234 Best Sights in Argentina

Built by Eugenio Bustos in 1890, this winery flourished under his daughter Celia's leadership, producing an excellent Malbec. Today it’s owned by a Chilean company that has invested in the latest technology. Tastings, traditional lunches, and tours of the winery and experimental garden are available with advance booking. In season, pruning and harvesting programs are offered in the vineyard as well. Book into the simple posada on-site, declared part of wine heritage in 2008.

In 1996, nothing was cultivated on José L. Mounier's land in El Divisadero, 4 km (2 miles) outside of town. Now Finca Las Nubes is one of Salta's best-known boutique wineries with fabulous views down into the valley. Almost half its small line of reds, whites, rosés, and sparkling wine is sold in the bodega itself. The tour includes sampling three wines, and casual lunch of vast sandwiches and empanadas in the garden is available if you book ahead.

The gleaming steel and aluminum petals of this giant flower look very space age, perhaps because they were commissioned from the Lockheed airplane factory by architect Eduardo Catalano, who designed and paid for the monument. The 66-foot-high structure opens at dawn and closes at dusk, when the setting sun turns its mirrored surfaces a glowing pink. The flower stands in the Plaza Naciones Unidas (behind El Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes over Avenida Figueroa Alcorta).

This thoroughly modern art museum continues to nudge traditional La Boca into the present. Its facade alone reads like a manifesto of local urban renewal: part of the original 19th-century Italianate house-front has been cut away and huge plate-glass windows accented by unfinished steel stand alongside it. The space behind them now includes three adjacent properties. The luminous main gallery retains the building's original Corinthian-style steel columns, artfully rusted, but has sparkling white walls and polished concrete floors. With every flight of stairs you climb, views out over the harbor and cast-iron bridges get better. Grab one of the outdoor sofas around sunset and your photos will rival the work below. English versions of all exhibition information are available; there are also guided tours in English.On the roof, an airy café serves salads, sandwiches, and cocktails. 

Federico Gimenez Riili or his father are often available to show you around this family-owned boutique operation and offer you a taste of their wines straight from the barrel. If you want to stay for lunch, enjoy the paired tasting menu accompanied by fantastic Andean vistas.  There's also a seven-room guesthouse for overnight stays.

The largest glacier in South America, Glaciar Upsala is 55 km (35 miles) long and 10 km (6 miles) wide, and accessible only by boat. Daily cruises depart from Puerto Banderas (40 km [25 miles] west of El Calafate via R11) for the 2½-hour trip. Dodging floating icebergs (tempanos), some as large as a small island, the boats maneuver as close as they dare to the wall of ice that rises from the aqua-green water of Lago Argentino. The seven glaciers that feed the lake deposit their debris into the runoff, causing the water to cloud with minerals ground to fine powder by the glacier's moraine (the accumulation of earth and stones left by the glacier). Condors and black-chested buzzard eagles build their nests in the rocky cliffs above the lake. When the boat stops for lunch at Onelli Bay, don't miss the walk behind the restaurant into a wild landscape of small glaciers and milky rivers carrying chunks of ice from four glaciers into Lago Onelli. Glaciar Upsala has diminished in size in recent years.

About 10 km (6 miles) from town, this glacier museum gives you an educational walk through the formation and life of glaciers (particularly in Patagonia) and the effects of climate change, as well as temporary art exhibitions. A 3D film about the national park and plenty of brightly lit displays, along with the stark glacier-shaped architecture, give it a modern appeal. Don't miss the Glaciobar—the first ice bar in Argentina—where you can don thermal suits, boots, and gloves, and where a whiskey on the rocks means 200-year-old glacier rocks from Perito Moreno. 

One of the country's oldest wineries, Goyenechea was founded in 1868 by a Basque immigrant family that had the foresight to build not only a solid brick winery, but also 60 houses for the working families, a school for their children, a repair shop, and a chapel. As you pass through the arched caves where wine ages in bottles, you can see the piletas, huge concrete vats that held 8,976 gallons of wine when the industry was focused on quantity, not quality. Family members, now the sixth generation, often lead free tours, which are in Spanish.

Although Iguazú Falls is home to around 450 bird species, the parks are so busy these days that you'd be lucky to see so much as a feather. It's another story at Güirá Oga, which means "House of the Birds" in Guaraní. Birds that were injured, displaced by deforestation, or confiscated from traffickers are brought here for treatment. The large cages also house species you rarely see in the area, including the gorgeous red macaw. The sanctuary is in a forested plot halfway between Puerto Iguazú and the falls. Entrance includes a 90-minute guided visit (in English and Spanish).

This viewing point west of the town center stands high above the turbulent reddish-brown confluence of the Iguazú and Paraná rivers, which also form the Triple Frontera, or Triple Border Landmark. A mini pale-blue-and-white obelisk reminds you you're in Argentina. Take binoculars to see Brazil's green-and-yellow equivalent across the Iguazú River; across the Paraná is Paraguay's, painted red, white, and blue. A row of overpriced souvenir stalls stands alongside the Argentine obelisk.

