# Anyone any "must-see's" for Argentina (excl BA)? Got a 2 week trip there.



## Mr Flapjack (7 Jul 2005)

Anyone any "must-see's" for Argentina (excl BA)? Got a 2 week trip there and looking for general tips.


----------



## Kiddo (7 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

I went to Argentina & Brazil last year. Iguzu falls is an absolute must in my opinion. Its about an 18 hour bus journey from BA or you can fly. Its definatly worth trying to see both sides, the Argentian side for the close up and the Brazilian side for the panoramic view. You can organise day trips from the Argentian side. Theres some photos here but no photo could ever have the same impact as being there 

[broken link removed]

We also went to Ushuia which is the most southerly inhabited place on earth. To be honest there isn't a whole lot there. It thrives on its "end of the world" claim. We went in October so there was lots of snow. We did a bit of hiking and took a boat trip. Just make sure you book a flight in Ireland before you go as its next to impossible to get one over there

http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/i/tierradelfuego/ushuaia/ushuaia.htm

Have a blast


----------



## EvilDoctorK (7 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Bariloche and the area around there is very nice - spectacular mountains and more accessible than Southern Patagonia.

If you are going to southern patagonia El Calafate for the glacier is truly awesome

I agree fully with Kiddo on Iguacu falls - not to be missed

It's a lot of ground to cover so transport is expensive but the cost of living over there for food etc. is a lot cheaper than here.


----------



## Mr Flapjack (8 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Thanks guys, much appreciated. Couple of Q's on your advice tho:

Kiddo - You mentioned the difficulty in bookintg flights south. Would the same apply to the north, ie to get to iguazu falls? Any idea on ballpark cost?

DrEvilK - We were actually looking to go skiing and had heard Bariloche was ideal. How did you get there?

Cheers....


----------



## EvilDoctorK (8 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

We flew to Bariloche (we flew from Chile actually but there are loads of flights from BsAs about a 2hr journey I think) - the other option would be to get a bus from BsAs - I think it's about 24hrs and you can get some pretty luxurious buses with "business class" seating etc.

For internal flights the main airline is Aerolineas Argentinas (www.aerolineas.com.ar) ... as a foreigner you can only buy fairly expensive tickets - maybe 150US$ o/w to Bariloche (which tends to be the most expensive domestic flight apart from maybe Ushuaia).  Other carriers include Southern Winds, LAN Argentina but I think they all sell only more expensive tickets to foreigners (You can buy them in pesos don't have to pay in US$ but the price is quite high). Ask your travel agent - if you haven't bought your long haul ticket it might be possible/cheaper to buy a Dublin - Bariloche fare with stopover(s) in BsAs or something like that.

There's two airports in BsAs - Ezeiza is the international airport where all long haul flights arrive and there are a few domestic flights mostly to main tourist destinations to faciliate direct connections.  Ezeiza is about 30k out of town ... for most domestic flights they depart from the smaller Aeroparque airport which is almost right in downtown - obviously much more convenient.

I had no problem purchasing internal flights .... but if you're in peak season and going on busy routes maybe it's worth trying to sort out in advance .... I'm not sure how easy it is to purchase these tickets from here - might be even more expensive than paying the higher peso fares when buying as a tourist in Argentia

Small but handy tip for doing your research on Argentina ... $ means pesos ... only if they write US$ or USD is the item priced in Dollars .... it can be a bit confusing sometimes !


----------



## Kiddo (8 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*



			
				Mr Flapjack said:
			
		

> Thanks guys, much appreciated. Couple of Q's on your advice tho:
> 
> Kiddo - You mentioned the difficulty in bookintg flights south. Would the same apply to the north, ie to get to iguazu falls? Any idea on ballpark cost?
> 
> ...


 
I'm not sure about flying north. We bought our internal flight in Trailfinders at the same time as our long haul flight. We took the bus to Iguazu from BA.. It took 18 hours but it was on a semi-cam which means the seats were similar to business class seats on a plane....quite comfortable. We booked the bus seats a few days in advance so that we got the front seats upstairs...a bit more leg room.You could have a look here to get a cost for flights

[broken link removed]


----------



## Mr Flapjack (8 Jul 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Thanks again!


----------



## carbon (13 Dec 2005)

*Argentina*

Hi,

We're planning to spend the month of January in Argentina and have spent a fair bit of time reading up on it.  I'd love to hear any practical tips anyone has who has already been there in terms of internal flights, places to stay, what trips are possible to travel to on overnight buses and which places it's worth spending more time in.  All advice is appreciated.


