Tourism in Argentina - travel tips

Tourism in Argentina is favored by its ample and varied natural assets (made possible by its geographical extension), by its cultural offer, and (since the devaluation of the Argentine peso after the 2001 crash) by its high exchange rate to foreign currencies.

In 2005, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census, tourism from abroad grew 12% with respect to 2004 and became the third largest source of income for the country, producing 3,254.5 million USD (8.1% of the goods and service exports). There were about 3.7 million visitors, and for the first time more foreigners visited Argentina than Argentinians travelled abroad.

For the first quarter of 2006, INDEC recorded 560,265 foreign tourists (22% more than in the same period of 2005). Of these, 31% came from Europe, 19.2% from the United States and Canada, 14.2% from Brazil, 9.1% from Chile, 3.2% from other neighbouring countries, and 14.1% from the rest of the Americas; the rest of the world accounted for 9.2%.

BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires, once considered by travellers the "Paris of the Southern Hemisphere", offers a broad range of cultural activities. Visitors may choose to visit a tango show, or an estancia in the Province of Buenos Aires, or to enjoy traditional asado. Lately new tourist circuits have evolved, devoted to famous Argentinians such as Carlos Gardel, Eva Perón or Jorge Luis Borges. Due to the favourable exchange rate, its shopping centers, such as Alto Palermo, Paseo Alcorta, Patio Bullrich, Abasto de Buenos Aires and Galerías Pacífico, are frequently visited by tourists.

San Telmo is a well-known traditional area in the south of city. It has a long history, houses from colonial times and cobblestoned streets. One can see impressive churches, museums, antique shops and "Antique Fairs" ('Ferias de Antiguedades') in historic Dorrego Square around which, one finds actors in the street, tango dancers and, of course, many tourists.

The Penitentiary Museum ('Museo Penitenciario') is a Jesuit building that was a prison for more than 150 years. The 300 year old Church of San Pedro Telmo represents the Maritims Holy conserving antique images on the windows and walls. Defense Passage was an old residence that now is a marketplace with cafés and antique shops. People that like tango will enjoy a visit to a tango show at 'El Viejo Almacen' built by the famous tango singer Edmundo Rivero.

Recoleta and Puerto Madero are two of the neighbourhoods most visited by tourists because of their style and restaurants.

NORTH ARGENTINA

• Iguazu Falls, located on the northeast of Argentina, are the best known falls in the area and have a good infrastructure for the traveller and plenty of activities to be done in the area. The falls and the area surrounding are part of the Iguazú National Park that preserves the local subtropical rainforest ecosystem. The most impressive of the falls is known as the Devil's Throat, shared with Brazil.
• The Train to the Clouds, offers a view to the stark contrasts of the province of Salta. It begins in the city of Salta city ascends to San Antonio de los Cobres, reaching an altitude over 4,000 meters.
• Quebrada de Humahuaca
• Valles Calchaquíes
• Esteros del Iberá
• Puna de Atacama
• Península Valdés
• Sierras de Córdoba
• Mar Chiquita, Córdoba Argentina
• Traslasierra
• San Ignacio Miní

SOUTH ARGENTINA

• Los Glaciares National Park, where glaciers that drain the Southern Patagonian Ice Field end in the Lago Argentino, blocking one of its bays until the pressure of the water blows the ice dam.
• Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, located in Tierra del Fuego, is a typical destination in southern Patagonia.
• Bariloche - San Carlos de Bariloche is a city in the Río Negro Province, situated on the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno and Mascardi) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing but also great for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.