One of the more notable additions to Jujuy’s elevated winemaking landscape, Huichaira Vineyard offers two tasting experiences in the gorge of the same name. Located on the opposite of the mountain to the Museo en los Cerros, enjoy a picnic accompanied by the delicious Cielo Arriba Malbec/Syrah/Cabernet Franc blend (US$50) or work up an appetite on a bicycle expedition from Tilcara to the vineyard (US$70).

The 1631 Iglesia de la Candelaria contains fine examples of Cusqueño art, most notably paintings depicting elongated figures of Old Testament prophets by 18th-century artist Marcos Zapaca.

An ornate 18th-century wooden pulpit with dozens of figures of monks is the centerpiece of the Church of St. Francis, two blocks west of Plaza General Belgrano. There's some debate about who carved the pulpit: it may have been local artisans, or the pulpit may have been transported from Bolivia. Although the church and bell tower look colonial, they date from 1930. Also stop by the bijou Museo de Arte Sacro (entrance on Belgrano) to see religious art dating back to the 17th century.

The most notable landmark downtown on the central plaza is Iglesia de Santa Rosa de Lima. Dating from 1778, it was constructed from adobe and thistle wood. On Calle Belgrano, to the left of the church, is a 622-year-old carob tree. Try and visit on August 30, when the saint's day is celebrated. 

If you can endure a harrowing five-hour, 73-km (45-mile) ride east from Humahuaca on an unpaved cliffside road, you'll be rewarded with one of Argentina's most stunning settings. (Take the bus from Humahuaca rather than driving yourself. You really have to know the road, as the bus drivers do, to negotiate it safely.) This cobblestoned town, which clings to sheer rock, has become an increasingly popular stop despite its small size. It has just a few accommodations including Hotel Iruya ( 3887/442–3536) and Hostal Milmahuasi ( 3887/619–1591), but many villagers offer rooms for rent. The busiest times to visit are at Easter and during the first and second weekends in October, when the village celebrates its festival; it also comes to life for patron saint San Isidro Labrador on May 15. There are some good hikes from Iruya to even more remote villages such as San Isidro, an 8-km (five-mile) three-hour trek through the mountains. Avian fans should undertake a condor-spotting expedition with a local guide such as Iruya Excursiones on Plaza de la Iglesia ( 3885/155–475–076). For more information and guide recommendations, visit the Tourist Office on Güemes ( 3887/155–094–799) or visit  www.iruyaonline.com.

The most popular excursion on Lago Nahuel Huapi is the 30-minute boat ride from Puerto Pañuelo on the Llao Llao Peninsula to Isla Victoria, the lake's largest island. Here, amidst a grove of redwoods transplanted from California, trails branch off to enchanting views of emerald bays and still lagoons. When you've taken it all in, you can reboard your vessel and continue on to the Parque Nacional los Arrayanes to the north. Launches depart daily at 10:30 am and 2 pm (more frequently in high season). The earlier departure includes time for lunch in a cafeteria on the island. Cau Cau is one of several firms offering this tour.  

With more than 400 species of birds in the national parks surrounding Iguazú Falls, bird-watchers will be kept happily busy. This tiny garden north of Puerto Iguazú serves as more of a feeding station than a refuge, but it's busy with the little powerhouses zipping about.

Like the bonsais in the nursery within it, this park is small but perfectly formed, and maintained by the Argentine-Japanese Cultural Foundation. A slow wander along the arched wooden bridges and walkways is guaranteed to calm frazzled sightseeing nerves. A variety of shrubs and flowers frame ornamental ponds that are filled with friendly koi carp. The restaurant, where you can enjoy sushi, adzuki-bean sweets, and tea, overlooks the zen garden.

The Swiss-French brothers who own this winery produce a limited quantity of wines from their own grapes including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Guided tours of the spotless facility include crushing, fermentation, and tasting areas.

One of the best-kept secrets in the region, the gorgeous Bodega Kaiken is a must-see. The grounds are impeccable, with modern buildings to house the wines and showcase their own process on winemaking. Notable wines that are great from this winery are Mai and Disobedience, with many more options to suit anyone's palate. The on-site restaurant, Ramos Generales Restaurant, is an award-winning experience with excellent wine pairings for any dish you choose, and you honestly can't go wrong with anything you choose off the menu. Try to reserve a table within the vineyards, which are shaded by white cloth tarps that flow with the winds. With an on-site shop where you can buy all the wines you can try on tours that vary in length and amount of wine. Make sure to book all tours and restaurant reservations in advance through their website.