----------



## ragazza (14 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Hi,

I was there a few years ago. Sorry I cant give you much practical information, but places I'd recommend are : 
 - Buenos Aires : lovely city with quite a European feel. Lots to see, and I liked the street performers dancing tango.
 - Ushuaia : southern most city in Argentina. About an hours flight from BA I think. Very different - everywhere coverd in snow; in summer it only reaches about 10degrees! Nice to see the archipelago. Near there (but it may be in Chile) is the Perito Moreno glacier, one of the biggest in world. Really amazing sight - a wall of blue ice, wider and taller than an apartment block.
 - Iguassu falls : I didnt go there myself (saving that for a trip to Brazil!), but hear they are spectacular!
 - the pampas, and maybe a polo match, and of course the steak! 

Disfruta tus vacaiones!


----------



## Sue Ellen (14 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

See this previous thread on Argentina


----------



## canman (14 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Also, should consider subscribing to the newstalk106 travel section. Only a listener by the way. 

Link to there is 
[broken link removed]

Then, you can ask for the back issue of Buenos Aires. The guy that does the section is from the lonely planet.


----------



## Kiddo (16 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Hi Carbon 

I have already contributed to the thread that SueEllen has posted the link for...any questions just shout


----------



## PMU (21 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

At current exchange rates Argentina is very good value for money.  When flying internally in Argentina it is extremely important that when you reach a domestic destination that you confirm your onward flight with Aerolineas.  This applies particularly to flights out of Ushuaia.  Also when you are in Buenos Aires, which is one of the world’s great cities like a cross between New York and Paris, be sure to check out the Café Tortoni  - relic of old decency http://www.cafetortoni.com.ar .  
​


----------



## sun_sparks (21 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

If anyone needs info I was there last year. PM me and I'll see if I can help!


----------



## joanmul (21 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*



			
				Kiddo said:
			
		

> I'm not sure about flying north. We bought our internal flight in Trailfinders at the same time as our long haul flight. We took the bus to Iguazu from BA.. It took 18 hours but it was on a semi-cam which means the seats were similar to business class seats on a plane....quite comfortable. We booked the bus seats a few days in advance so that we got the front seats upstairs...a bit more leg room.You could have a look here to get a cost for flights
> 
> [broken link removed]


 
I was there last year and we went on a prebooked flight to the Iguazu Falls.   After such a long journey to get to Argentina I think it would be a pity to spend 18 hours in a coach when you can get to the Falls in about 5 hours (if there is a stopover - sometimes there is - to pick up other passengers - it's only about half hour stop).   The Falls themselves are so spectacular that you want to spend all day there - we spent two days looking at them!   One day is spent on the Argentinian side and the other day on the Brazilian side which is the more spectacular.  We went on the dinghy trip under the Falls - bring your togs - it's a never to be forgotten trip.


----------



## carbon (21 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Hi all, Thanks very much for all the tips- they're very helpful.  Just a quick question did any of you purchase an Argentina flight pass prior to going there- we have already booked our flights with Iberia so it's too late to include a stopover.
Thanks


----------



## RainyDay (21 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

I've merged 2 threads on Argentina, so Suellen's link above is no longer working or relevant.


----------



## EvilDoctorK (22 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*

Hi Carbon,

We just booked internal flights when there ... maybe if you were flying all the way down the very south the flight pass would be a better deal.. but on the main non tourist routes there's a fair bit of competition and fares are fairly good so I didn't reckon it was worth it.  

the airpass on the A. Argentinas site ( [broken link removed] ) doesn't look to me like a spectacular deal .. especially if you're flying to there on another airlines.