OTHER DESTIONATIONS

• Mar del Plata, the main sea resort of Argentina; other maritime resorts as Cariló, Villa Gesell, Monte Hermoso, Pehuencó, Las Grutas (in Río Negro), Rada Tilly in Chubut; The Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the western hemisphere, Las Leñas; Talampaya and Valle de la Luna, with strange geological structures; Bariloche, Villa La Angostura, San Martín de los Andes, Junín de los Andes, El Bolsón, Esquel, Trevelin, Los Antiguos, Copahue, Caviahue, near snow capped mountains with temperate rainforests and glaciar lakes; San Rafael and Mendoza, where the best wines of Argentina are made. Fauna, especially whales in Puerto Madryn. Other main mountain resorts are: Carlos Paz, Cosquín, La Falda, Capilla del Monte, Villa de Merlo, Tinogasta, Villa Cura Brochero, Mina Clavero, Villa Nougués, Villa General Belgrano, Tilcara, Cafayate, Iruya, Villa La Angostura, Tafí del Valle.

NATIONAL PARKS IN ARGENTINA

Argentina has an extensive National Park system, preserving sights of natural beauty, which includes the following:

• El Palmar National Park
• Iguazú National Park
• Lanín National Park
• Los Alerces National Park
• Los Arrayanes National Park
• Nahuel Huapi National Park
• Talampaya National Park
• Tierra del Fuego National Park

Popular Argentina destinations

BUENOS AIRES

9 de Julio Avenue, Buenos Aires

The most popular tourist sites are found in the historic city core, comprising Montserrat and San Telmo. The city was originally constructed around the Plaza de Mayo, the administrative center of the Colony. To the east of the Square is the Casa Rosada, the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina. To the north, the Catedral Metropolitana which has stood in the same location since colonial times, and the Banco de la Nación Argentina building, a parcel of land originally owned by Juan de Garay. Other important colonial institutions were Cabildo, to the west, which was renovated during the construction of Avenida de Mayo and Julio A. Roca. To the south is the Congreso de la Nación (National Congress), which currently houses the Academia Nacional de la Historia (National Academy of History). Lastly, to the northwest, is City Hall.

Avenida de Mayo links the Casa Rosada with the Argentine National Congress. On this avenue there are several buildings of cultural, architectural and historical importance, such as Casa de la Cultura, the Palacio Barolo and Café Tortoni. Underneath the avenue, the first subte (metro) line (Línea) in South America, was opened in 1913. The avenue ends at Plaza de los Dos Congresos, which features a number of monuments and sculptures, including a signed copy of Auguste Rodin's "The Thinker".

EL CALAFATE

Avenida del Libertador, the town's main street

El Calafate is a little village in Patagonia, Argentina. It is situated in the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province, about 320 km Northwest from Río Gallegos. Its name comes from a little bush with yellow flowers very common in Patagonia, with dark blue berries: the calafate (Berberis buxifolia); the word comes from the word "calafate", which is Spanish for "caulk".

El Calafate is an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.

The 220 kilometers separating Calafate from El Chaltén on the other side of the Lake Argentino in the national park are paved, as well as the 315 kilometres to Río Gallegos. Other distances are: to Esquel 1108 km (mostly dirt road); Comodoro Rivadavia 959 km; Puerto Madryn 1388 km; Buenos Aires 2727 km; Ushuaia 863 km and in Chile Puerto Natales 362 km and Punta Arenas 605 km.

IGUAZU NATIONAL PARK

Water falls in Iguazú National Park

The Iguazú National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the Iguazú Department, in the north of the province of Misiones, Argentine Mesopotamia. It has an area of 550 km²

The park was created in 1934 and it contains one of the greatest natural beauties of Argentina, the Iguazu Falls, surrounded by the subtropical jungle. Across the Iguazu River lies its Brazilian counterpart (Iguaçu National Park). Both sites were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, in 1984 and 1986.

MAR DEL PLATA

Summertime in Mar del Plata

Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Buenos Aires Province, 400 km south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is one of the major fishing ports and the biggest seaside beach resort in Argentina. With a population of 541,733 as per the 2001 census, it's the 7th largest town in Argentina.

Mar del Plata is the most popular destination for conventions in Argentina after Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata has a wide range of services in this sector. The summer season hosts over fifty theatrical plays.

