a place to stay and you should also expect high prices: it's high season.
However, if you stay in the city you can enjoy yourself too! There are huge pools in Buenos Aires, called Parque Norte near the domestic airport, or you can go to Tigre and swim into the river. You can only do this in the north area because that is the only place where the water is quite clean.
Also, during summer the city is deserted! and you can get to know each place at your pace. There are no traffic jams and almost no pickets (piquetes or other kinds of workers demonstrations). I love Buenos Aires during summer!
I hope all this info helps! Have a nice trip!

Thanks Sofi! I hear you on everything you wrote. Bariloche is just either too far by ground transportation, or too expensive by air for us. I checked into it. Scarlett has been so helpful...amazing person. I was reading, Time Out BA, and the writer mentioned 'sandy beaches' very in or around Montevideo. Any ideas on that...where are those sandy beaches? It seems that taking a ferry to Montevideo might be an easy alternative. And then working our way back to BA vis Colonia?

One again the 'high season' is standing in our way of Punta del Este, at least for now. We are still looking for the 'right place to be' for NYE. We are rearranging our trip a little. Thanks again.

Oh jeez, Marnie will kill me LOL thank you yestravel ((F))

seeksocean ..thank you !! awww....
look at this website with photos of Montevideo ..

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...DpnwtAPdxKCuCQ


Surprisingly huge link but it works :)

Thanks Scarlett! I don't know why I never considered Montevideo...

Not to worry, Scarlett, you are allowed a mini slip now and then with all you contribute here. I know how you love the heat :O) so I am enjoying hearing about your tea time sheltering from the cold. Here in WDC - not so much! I am already begining to nag DH about planning a trip back to BsAs early next year, you know, when it warms up!!

All my best, ~Marnie

Marnie: nag DH Vincenzo as intensely as you can, so we have the two of you back here ASAP!