----------



## Kiddo (22 Dec 2005)

*Re: Argentina*



			
				joanmul said:
			
		

> I was there last year and we went on a prebooked flight to the Iguazu Falls. After such a long journey to get to Argentina I think it would be a pity to spend 18 hours in a coach when you can get to the Falls in about 5 hours (if there is a stopover - sometimes there is - to pick up other passengers - it's only about half hour stop). The Falls themselves are so spectacular that you want to spend all day there - we spent two days looking at them! One day is spent on the Argentinian side and the other day on the Brazilian side which is the more spectacular. We went on the dinghy trip under the Falls - bring your togs - it's a never to be forgotten trip.


 
We were on a budget hence the bus trip...it was an overnight one so we saved on the hotel 

We did the dinghy trip too....great fun.


----------



## Newbie! (13 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*

On an aside note, we got a quote for long haul flights from Dub-Buenos aires and then the internal flights in argentina from trailfinders today.

I've just found the same longhaul flights (exact same) for a bit cheaper online and also the internals with Aerolineas Argentina (i dont know who trailfinders were using) and it saves me a good couple of euro overall. 

is there any major disadvantage to me booking the flights myself or would you recommend just using trailfinders?

thanks


----------



## dieter1 (13 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*

If the conditions are right, go skiing in Las Lenas.  Its 90 minutes from the nearest town, has incredible lift accessed terrain, is inexpensive compared to any other ski resort (anywhere).   If you have lots of time, it might be worth a look!


----------



## Delboy (15 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Newbie! said:


> On an aside note, we got a quote for long haul flights from Dub-Buenos aires and then the internal flights in argentina from trailfinders today.
> 
> I've just found the same longhaul flights (exact same) for a bit cheaper online and also the internals with Aerolineas Argentina (i dont know who trailfinders were using) and it saves me a good couple of euro overall.
> 
> ...



Hi,
just back from Peru,Argentina and Brazil trip. I discovered that the way to get around Argentinian Airlines charging foreigners more is to use a travel agent based in Argentina. I got the name of 1 that was recommended on other websites. I gave her the flights I wanted (from looking at the Aerolineas Argentinas website) and she booked them for us. Worked out 40% cheaper than I i booked them myself from here. Nothing illegal about it and no hassle when checking in on any of the legs we booked. The agent we used is called Mayra Brill and she is based in Buenos Aires. She can be contacted at:
Mayra@ArgentinaTravelServices.com

We got very good service from her and no problems at all. Mayra even confirmed our flights 24 hours before take off which is something you have to do everywhere in Sth America even though you've already paid for your flights.

As regards to the trip - don't miss Patagonia..superb. We flew to El Calafate and got a hire car to drive to El Chalten. Some superb trekking there in a very remote and unspoiled setting. We also visited the Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate. the town itself is beautiful,very well kept...bit touristy but nice after the remoteness of Chalten. Did'nt get to go further south for time reasons but would love to see Ushuia. Found BA to be very quiet - very little night life.Good place for a couple as the restaurants are superb and shopping seems good, but bars/nightclubs are poor.

if you need any more info just let me know


----------



## Newbie! (18 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Delboy said:


> Hi,
> I got the name of 1 that was recommended on other websites. I gave her the flights I wanted (from looking at the Aerolineas Argentinas website) and she booked them for us. Worked out 40% cheaper than I i booked them myself from here. Nothing illegal about it and no hassle when checking in on any of the legs we booked. The agent we used is called Mayra Brill and she is based in Buenos Aires. She can be contacted at:
> Mayra@ArgentinaTravelServices.com
> 
> As regards to the trip - don't miss Patagonia..superb. We flew to El Calafate and got a hire car to drive to El Chalten. Some superb trekking there in a very remote and unspoiled setting. We also visited the Perito Moreno glacier in El Calafate. the town itself is beautiful,very well kept...bit touristy but nice after the remoteness of Chalten. Did'nt get to go further south for time reasons but would love to see Ushuia. Found BA to be very quiet - very little night life.Good place for a couple as the restaurants are superb and shopping seems good, but bars/nightclubs are poor.


 
thanks a million for that info. Due to the short time we have there, we were going to just go to BA, Iguazu and Bariloche. Do you think we should squeeze in El Calafate as well? Is it easy to drive there - could you drive from El Calafate to Bariloche or would it be a ridiculous journey?