MENDOZA

Gates of General San Martín Park

Mendoza is a city in the west of Argentina, and the capital of Mendoza Province. As per the 2001 census it has about 111,000 inhabitants, plus 848.660 in its metropolitan area, making it the fourth-largest conurbation in Argentina.

Mendoza is on a major road between Argentina and Chile. It is a frequent stopover for climbers heading up Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere) or for other mountaineering, hiking, horseback riding, rafting, and outdoor activities. In the winter, skiers come to the city for its easy access to the Andes.

One of the main industries of the Mendoza area is wine making. Another large industry is olive oil production.

ROSARIO

The artificial lake of the Parque Independencia

Rosario is the largest city of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located 300 km (187 miles) northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River. It has 909,397 residents as of the 2001 census.

Rosario is the head town of the Rosario Department and is located at the core of the most important industrial corridor in Argentina. Its suburbia and several neighboring towns form a metropolitan area, Greater Rosario, with 1,121,441 inhabitants.

The city is a major railroad terminal and the shipping center for northeastern Argentina. Ocean steamers reach the city via the Paraná River, which allows the existence of a 34-feet deep port. The Port of Rosario is subject to silting and must be dredged periodically. Exports include wheat, flour, hay, linseed and other vegetable oils, corn, sugar, lumber, meats, hides, and wool. Manufactures include flour, sugar, meat products, and other foodstuffs. A bridge running over the Paraná River to connect Rosario with the city of Victoria across the Paraná Delta was opened in 2003.

Along with Paraná, Rosario is one of the few Argentine cities that cannot point to a particular individual as its founder. The city's patron is the Virgin of the Rosary (feast day October 7).

SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE

Bariloche. View from the Nahuel Huapi

San Carlos de Bariloche is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated on the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno Lake and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing but also great for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.

Tourism, both national and international, is the main economic activity of Bariloche, all year around. The main ski station is the one at Cerro Catedral. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters, from melting snow, are always very cold. Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C in the summertime). The fishing season is another great attraction. Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and serves as a base for many excursions in the region. Trekking in the mountains, almost completely wild and uninhabited with the exception of a few high-mountain huts, is also a popular activity. The city is also famous for its chocolates.

It is also noteworthy that the city serves as the destination for Argentine secondary school students on their traditional senior year trips. The students are shepherded through week-long excursion packages including snowboarding, 4X4 excursions and passes to a series of boliches, or night clubs. The students, who travel during their winter break in July, fill the town with mobs wearing identical, travel-agency issued cold-weather gear.

USHUAIA

Ushuaia viewed from Pasaje Pedro Luis Fique

Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, and the world's southernmost city. It is located on the southern coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego, in a setting surrounded by mountains and overlooking the Beagle Channel. It had approximately 64,000 inhabitants as of 2005.

The city was originally named by early British colonists after the name that the native Yámana people had for the area. Much of the early history of the city and its hinterland is described in great detail in Lucas Bridges’ book Uttermost Part of the Earth (1948). For most of the first half of the 20th century, the city was centered around a prison for serious criminals. The Argentine government set up this prison following the example of the British with Australia: being a remote island, escape from a prison on Tierra del Fuego would have been impossible. The prisoners thus became forced colonists and spent much of their time cutting wood in the lands around the prison and building the town. They built a railway from the forests to the settlement, now used as a tourist train as the Tren del Fin del Mundo (End of the Earth Train), the southernmost railway in the world.

The tourist attractions include the Tierra del Fuego National Park (to see Lapataia Bay) including by using the Tren del Fin del Mundo; hiring a boat charter to Cape Horn (in Chilean waters); and local birds, penguins and seawolves on the islands in the Beagle Channel. Some tours also visit the Lighthouse at the End of the World (Faro del fin del mundo) at the Isla de los Estados, made famous by Jules Verne in the novel of the same name.