It looks like a cross between a log cabin and the Pentagon, but this massive wooden structure—which weighs 551 tons—is a large-scale replica of a Guaraní bird trap. La Aripuca officially showcases different local woods, supposedly for conservation purposes—ironic, given the huge trunks used to build it and the overpriced wooden furniture that fills the gift shop.

Seven km (4 miles) east of town is La Garganta del Diablo (The Devil's Throat), a red-rock gorge with waterfalls (the number depends on the season). The tourist office in Tilcara can point you in the right direction; ask about the path that knocks about half the distance off the journey. Ask, too, for directions to the wind-eroded caves that are a similar distance east of town.

A heap of history is packed into this single block of buildings southwest of Plaza de Mayo. Its name, "the Block of Illumination," is a metaphorical nod to the "illuminated" scholars who once worked within. Guided tours are led by excellent historians, and though regular tours are in Spanish, English summaries are offered at each stage.

The site's earliest occupant was the controversial Jesuit order, which began construction in 1661. The only surviving building from then is the galleried Procuraduría, the colonial administrative headquarters for the Jesuits' land holdings. Secret tunnels linked it to area churches, the Cabildo, and the port. The simple brick-and-mud structure housed the city's first school of medicine and then the University of Buenos Aires. Fully restored, it's now home to a school for stringed instrument makers and a somewhat tacky crafts market.

The Jesuits honored their patron saint at the Iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola (Church of Saint Ignatius of Loyola), at the intersection of Alsina and Bolívar. You can visit without taking a tour.

Argentina's first congress convened in another building on the site, the Casas Virreinales (Viceroyal Residences)—ironic, given that it was built to house colonial civil servants. The remaining historic building is the neoclassical Colegio Nacional, a high-caliber public school that replaced a Jesuit-built structure. The president often attends graduation ceremonies, and Einstein gave a lecture here in 1925.

Famed revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara spent several nights in this converted barn while making his trans-continental motorcycle journey across Latin America back in 1952. Today the building houses a small but interesting museum, with information in English and Spanish and some rare footage of Che's life. 

One good excursion in the area is to Lago Escondido and Lago Fagnano (Fagnano Lake). The Pan-American Highway out of Ushuaia goes through deciduous beech forests and past beavers' dams, peat bogs, and glaciers. The lakes have campsites and fishing and are good spots for a picnic or a hike. This can be done on your own or as a seven-hour trip, including lunch, booked through the local travel agencies (around 60,000 pesos with lunch and 4x4 transportation).

Covering some 100 square km (40 square miles), this azure mirror is the largest of Parque Nacional Lanín's 24 lakes. It's also one of the prettiest, offering woods, beaches, and views of snowy Volcán Lanín from every part of the vicinity. Boat cruises of the lake and of neighboring Lago Epulafquen depart from Puerto Canoa on the northwestern shore, and there are abundant campgrounds all along the perimeter. Popular treks include those to El Saltillo waterfall in the north, and to El Escorial, a petrified river of black lava, to the southwest. The lake is a two-hour drive from San Martín de los Andes.

This little-visited lake is inside the national park just south of Brazo Rico, 46 km (29 miles) from El Calafate. The area receives about five times as much annual precipitation as El Calafate, creating a relatively lush climate of green meadows by the lakeshore, where locals come to picnic and cast for trophy rainbow and lake trout. Don't miss a hike into the hills behind the lake—the view of dark-blue Lago Roca backed by a pale-green inlet of Lago Argentino with the Perito Moreno glacier and jagged snowcapped peaks beyond is truly outstanding.

A lovely lake surrounded by lush forest, complete with orchids and mossy trees, the Laguna del Desierto is 37 km (23 miles) north of El Chaltén on R23, a dirt road. There is an amazing trek that can be done there that ends at the nearby Huemul glacier. Locals recommend visiting Lago del Desierto on a rainy day, when the dripping green misty forest is extra mysterious. 

A marshy area on the shore of Lago Argentino just a short walk from downtown El Calafate, the Laguna Nimez Reserva Natural is home to many species of waterfowl, including black-necked swans, buff-necked ibises, southern lapwings, and flamingos. Road construction along its edge and the rapidly advancing town threaten to stifle this avian oasis, but it's still a haven for bird-watchers and a relaxing walk in the early morning or late afternoon. Strolling along footpaths among grazing horses and flocks of birds may not be as intense an experience as, say, trekking on a glacier, but a trip to the lagoon provides a good sense of the local landscape. Don't forget your binoculars and a telephoto lens.

Founded in 1922, this sparkling winery is a fusion of tradition and technology. Gold adobe walls, arched doorways, and wine casks filled with flowers give it an Old Spanish air, but inside everything is state-of-the-art. Lots of care goes into irrigation, growing the grapes on espalderas altos (espaliers) or parrales (trellises), selecting grapes on the vine, hand harvesting, and hand crushing. Free to visit.