----------



## Delboy (20 Sep 2007)

Cannot comment on Bariloche as was'nt there. But to drive from the iarport in Calafate to Chalten is about 2.5hours or 220kms. We hired a car at the airport for only 150euros for 3 days. Some of the road is unpaved and thus you have to take it handy.
I'd defo recommend Chalten and the glacier at Calafate over Iguasu. Far more to do in terms of hiking/passing a few days/avoiding tourists than in Iguasu. I found Iguasu boring to be honest...you'll see all there is to see in under 3 hours and it's a long way from anywhere for that length of time. If you do go to Iguasu avoid the 1 hour tour through the rainforest by truck and up the river by boat. Waste of 100 pesos and the soaking you get when the boat goes under 1 of the waterfalls is not worth it-your walking around in searing heat for the rest of the day trying to dry out. Plus the boat does'nt go anywhere near the main body of the waterfalls for obvious reasons.
Nothing beats the remoteness of Chalten,the mountains and rivers...really wild and unspoiled countryside.
Calafate and Chalten win hands down in my opinion.


----------



## Afuera (21 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Delboy said:


> Found BA to be very quiet - very little night life.Good place for a couple as the restaurants are superb and shopping seems good, but bars/nightclubs are poor.


Wow, I find this a bit surprising to be honest! It was the party capital of South America when I went a couple of years ago. Nobody heads out to the clubs until about 2 in the morning though so it may appear to be quiet until then.


----------



## paddi22 (21 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Delboy said:


> Hi,
> Found BA to be very quiet - very little night life.Good place for a couple as the restaurants are superb and shopping seems good, but bars/nightclubs are poor.



We were there and we thought it had the best nightlife ever! Don't think we got home before 6 o clock any night! And we had the best laugh, the people over there were the friendliest and we had great craic. It has a really wide range of nightlife, and some of the late night tango clubs are fantastic and a great experience.


----------



## EvilDoctorK (21 Sep 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Newbie! said:


> thanks a million for that info. Due to the short time we have there, we were going to just go to BA, Iguazu and Bariloche. Do you think we should squeeze in El Calafate as well? Is it easy to drive there - could you drive from El Calafate to Bariloche or would it be a ridiculous journey?



I have driven this .. it's a fabulous journey through utterly deserted amazing landscape ... it's a huge distance almost all on upaved roads and it's really remote ... you can drive for serveral hours and not see any other vehicles or indeed people.

I would say that given the roads it would take you probably at least 4 days of fairly hard driving to get from Bariloche to Calafate


----------



## tivanagh (21 Sep 2007)

I was in Argentina/Brazil last year and I fully agree with all those people about El Calafate and Iguazu bariloche, puerto Madryn. The one other place that in my mind is actually the most amazing place is actually El Chalten in Patagonia. Its a four hour bus ride from El Calafate so if you are in Patagonia you definately should not miss it. With two weeks its hard to get everything as the distances are huge compared to here. You can fly to El Calafate for 110USD so maybe take in that and El Calafate for a few days along with BA. Iguazu is amazing too so i dont envy your position. Try and get an extra week is what you really should do as it is cheap over there.


----------



## tivanagh (21 Sep 2007)

Just read and you asked about bus trips. You arent there long enough to think of anything more than one long bus trip. BA to Iguazu in itself takes 22 hours I think and Bariloche to BA is as much. Bariloche to ElCalafate is well serviced by air and is cheap.


----------



## Newbie! (26 Oct 2007)

*Re: Argentina*



Delboy said:


> Hi,
> just back from Peru,Argentina and Brazil trip. I discovered that the way to get around Argentinian Airlines charging foreigners more is to use a travel agent based in Argentina. I got the name of 1 that was recommended on other websites. I gave her the flights I wanted (from looking at the Aerolineas Argentinas website) and she booked them for us. Worked out 40% cheaper than I i booked them myself from here. Nothing illegal about it and no hassle when checking in on any of the legs we booked. The agent we used is called Mayra Brill and she is based in Buenos Aires. She can be contacted at:
> Mayra@ArgentinaTravelServices.com
> 
> We got very good service from her and no problems at all. Mayra even confirmed our flights 24 hours before take off which is something you have to do everywhere in Sth America even though you've already paid for your flights.




Hi, unfortunately Mayra is now on maternity leave. Does anyone know of another travel agent whom i could book with? the prices to book on my own are so expensive!!


----------



## InfoSeeker (23 Jun 2008)

Mayra is no longer on maternity leave so I contacted her and want to update a comment made previously by Delboy in this thread.

I asked her for a quote for 7 internal flights, she replied with an itinerary.

I used the details to go directly to the airline's website, ie LAN, and see what the difference would be between her quote and the price I could obtain.

Mayra quoted 712 euro and the cost from the website was 740 euro.

Now this is still good as I am saving some money but it is certainly not 40% cheaper anymore.


----------



## Dublinchick (3 Oct 2008)

Hi 

Anybody got any updated recommendations or tips on Argentina/Brazil?  Heading to Brazil and Argentina in November, I've booked the international flights, but no internal flights yet.
Thanks in advance!


----------



## Hatchetman (3 Oct 2008)

Was in Chile Argentina and Brazil about two months ago, mainly Santiago, Buenos Aires and Rio De Janeiro. Liked Argentina and Chile couldn't wait to depart Rio, its not cheap and its as seedy and dangerous as you could imagine. We weren't three hours in it before we had an attempted mugging at knife point. Your always on your guard in Rio and NEVER feel entirely safe despite umpteen pockets of police all over the place and whats to see can be done in a day, Corcovado, sugar loaf etc. Buenos Aires I liked, loads of very good restaurants and you'd feel safe there, its also a shoppers paradise, everything is roughly 40% cheaper there. Buy a good guide book and follow from there.


----------



## BsAs (5 Oct 2008)

Don't forget that there are airlines other than Aerolineas Argentinas that operate internal flights in Argentina. Chilean airline LAN (www.lan.com) does not appear to have an apartheid system and charges passengers of whatever nationality the same fare. It is reliable and flies from Buenos Aires to Iguazu, Mendoza, Cordoba and other cities.


----------



## Perplexed (5 Oct 2008)

I'll second to be careful in Rio. I had a gold chain snatched from my neck while walking down the Copacobana. Worse could have happened me & it didn't spoil my holiday but just have sense in not carrying or wearing anything valuable.
It's worth seeing though once you use some cop on.

I had several flights with Lan & they were all fine. Iguassu is definitely worth the trip. You just need an overnight there to see both the Brazillian & Argentinian sides, but it's unforgettable.

I loved Buenos Aires. It's a classy city & feels much safer. Don't forget to take in a Tango show. The dancing is incredible. Visit the markets at San Telma, the Recoletta (where Eva Peron is buried ) and of course the colourful La Boca. Leather goods are very good & reasonable - they have to do something with the hides from all the steaks !

It's worth a day trip to visit an Estancia (ranch) where you can go horseriding & see the way life used to be lived.
You can also take the ferry for a daytrip to Uruguay, which is interesting especially the very old town of Sacramento de Colonia.

You'll have a wonderful time .....enjoy.


----------



## bamboozle (6 Oct 2008)

Nice as Rio is, you just cannot stray an inch from the tourist spots or else you’re at high risk of being mugged, I even found it tiresome in cocacabana just sitting outdoors at any of the restaurants along the strip, the amount of clowns, jugglers, acrobats etc etc coming up to tables looking for money was unbelievable. Beautiful city but once is enough.
Other spots in Brazil are much nicer, the islands south of Rio, the Pantanal and Florionalapolis.

Argentina and Uruguary are just so much more enjoyable places to visit. Buenos Aires is just a great city, atmostphere, people, prices and most of all the food and wine. Other great spots would be iguazu, uashuaia, towns around bariloche like el calafete or el bolsen are much nicer and less touristy than bariloche, punto tombo is a great spot for nature lovers, 
You can take the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguary which was a stunning port town, punto del diablo is also stunning.


----------



## Dublinchick (9 Nov 2008)

Just an FYI I have been in touch with Mayra to book internal flights for Argentina.   She is very helpful, but booking the flights through her wasn't any cheaper than booking myself on the internet.  Can't wait to go now!


----------

